BOEM Eliminates Public Comment on Alaska Oil Lease Environmental Review

The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) announced it will not accept public comments or hold hearings on a draft supplemental environmental impact statement for a 2022 Cook Inlet oil lease sale. The decision, published in the Federal Register on Thursday, follows Trump administration changes to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) aimed at expediting environmental reviews and infrastructure development. BOEM indicated it is following updated NEPA regulations and a new Interior Department handbook that took effect July 3.