Alaska's Governor Sean Parnell announced the proposal titled, "Oil and Gas Resource Evaluation and Exploration Proposal for the ANWR 1002 Area" on Monday. The proposal was produced by the Alaska Division of Oil and Gas.

“Accurately defining the oil and gas resource potential is a critical part of understanding the value of the 1002 Area to the nation,” Governor Parnell said. “The federal government has the responsibility to do this under federal law, but is clearly reluctant to do so. Therefore, we are stepping forward with our expertise and financing to provide a detailed resource evaluation and exploration proposal.”

Parnell also outlined the proposal in a letter to the Department of Interior head Sally Jewell and it was also rolled out the 187-page document during a press event in Washington D.C. at the Chamber of Commerce headquarters.

The governor pointed out that if the federal government indicated an interest in partnering with the state on the seismic program, that he was prepared to request $50 million from the Alaska Legislature to support the program.

The Alaska House of Representatives Resources Committe Co-Chairs commented on the seven-year program to assess the amount of resources in the 1002 area today.

“We welcome the news from Governor Parnell on exploring and developing oil and gas in the 1002 area of ANWR,” Co-Chair Dan Saddler, R-JBER/Eagle River, said. “The President’s own National Strategy for the Arctic Region calls for cooperation with the State of Alaska and a key component of the strategy is to provide for energy security through the responsible production of oil, gas and renewable energy. The time to act is now; we need to move forward with the development and keep Alaska in the forefront of the decisions.”

“This is a great move by the Governor, it demonstrates that if the United States Congress isn’t moving forward on production in the Arctic then Alaska will; Alaska is ready to put our money where our mouth is,” Co-Chair Eric Feige, R-Chickaloon, said. “We must have a definitive idea of what resources are available in ANWR. The federal government needs to know what they’re passing up if they continue to turn ANWR into a wildlife refuge. We have a significant natural resource that should be developed.”

After hearing the announcement on Monday, Alaska Senator Mark Begich expressed his support for the program. Begich is a firm supporter of increased gas and oil development in ANWR and elsewhere in Alaska.

“Opening the Arctic Refuge has been a top priority for me and most Alaskans because it is a critical part of a comprehensive national energy plan,” Begich said. “Senator Murkowski and I supported legislation to allow directional drilling under the 1002 area and seismic evaluation is an important step in that process. Having modern, 3-D seismic information in hand can help inform the debate.”

Alaska’s sole Representative to Washington, Don Young also responded to the announcement by the governor in a release.

“Opening ANWR for the benefit of Alaskans and Americans is long overdue, and I want to thank Governor Parnell for his continued leadership on this issue. During my time in Congress, opening up ANWR for responsible development has been a long standing goal of mine, and still is,” said Rep. Young. “Today’s announcement is yet another chance for the Obama Administration to commit to develop oil and gas on federal land. I hope that Secretary Jewell takes this good faith effort by the State of Alaska into full consideration as the Department of Interior updates its ANWR Comprehensive Conservation Plan. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Congress, the Administration and all interested parties toward responsibly developing Alaska’s natural resources that have been locked up from responsible development for far too long.”

The proposal can be seen here (a)and here (b) (PDF) in its entirety, the document is in two parts. The letter sent to Secretary Sally Jewell can be read here (PDF).