Alaska officials say offshore drilling plan likely to take some Arctic locations off table

Alaska's congressional delegation is expecting the federal government to pull additional areas from consideration for Arctic Ocean offshore drilling when it announces a five-year drilling plan.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski says she was briefed last week by the Interior Department on the upcoming drilling plan.

Federal waters used by subsistence hunters are other areas that were excluded from leasing in past sales. Murkowski says she was told those exclusions could be made permanent and additional areas pulled from consideration.

She's says that's another blow to development in the state, which already is suffering with the drop in oil prices.

Murkowski, Sen. Dan Sullivan and U.S. Rep. Don Young spoke at a news conference in Washington, D.C., to state their objections to pursue a wilderness designation for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.