Anhorage-A US federal agency has approved a plan to unitize, or combine, former Shell leases in Alaska's Beaufort Sea that are now held by a subsidiary of an Alaska Nativeowned corporation, the first step toward resumed exploration in the area, officials said Monday. The area is in the US Outer Continental Shelf, about 15 to 20 miles off the northern Alaska coast. Mark Fesmire, Alaska director of the US Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, said ASRC Exploration Inc., a subsidiary of Arctic Slope Regional Corp., now has an approved unit and has also applied for a Suspension of Operations on the former Shell leases.
展开▼
