§3141 Overall Study Program

Summary

The Secretary must start and finish a study of all federal lands in Alaska north of 68° north latitude and east of the western boundary of the National Petroleum Reserve—Alaska, except for submerged Outer Continental Shelf areas and lands already in the National Petroleum Reserve—Alaska or in conservation units created by this Act. The study must use a coordinated approach with different sciences to: estimate oil and gas potential and recommend uses and transport routes; review wilderness qualities and suggest wilderness designation; and study wildlife and how to protect it. When the study is done, the Secretary must report on the lands’ oil and gas potential; the effects of development on wildlife, especially the Arctic and Porcupine caribou herds and the polar bear; the national need for any development; the national interest in keeping wilderness qualities; and the national interest in protecting wildlife. The Secretary must consult with the Secretary of Energy, other federal agencies, the State of Alaska, Native Village and Regional Corporations, the North Slope Borough, the Alaska Land Use Council, and the Government of Canada, and must let the public review and comment on a draft before final approval. The study and findings must be sent to the President and Congress no later than eight years after December 2, 1980, and the Secretary must send yearly progress reports to Congress. The study must not delay or stop land transfers to the State under the Alaska Statehood Act or to Natives under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act and this Act.