JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A federal agency is testing the waters on a possible lease sale in the Alaska Arctic. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced Friday it is opening a 45-day comment period both to gather information on areas in the Beaufort Sea that have the most promising oil and gas potential, and to learn more about environmentally sensitive habitats and subsistence activities within the planning area. The planning area covers approximately 64.8 million acres of the Beaufort Sea off Alaska's north coast. Bureau spokesman John Callahan said this is the first step in a long process, and no decision has been made on whether to go ahead with a lease sale.Read more on NewsOK.com