An application package for an Oil Discharge Prevention and Contingency Plan, under Alaska Statute 46.04.030 and in accordance with 18 AAC 75, has been received by the Department of Environmental Conservation.  The details are as follow:

Applicant:                    Great Bear Pantheon LLC

                                    3705 Arctic Blvd., Suite 2324

                                    Anchorage, AK 99503

Proposed Activity:       Review of a plan renewal application package for an Oil Discharge Prevention and Contingency Plan that is required to commit adequate resources to meet all planning requirements for prevention and response for a realistic maximum discharge from the operations of Great Bear Pantheon LLC’s exploration drilling operations on the North Slope. The plan addresses year-round drilling at lease tracts along the Dalton Highway accessible via gravel or temporary roads and winter-only drilling from ice pads accessible via ice roads. The plan proposes to address a response planning standard volume of 82,500 barrels based on the default value of 5,500 barrels of oil per day for a blowout lasting 15 days.

Location:                     North Slope, Alaska adjacent to the Dalton Highway, near or within the Sagavanirktok River floodplain, approximately 20 to 35 miles south of Prudhoe Bay

Potential Results:        A potential risk exists of oil spills entering the lands or waters of the state as a result of this operation.

Activity identified as:  State Contingency Plan Number 21-CP-5191

Any person wishing to submit a request for additional information or provide comments regarding this application may do so electronically via our public notice site at https://spar.alaskadec.commentinput.com/?id=r4dfG. If you are unable to submit comments via this site, you may submit them in writing to Laurie Silfven, Department of Environmental Conservation, SPAR/PPRP, 555 Cordova Street, Anchorage, AK 99501, 907-269-7540 (phone), 907-269-7687 (fax), or laurie.silfven@alaska.gov. The full contents of all submitted comments are considered public records and will be posted online in full during the public comment period. Comments submitted in writing directly to the Plan Reviewer will be uploaded to the public comment site. It is preferable for commenters to submit directly through the public comment site.

The public comment period for this application begins on July 23 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on August 23. Requests for additional information and comments must be received by 11:59 pm on August 23. It is the responsibility of the commenter to verify that facsimile and email submissions are received by the deadline. An additional comment period may be provided in accordance with 18 AAC 75.455(d).                       

Copies of the application package are available for public review at the following locations: the department's office at 555 Cordova Street, Anchorage, AK 99501 and 610 University Ave, Fairbanks, AK 99709; and the department’s website at http://dec.alaska.gov/Applications/SPAR/PublicMVC/IPP/CPlansUnderReview.

The department will hold a public hearing on the plan application if it determines that good cause exists. Residents in the affected area or the governing body of an affected municipality may request a public hearing by writing to the Department of Environmental Conservation, at the above address prior to August 9. The State of Alaska, Department of Environmental Conservation complies with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. If you are a person with a disability who may need an accommodation in order to participate in this public process, please contact Brian Blessington at (907) 269-6272 or TDD Relay Service 1-800-770-8973/TTY or dial 711 prior to August 16 to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.