The Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge has nearly 428,000 acres with high potential for petroleum resources, according to a draft environmental impact statement released by the US Department of the Interior Thursday. Receive daily email alerts, subscriber notes & personalize your experience. Register Now The draft document, the latest step in opening up Alaska’s ANWR to exploratory oil and natural gas drilling for the first time in nearly four decades, estimates that about 658,000 acres in the area have “medium” potential and about 477,000 acres have low potential for petroleum resources. A tax reform bill signed into law roughly a year ago by President Donald Trump requires Interior to hold at least two lease sales in ANWR by the end of 2024. These sales must both offer least 400,000 acres of the “highest hydrocarbon potential lands” within the Coastal Plain, and allow for 2,000 […]