A paragraph explaining how oil and gas

development would be different if Alaska did not own and control the land and the subsurface

minerals/resources

Explanation: Across Alaska, 1.81 million acres of federal land were leased for crude oil and natural gas development in fiscal year 2014. Roughly 26 percent of the land owned by the federal government across the United States can be leased to private individuals and companies for energy development, including crude oil and natural gas drilling, solar energy operations, and geothermal energy operations. Oil and natural gas drilling on federal lands is primarily regulated by the U. S. Bureau of Land Management, although other federal land management agencies (the U. S. Forest Service, the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or the National Park Service) may be involved. According to the Congressional Research Service, these federal agencies manage their acreage with three primary purposes: "preservation, recreation, and [the] development of natural resources."