The US has taken one step closer to oil and gas leasing in a small part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), with the Interior Department issuing a draft environmental impact statement for the process.
The US Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will now open a 45-day public comment period to advance the process towards a lease sale, with public meetings set to be held in Anchorage, Arctic Village, Fairbanks, Kaktovik, Fort Yukon, Venetie, Utqiagvik and Washington, DC.
