Apache Alaska hopes to receive approval for one more permit around the end of 2015 in order to determine the feasibility of extending the North Road in Nikiski.
Spokeswoman Lisa Parker said the company received one of the two permits in August that they had been waiting on.
Parker: “We received, from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the eagle permit that we need that allows us to operate within a certain distance of the eagle nest that is near the road.”
The last permit needed is from the Army Corps of Engineers.
If that permit is approved, Apache will decide if building the North Road extension is feasible to access an oil exploration drill site.
Parker: “We have the dedicated right of way in place that the borough put in many years ago when they developed the Grey Cliffs subdivision so we have the dedicated right of way. It’s easier to build a road that you can use year-round versus putting in an ice road where you only have a limited amount of time that you can use that ice road.”
Apache has identified a potential drill area on Tyonek Native Corporation and CIRI lands, a project which the company’s geologist has named Captain Boomer, according to Parker.
If the Army Corps. permit is authorized, Parker says Apache will apply for a land use permit from the Kenai Peninsula Borough.
