SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

The Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Final Leasing Program EIS analyzes implementing an oil and gas leasing program in accordance with Section 20001 of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, Public Law 115-97 (Dec. 22, 2017) ( Pub. L. 115-97), and the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969, as amended, and in a manner similar to the administration of lease sales under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976, as amended. The Leasing EIS analyzes the potential environmental impacts of various leasing alternatives, including the areas to offer for sale, and the terms and conditions ( i.e., lease stipulations and required operating procedures) to be applied to leases and associated potential future oil and gas activities, to properly balance oil and gas development with existing uses and protection of surface resources. The lands comprising the Coastal Plain include approximately 1.6 million acres within the approximately 19.3 million-acre Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Final EIS will result in a ROD that will approve an oil and gas leasing program in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, consistent with the direction provided in PL 115-97. The Draft EIS, published in December 2018, did not identify a Preferred Alternative, because the BLM did not have one at that time. The Final EIS identifies Alternative B as the BLM's Preferred Alternative.

In developing the preferred alternative, the BLM worked with interested parties to identify the management decisions best suited to local, regional, and national needs and concerns, in developing the preferred alternative consistent with the following criteria:

• UnderPublic Law 115-97, hold not fewer than two lease sales, each to include not fewer than 400,000 acres area-wide, prioritizing the areas with the highest potential for hydrocarbons;
• Consider all available Federal lands and waters within the Coastal Plain;
• Consider all five purposes of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge;
• Address oil and gas leasing issues identified during scoping;
• Consider subsistence resources and users, as well as potential actions to minimize adverse impacts to subsistence in accordance with section 810 of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA); and
• Consider current surface management of the Coastal Plain.

Upon completion of a Final EIS and ROD, the BLM intends to conduct lease sales in accordance with Public Law 115-97.

Future on-the-ground actions requiring BLM approval, including proposed seismic and exploration plans or development proposals, would require further NEPA analysis based on specific and detailed information about where and what kind of activity is proposed. Additional site-specific terms and conditions may be required by the Authorized Officer prior to authorizing any oil and gas activity.

84 FR 50472