The Trump administration has announced a reversal of the ban on oil and gas drilling in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, a move that has sparked strong reactions from supporters and environmental groups alike. This decision is seen by some as a step toward energy independence and by others as a threat to fragile Arctic ecosystems.
Reversing Biden’s Restrictions
The ban that President Joe Biden put in place in December 2024 restricted drilling on nearly half of the 23 million-acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, known as NPR-A. Doug Burgum, the Secretary of the Interior, said, “The 2024 rule ignored that mandate, prioritizing obstruction over production and undermining our ability to harness domestic resources at a time when American energy independence has never been more critical.” Burgum described the previous restrictions as “the most egregious effort of the Biden administration” and said that removing them is “a huge priority.”
The new plan would open 11 million acres to oil and gas leasing and remove many of the conditions that were previously required, including those that protected sensitive areas and considered the traditional knowledge of Alaska Natives. According to the plan, there will be a 60-day public comment period before the decision becomes final.
Alaska Natives Are Happy
Many Alaska Natives are welcoming the decision, saying it protects their way of life and offers them economic opportunities. Charles Lampe, a Native resident of Kaktovik, said that before the Trump administration stepped in, “We were under attack in Kaktovik by environmental groups.” Lampe said that on the first day of his second term, President Trump told the Fish and Wildlife Department to deny the requests of environmental activists, which made a big difference for local communities. “That was such an amazing thing for us to be able to see,” Lampe said. “And we were so proud of our president then because he made sure that our ancestral homelands weren’t going to be stolen and instead protected.”
Lampe added, “If the other guy, Joe Biden, and Kamala Harris would have won, there’s no doubt in my mind that our homeland would have been stolen and there’s nothing we could have done about it.” He expressed “immense gratitude” to President Trump and even invited him to Kaktovik to see the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and its “Section 1002,” which is the oil and gas development area.
Governor Mike Dunleavy and other state officials share this view. They believe that drilling can provide jobs and secure a better future for Alaska. Interior Secretary Burgum said, “President Trump does care super deeply about this and at a deep level.” He also mentioned that Trump recently surprised ConocoPhillips officials when he asked them what they needed to improve operations in the North Slope. When they said that better roads would help, Trump asked, “Why can’t we build a road?”
Where Drilling Will Happen and When It Might Begin
The NPR-A, which lies west of the Prudhoe Bay oil fields and about 600 miles north of Anchorage, is the largest single piece of public land in the United States. It was originally created as an emergency fuel reserve for the military and was opened to commercial development in 1976. Now, federal officials say drilling could begin again within a year if there are no major legal challenges.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright pointed out that oil production in Alaska has not been declining because of a lack of resources. “There’s an amazing amount of untapped, unproduced oil up here,” he said. Wright believes that the slow decline in oil production has been caused by federal regulation and bureaucracy, making it “so expensive and difficult to operate.”
Burgum said that the administration is also prioritizing infrastructure projects that support energy production, like the Ambler Road, a 211-mile mining access road through the Brooks Range, and the proposed King Cove Road, which would connect King Cove to the Cold Bay airport. “Alaska can play such a huge role in this, but we’ve got to get the federal government out of your way,” Burgum said.
Environmental groups have been quick to criticize the Trump administration’s move. Grandmothers Growing Goodness, an environmental group that works with Indigenous communities in the Arctic, said in a statement that the decision would impact Teshekpuk Lake and its surroundings, which are home to the Teshekpuk caribou herd and support hunting, fishing, and gathering for local communities.
Marlee Goska, an attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, said, “It’s hard to overstate the havoc this could wreak on the Western Arctic’s undisturbed habitat for caribou, polar bears and belugas.” She called the move “short-term gain” that overlooks the long-term value of Alaska’s wild lands.
Kristen Miller, the executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League, said, “This is another outrageous attempt to sell off public lands to oil industry billionaires at the expense of one of the wildest places left in America.” She said the lands are “home to caribou, migratory birds, and vital subsistence resources that Indigenous communities have relied on for generations.”
Protests are already taking place in Anchorage, where people are gathering to oppose not only the drilling but also other fossil fuel projects that Governor Dunleavy’s administration is supporting.
Supporters of drilling argue that the move will help Alaska’s economy and provide energy security for the entire country. Wright said that oil production is “the engine of economic growth” for Alaska, funding more than 90 percent of the state’s general revenue. Senator Dan Sullivan called it essential to “get the NPRA back to where it was supposed to be by the intention of Congress, to develop oil and to remove all the regulations that the Biden guys put on NPR-A.”
For many Native residents like Lampe, the fight is not just about money—it is about being able to use their own land and resources without interference from people who do not live in the region. Lampe said, “Trump had the heart and the wherewithal to be able to right this wrong.”
The next few months will be crucial. The 60-day public comment period will give environmental groups and Native communities a chance to have their voices heard. But with federal officials in Alaska showing strong support for oil and gas drilling, the path seems to be opening up for more drilling and new economic opportunities.
FAM Editor: The riches under the tundra are there for the taking. Environmentalists seem to think that taking a very tiny part of this otherwise useless land means the complete death of an important ecosystem. Wrong from every angle. Trump has opened the gates for new riches.
