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:                   
Hilcorp Alaska, LLC
3800 Centerpoint Drive, Suite 1400
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 crude oil exploration drilling operations at any location indicated below. The response planning standard is 82,500 barrels (5,500 barrels of oils per day for 15 days) of crude oil for a potential blowout from an exploration well and 9,666 gallons for a potential release from the largest storage tank expected to be used at any of the exploration sites.

Location:                    
The potential exploration areas include multiple onshore pads located in the Kenai and Ninilchik units, the Greystone pad located approximately 5 miles east of Cook Inlet halfway between Ninilchik and Anchor Point, the Seaview and Whiskey Gulch pads near Anchor Point on the Kenai Peninsula located approximately 1.25 miles and 1 mile east of Cook Inlet respectively, and the K-Pad in the Beluga River Unit on the west side of Cook Inlet near the Beluga River. The Kenai Unit has coastal and inland pads about 4.5 miles south of Kenai and 2.5 miles north of Kalifornsky and includes pads 41-7, 14-6, 33-1, 34-31, 33-30, 41-18, and 43-32.  The Ninilchik Unit extends along Cook Inlet between Kasilof to the north and Ninilchik to the south and includes pads Susan Dionne, Paxton, Grassim Oskolkoff (GO), Falls Creek, State, Abalone, Bartolowitz, Blossom and Kalotsa.

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 22-CP-5216

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=e4idW . If you are unable to submit comments via this site, you may submit them in writing to Mike Evans, Department of Environmental Conservation, SPAR/PPRP, 555 Cordova Street, Anchorage, AK 99501, 907-269-7541 (phone), 907-269-7687 (fax), or mike.evans@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 October 17, 2022 and ends at 11:59 p.m. on November 15, 2022. Requests for additional information and comments must be received by 11:59 pm on November 15, 2022. 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 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 October 31, 2022.

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 Jason Burnett at (907) 269-3056 or TDD Relay Service 1-800-770-8973/TTY or dial 711 prior to November 7, 2022 to ensure that any necessary accommodations can be provided.