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ANCHORAGE – The Bureau of Land Management will publish a Federal Register notice tomorrow announcing the availability of the final environmental impact statement (EIS) for ConocoPhillips Alaska, Inc.’s (CPAI) proposed Willow Master Development Plan (MDP).

The Willow MDP Project could produce in excess of 160,000 barrels of oil per day (with a processing capacity of 200,000 barrels of oil per day) over its anticipated 30-year life, producing up to approximately 590 million total barrels of oil. More than 1,000 jobs are expected during peak construction with more than 400 jobs during operations.  The project would help offset declines in production from the North Slope oil fields and contribute to the local, state, and national economies.

“This project would provide more access to valuable resources in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska,” said BLM Alaska State Director Chad Padgett.  “It provides for more throughput in the Trans Alaska Pipeline System, ultimately providing for more jobs for Alaskans and creating more revenue for the State.”

The preferred alternative in the Final EIS allows for construction of up to five drill sites and associated processing and support facilities, including gravel roads and pipelines to provide access to federal leases and allow for responsible oil and gas development and operations. This alternative incorporates modifications to the project to reduce impacts based on input from tribal governments, cooperating agencies, and various other stakeholders received during scoping and the public comment period for the Draft EIS, including modifications analyzed in the Supplement to the Draft EIS released for public comment in March.

The project required collaboration with seven federal agencies and numerous State of Alaska agencies, as well as the North Slope Borough, Native Village of Nuiqsut, City of Nuiqsut, and the Inupiat Community of the Arctic Slope.