Sen. Begich: Designate official to streamline drilling off Alaska's coast

Sen. Mark Begich (D-Alaska) introduced legislation last week to designate a new federal coordinator to streamline the review of oil and gas drilling projects off the coast of Alaska across several agencies and state and local governments.

The official would be able to “promote oil and gas development in Alaska’s Outer Continental Shelf and remove roadblocks halting development in the region,” Begich’s office said Monday.

The official would work closely with the Interior Department, Environmental Protection Agency and Army Corps of Engineers, as well as the state and local governments in Alaska, to “streamline” oil and gas development off the state’s coast in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas.

Begich and other drill-state lawmakers have said the Obama administration is taking too long to approve key permits for drilling projects in the Arctic.

“I can best describe the situation as regulatory ‘Whack-a-Mole’ for developers in Alaska,” Begich said in a statement. “Each time we have one mole beat down, another one pops up and derails the progress. But this isn’t a game. It’s about the future of Alaska and the energy security of our country.”

Shell announced in February that it was abandoning plans to drill off the coast of Alaska. The move prompted Begich and other lawmakers to blame the Obama administration's drilling policies for preventing companies from accessing valuable reserves in the state.