........Oil companies have been leasing and exploring is some of it.....
It appears that your work is evidence of leasing and exploring. It seems that other miscellaneous stumbling blocks are preventing drilling/production.
Anyway, Congress man Yarmouth was being somewhat disengenuous in his remarks. There was enough truth to support the bigger lie.
Some real data to back that up.
Exploration Activity (Wells Drilled) in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska
http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en/prog/energy/oil_gas/npra/npra_oilandgasactivity.html
Pending Applications for Permit to Drill (APDs) and Notices of Staking (NOSs)
http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en/prog/energy/oil_gas/npra/npra_pendingapdsandnoss.html
More at:
BLM>Alaska>Programs>Energy>Oil and Gas>National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska
http://www.blm.gov/ak/st/en/prog/energy/oil_gas/npra.html
You can also find here the vast amounts of land BLM has in Alaska that it does NOT offer up for exploration.