{
  "id": "RL31115",
  "type": "CRS Report",
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      "id": 303741,
      "date": "2005-05-04",
      "retrieved": "2016-04-07T19:45:53.864029",
      "title": "Legal Issues Related to Proposed Drilling for Oil and Gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)",
      "summary": "Congress is again considering whether to permit drilling for oil and gas in the coastal plain of\nthe\nArctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), Alaska, to designate the area as wilderness, or to retain\nthe status quo of maintaining the area as a Refuge without drilling. This area is rich in wildlife and\nwilderness values, but may also contain significant oil and gas deposits.  H.R. 567  and\n S. 261  have been introduced in the 109th Congress to designate the coastal plain of\nANWR a wilderness, but  H.R. 6  has passed the House. Title XXII of the bill would\nauthorize oil and gas leasing in ANWR. Both the House and Senate have approved\n H.Con.Res. 95 , a budget resolution that may necessitate revenues from oil and gas\ndevelopment in the Refuge to meet the budget reconciliation targets, and allow enactment of such\nlegislation without filibuster. This report provides background on the legal issues surrounding\nANWR development proposals, and will be updated as circumstances warrant. For an updated\nsummary of current actions on bills, see CRS Issue Brief IB10136,  Arctic National Wildlife\nRefuge\n(ANWR): Controversies for the 109th Congress . \n \n  H.R. 6  would authorize leasing in ANWR and contains a 2,000 acre limitation on\nthe \u201cfootprint\u201d of leasing development in the Coastal Plain. However, if the current\nstatutory\nprohibition against production of oil and gas anywhere in the Refuge is repealed, then oil and gas\ndevelopment and related activities could occur not only on the federal lands, but also on Native lands\nwithin the Refuge. Absent express language on the point, an acreage limitation would not apply to\nsome, and possibly not to any, of the Native lands, in which case some or all of the more than\n100,000 acres of such lands in the Refuge (inside and outside the officially designated Coastal Plain)\ncould be developed. A 1983 Agreement with the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation (ASRC), a\nNative Regional Corporation, would govern oil exploration on ASRC subsurface and associated\nsurface rights in the Refuge, unless these provisions are superseded by statute or regulations, and\nsome assert that the environmental terms of the agreement are lenient. ASRC agreed to comply with\nstatutes and regulations to protect wildlife, habitat, and the environment of the Coastal Plain. It is\nunclear whether some or all of ASRC\u2019s lands are subject to the 2,000 acre limit, and how\nthat\nacreage might be allocated among ASRC and federal lessees. \n \n  H.R. 6  gives primary responsibility for leasing to the Secretary of the Interior\nacting through the Director of the Bureau of Land Management rather than the Fish And Wildlife\nService, the agency that implemented the oil exploration program for the Coastal Plain. The\nenvironmental standard in H.R.  6 -- \u201cno significant adverse effect\u201d -- has been\nused in the\npast, but could allow a range of adverse effects compared to other standards that have also been used. \nH.R.  6 also would limit the NEPA process applicable to leasing in ANWR, and limit and\nexpedite judicial review. The bill states that leasing is to be under the Mineral Leasing Act (MLA),\nyet would establish a 50/50 revenue sharing formula different from the 90/10 formula in the MLA,\na fact that might raise issues related to the Alaska Statehood Act.",
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    {
      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs10045/",
      "id": "RL31115 2004-03-09",
      "date": "2004-03-09",
      "retrieved": "2007-06-20T14:37:58",
      "title": "Legal Issues Related to Proposed Drilling for Oil and Gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)",
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      "topics": [
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          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Animals",
          "name": "Animals"
        },
        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Oil and gas leases",
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        },
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        {
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      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs10023/",
      "id": "RL31115_2003Apr22",
      "date": "2003-04-22",
      "retrieved": "2007-06-20T14:38:50",
      "title": "Legal Issues Related to Proposed Drilling for Oil and Gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)",
      "summary": "This report discusses the legal issues considered by Congress on whether to permit drilling for oil and gas in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.",
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          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Oil and gas leases",
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      "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department",
      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs3773/",
      "id": "RL31115 2003-03-18",
      "date": "2003-03-18",
      "retrieved": "2005-06-10T18:58:06",
      "title": "Legal Issues Related to Proposed Drilling for Oil and Gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)",
      "summary": null,
      "type": "CRS Report",
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          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Animals",
          "name": "Animals"
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        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Oil and gas leases",
          "name": "Oil and gas leases"
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      "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metacrs2156/",
      "id": "RL31115_2002Apr26",
      "date": "2002-04-26",
      "retrieved": "2005-06-10T18:57:30",
      "title": "Legal Issues Related to Proposed Drilling for Oil and Gas in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge",
      "summary": "This report discusses the legal issues considered by Congress on whether to permit drilling for oil and gas in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, Alaska.",
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          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Animals",
          "name": "Animals"
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        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Oil and gas leases",
          "name": "Oil and gas leases"
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        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Energy",
          "name": "Energy"
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        {
          "source": "LIV",
          "id": "Public lands",
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  ],
  "topics": [
    "Environmental Policy"
  ]
}