OCS (Outer Continental Shelf) Oil and Gas Lease Sale, Lower Cook Inlet: Environmental Impact Statement

This environmental impact statement was prepared by the Bureau of Land Management in the mid-1970s to evaluate the proposed oil and gas leasing program for the Lower Cook Inlet off the coast of Alaska. As part of the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act, the government was required to assess potential ecological and socioeconomic risks before opening these federal waters to commercial exploration and drilling. The document reflects a period of heightened scrutiny regarding offshore energy development during the post-1973 oil crisis era.

The technical analysis within this volume was produced by government scientists and environmental specialists tasked with cataloging biological resources, geological stability, and potential oil spill trajectories. It serves as a comprehensive record of the agency's deliberative process during a time when regulatory standards for offshore leasing were rapidly evolving. While intended primarily for internal policy guidance and public review, it remains a significant reference for historians studying the intersection of energy policy and environmental conservation in the twentieth-century American West.