US government picks preferred Alaska oil development plan

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) – The federal government has chosen a preferred development plan for a project that could significantly boost Alaska’s oil production.

The Anchorage Daily News reported Sunday that the ConocoPhillips Willow project could produce up to 130,000 barrels of oil daily.

The federal Bureau of Land Management released a draft environmental report on the project in the northeastern National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.

The company’s plan calls for five drill sites linked by seven bridges, an airstrip, 38 miles of gravel roads, and a central processing facility where crude oil would be prepared for shipment.

The report says the project could last 30 years and produce about 590 million barrels of oil.

Officials say Alaska oil production is averaging about 500,000 barrels of oil per day this year.

Information from: Anchorage Daily News, http://www.adn.com