Declares that the oil and gas leasing programs and activities in the Coastal Plain authorized by this Act are deemed to be compatible with the purposes for which ANWR was established.
Authorizes the Secretary to designate up to a total of 45,000 acres of the Coastal Plain as a Special Area requiring special management and regulatory protection after consultation with Alaska, Kaktovik, and the North Slope Borough. Requires the Secretary to designate the Sadlerochit Spring area as a Special Area. Permits horizontal drilling technology in such Areas from sites on leases outside such Areas.
Prescribes guidelines for implementation of lease sales.
Requires the Secretary to administer this Act to: (1) ensure that oil and gas production activities on the Coastal Plain will have no significant adverse effect on fish and wildlife, their habitat, and the environment; (2) require the application of the best commercially available technology for oil and gas exploration, development, and production operations, and (3) minimize the amount of surface acreage covered by production and support facilities. Sets forth provisions concerning: (1) compliance with environmental requirements, (2) expedited judicial review, and (3) distribution of revenues.
Directs the Secretary to issue rights-of-way and easements across the Coastal Plain for the transportation of oil and gas.
Establishes in the Treasury the Coastal Plain Local Government Impact Aid Assistance Fund to assist local governments in mitigating the potential effects of oil and gas exploration and development in their communities and to establish a coordination office by the North Slope Borough in Kaktovik.
Terminates all existing federal laws prohibiting expenditures to conduct oil and natural gas leasing and preleasing activities in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). Revokes withdrawals of federal submerged lands of the OCS from leasing.