"Federal officials are proposing a new set of protections in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.

If approved, they could come atop the rules that Bureau of Land Management finalized this spring to limit oil and gas drilling on more than half of the giant petroleum reserve.

Conservation groups cheered the new rules in the reserve, home to ConocoPhillips' controversial Willow oil field project. But they've drawn a string of opposing lawsuits, including from the state of Alaska and ConocoPhillips.

Last week, the federal agency took another step to potentially add more protections against oil and gas drilling to the Indiana-sized tract."

Alex DeMarban reports for Anchorage Daily News July 17, 2024. [2]