STATEMENT.—The 
‘‘Final 
Legislative 
Environ-
mental Impact Statement’’ (April 1987) on the 
Coastal Plain prepared pursuant to section 1002 of 
the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation 
Act of 1980 (16 U.S.C. 3142) and section 102(2)(C) 
of the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 
(42 U.S.C. 4332(2)(C)) is deemed to satisfy the re-
quirements under the National Environmental Policy 
Act of 1969 that apply with respect to prelease ac-
tivities, including actions authorized to be taken by 
the Secretary to develop and promulgate the regula-
tions for the establishment of a leasing program au-
thorized by this title before the conduct of the first 
lease sale. 
(3) COMPLIANCE WITH NEPA FOR OTHER AC-
TIONS.—Before conducting the first lease sale under 
this title, the Secretary shall prepare an environ-
mental impact statement under the National Envi-
ronmental Policy Act of 1969 with respect to the ac-
tions authorized by this title that are not referred to 
in paragraph (2). Notwithstanding any other law, 
the Secretary is not required to identify nonleasing 
alternative courses of action or to analyze the envi-
ronmental effects of such courses of action. The Sec-
retary shall only identify a preferred action for such 
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leasing and a single leasing alternative, and analyze 
the environmental effects and potential mitigation 
measures for those two alternatives. The identifica-
tion of the preferred action and related analysis for 
the first lease sale under this title shall be completed 
within 18 months after the date of enactment of this 
Act. The Secretary shall only consider public com-
ments that specifically address the Secretary’s pre-
ferred action and that are filed within 20 days after 
publication of an environmental analysis. Notwith-
standing any other law, compliance with this para-
graph is deemed to satisfy all requirements for the 
analysis and consideration of the environmental ef-
fects of proposed leasing under this title. 
(d) RELATIONSHIP TO STATE AND LOCAL AUTHOR-
ITY.—Nothing in this title shall be considered to expand 
or limit State and local regulatory authority. 
(e) SPECIAL AREAS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary, after con-
sultation with the State of Alaska, the city of 
Kaktovik, and the North Slope Borough, may des-
ignate up to a total of 45,000 acres of the Coastal 
Plain as a Special Area if the Secretary determines 
that the Special Area is of such unique character 
and interest so as to require special management 
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and regulatory protection. The Secretary shall des-
ignate as such a Special Area the Sadlerochit Spring 
area, comprising approximately 4,000 acres. 
(2) MANAGEMENT.—Each such Special Area 
shall be managed so as to protect and preserve the 
area’s unique and diverse character including its 
fish, wildlife, and subsistence resource values. 
(3) EXCLUSION
FROM
LEASING
OR
SURFACE 
OCCUPANCY.—The Secretary may exclude any Spe-
cial Area from leasing. If the Secretary leases a Spe-
cial Area, or any part thereof, for purposes of oil 
and gas exploration, development, production, and 
related activities, there shall be no surface occu-
pancy of the lands comprising the Special Area. 
(4) DIRECTIONAL DRILLING.—Notwithstanding 
the other provisions of this subsection, the Secretary 
may lease all or a portion of a Special Area under 
terms that permit the use of horizontal drilling tech-
nology from sites on leases located outside the Spe-
cial Area. 
(f) LIMITATION
ON
CLOSED
AREAS.—The Sec-
retary’s sole authority to close lands within the Coastal 
Plain to oil and gas leasing and to exploration, develop-
ment, and production is that set forth in this title. 
(g) REGULATIONS.— 
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(1) IN
GENERAL.—The Secretary shall pre-
scribe such regulations as may be necessary to carry 
out this title, including rules and regulations relating 
to protection of the fish and wildlife, their habitat, 
subsistence resources, and environment of the Coast-
al Plain, by no later than 15 months after the date 
of enactment of this Act. 
(2) REVISION
OF
REGULATIONS.—The Sec-
retary shall periodically review and, if appropriate, 
revise the rules and regulations issued under sub-
section (a) to reflect any significant biological, envi-
ronmental, or engineering data that come to the Sec-
retary’s attention. 
SEC. 404. LEASE SALES. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Lands may be leased pursuant to 
this title to any person qualified to obtain a lease for de-
posits of oil and gas under the Mineral Leasing Act (30 
U.S.C. 181 et seq.). 
(b) PROCEDURES.—The Secretary shall, by regula-
tion, establish procedures for— 
(1) receipt and consideration of sealed nomina-
tions for any area in the Coastal Plain for inclusion 
in, or exclusion (as provided in subsection (c)) from, 
a lease sale; 
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(2) the holding of lease sales after such nomina-
tion process; and 
(3) public notice of and comment on designa-
tion of areas to be included in, or excluded from, a 
lease sale. 
(c) LEASE SALE BIDS.—Bidding for leases under 
this title shall be by sealed competitive cash bonus bids. 
(d) ACREAGE MINIMUM IN FIRST SALE.—In the first 
lease sale under this title, the Secretary shall offer for 
lease those tracts the Secretary considers to have the 
greatest potential for the discovery of hydrocarbons, tak-
ing into consideration nominations received pursuant to 
subsection (b)(1), but in no case less than 200,000 acres. 
(e) TIMING
OF
LEASE
SALES.—The Secretary 
shall— 
(1) conduct the first lease sale under this title 
within 22 months after the date of the enactment of 
this Act; 
(2) evaluate the bids in such sale and issue 
leases resulting from such sale, within 90 days after 
the date of the completion of such sale; and 
(3) conduct additional sales so long as sufficient 
interest in development exists to warrant, in the Sec-
retary’s judgment, the conduct of such sales. 
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