Oil Field Near Refuge May Be Developed

Two oil companies said Thursday they might develop a field next to a wildlife refuge that President Clinton has declared off-limits for oil drilling.

BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc. and Chevron USA Inc. said test wells drilled since 1994 indicate there could be 100 million barrels of recoverable oil in the Sourdough field, where the two companies own petroleum rights.

The companies plan to sink another test well next winter to determine if it would be profitable to develop the field, said BP spokesman Paul Laird. A decision on whether to develop the field could be made next year.

The earliest production could begin would be 2001, Laird said.

The Sourdough field is about 50 miles east of Prudhoe Bay, the center of Alaska’s oil production. The field abuts the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which is considered the best prospect for a major oil field to replace declining production at Prudhoe Bay.