Action Alert: Public Comment on Susitna Valley Gas Exploration for Coal Bed Methane - Due Oct 30th 2025

The Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR), Division of Oil and Gas (DO&G) has released preliminary best-interest findings for two gas leasing areas in the Susitna Valley (about 567,000 acres total). These findings are the last chance for the public input before a final decision and potential  10-year exploration licenses.

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Why It Matters:

• Unrestricted Exploration for 10 Years: If this license is approved, the exploration and development could occur without limits for up to a decade, significantly impacting the area’s environment, wildlife, and the communities that rely on it.

• Private Lands at Risk: The license area includes 34,915 acres of private land. Under the Alaska Statehood Act, the state retains ownership of all subsurface oil, gas, and mineral rights, even beneath private property.

• Coal Bed Methane Dangers: Coal bed methane (CBM) extraction requires pumping large volumes of water through coal seams to release methane. This depletes aquifers and produces contaminated “produced water” that must be carefully managed to avoid polluting local groundwater. The State of Alaska has never managed a large scale CBM project.

• Significant Infrastructure Development: Unlike conventional gas, which often requires a single well, CBM extraction typically needs eight or more wells per site. CBM in the area would also necessitate extensive surface development, through the construction of roads, well pads, and pipelines increasing surface footprint and traffic.

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What’s Still at Stake:

The original 2017 notice of gas exploration in the Susitna Valley drew overwhelming public engagement, with 92% of commenters including community councils, tribal governments, and private citizens, opposing the development proposals, this broad resistance has continued in 2022 and 2024. The focus has now shifted toward coalbed methane exploration, an even riskier form of gas development. Community voices made a real difference in 2024 when public pressure led officials to reduce the license area by 39%. The preliminary best-interest finding itself notes low–moderate CBM potential in much of the area, based on available stratigraphy and past exploration results, which argues for a cautious, phased approach. By commenting, you can ask for clear data, enforceable safeguards, and a prudent, phased approach rather than an open-ended 10-year license.

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Points to Consider in Your Comment:​

1. Water and Habitat: CBM production in other fisheries has lowered aquifers, drained wetlands, increased salinity of rivers, and led to contamination by heavy metals (Davis, Bramblett, & Zale, 2006). Ask how DNR/DO&G plan to acquire comprehensive baseline data on anadromous waterways within the license areas and with no other CBM projects of this scale in Alaska, how will the state ensure inspection and regulation of environmental mitigation standards?

2. Produced Water Management: When produced water from CBM encounters the surface it is often directed to lined ponds before being reinjected into the ground. Request clarity on the capacity of the state financially and in staffing, to monitor the integrity of wells used for the reinjection of produced water on licenses of this size over 10 years. 

3. Scale and Siting: Note that the license areas were reduced in 2024. Ask whether further right-sizing or sensitive-area exclusions are under consideration based on public use, habitat, and hydrology.

4. Cumulative Effects: The Susitna Basin is currently subject to a number of large-scale project proposals such as the West Susitna Industrial Access Road, Susitna Coal, and the Alaska LNG Pipeline. Recommend that the license be assessed alongside all proposed projects in the area to understand the combined impacts.

5. Economics/Operational Performance: Request disclosures on the lifespan, decline rates, and remediation obligations so communities can accurately weigh the cost/benefits over time of CBM exploration and subsequent extraction.

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How to Comment by Thursday, October 30th, 2025, at 5:00 PM:

• Email: Send comments to dog.bif@alaska.gov, and be sure to mark your submission as "Comment on Best Interest Findings Preliminary Susitna Valley Exploration License."

• Mail: Written comments can be sent to Best Interest Findings, 500 W. 7th Ave., Suite 1100, Anchorage, AK 99501. 

 

Clear, specific comments are the most impactful.

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Find a Sample Comment Here

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Questions? Need Help? Feel free to contact us if you need assistance with your comments. 

​Resources

2017 Notice of Intent to Evaluate Oil and Gas Exploration License Proposal

2021 Preliminary Written Finding of the Director

2022 Final Written Finding of the Director

2024 Notice of Intent to Evaluate Gas Exploration License Proposal

2025 Preliminary Written Finding of the Director

2025 Public Notice

Bank, G. C., & Kuuskraa, V. A. (2006, January). The economics of Powder River Basin coalbed methane development. Advanced Resources International, Inc. Prepared for the U.S. Department of Energy.

 

Davis, W. N., Bramblett, R. G., & Zale, A. V. (2006). The effects of coalbed natural gas activities on fish assemblages: A review of the literature. Montana Cooperative Fishery Research Unit. Prepared for U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Land Management. https://www.wy.blm.gov/prbgroup/06monitoring/cbng_lit_review.pdf