Trump Reopens Alaska Refuge for Oil, Gas Development

The Interior Department announced Thursday a sweeping package of actions to boost energy development and modernize land and resource management in Alaska.

The plan includes reopening a wildlife refuge that was restricted under the Biden administration.

The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge will be open for oil and natural gas leasing while permits will be streamlined for energy projects across federal land in Alaska.

The package also updates land-use and resource management rules to "modernize development" and support local economies, according to the department.

Officials said the decision is part of a broader effort to increase U.S. energy production, reduce reliance on foreign oil, and restore access to areas that had previously been restricted.

The move marks a sharp reversal from the Biden administration's efforts to curb oil and gas development in Alaska.

President Joe Biden paused new federal oil and gas leases soon after taking office, and canceled seven leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge's coastal plain.

He imposed limits on drilling across more than 13 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.

His administration cited climate and wildlife concerns in restricting access to the refuge, which was first opened for potential energy exploration in President Donald Trump's first term.

"From Day One, President Trump directed us to unlock Alaska's energy and resource potential while honoring commitments to the state and local communities," Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a news release.

Burgum had met with Alaska's congressional delegation and Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Thursday in Anchorage.

"By reopening the Coastal Plain and advancing key infrastructure, we are strengthening energy independence, creating jobs, and supporting Alaska's communities while driving economic growth across the state," Burgum said.

Alaska's coastal plain contains some of the nation's most promising untapped energy resources, the Interior Department said, and it plays a crucial role in strengthening national energy security.

The department issued a final order reopening 1.56 million acres to oil and gas leasing, reversing the Biden administration's 2024 plan that restricted development to the statutory minimum.

It also restored leases to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, allowing development to move forward. Those leases were canceled by the Biden administration in a decision later overturned by the courts.

In addition, the Bureau of Land Management opened a public call for nominations — a process in which companies can suggest specific tracts for leasing — to determine which areas of the National Petroleum Reserve should be included in an oil and gas lease sale this winter.

It will be the first sale in the 23 million-acre reserve since 2019, as required under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.

Opponents of the plan have raised concerns about impacts to wildlife and tribal resources, noting the refuge is home to grizzly bears, polar bears, gray wolves, caribou, and more than 200 species of birds, as well as land considered sacred by the Gwich'in people.

Supporters, including some Indigenous groups, argue that responsible development could help sustain local economies and strengthen U.S. energy security. Conservationists, meanwhile, voiced concerns about pollution and disruption of ecosystems.

"Today's announcements are the latest step in Donald Trump's plan to sell out our wildest landscape and natural heritage to corporate polluters," Dan Ritzman, director of conservation at the Sierra Club, said in a statement.

"Alaska Natives have called these landscapes home since time immemorial, and wildlife rely on them to survive and thrive.

"These decisions will collectively wreak havoc on fragile Alaska ecosystems in the most disruptive way possible, causing long-term environmental damage, all to boost the bottom lines of CEOs.

"The Sierra Club and its millions of members and supporters across the country stand with the Gwich'in and Alaska Native communities to oppose these actions, and we will work to keep these landscapes protected, not polluted."