Trump Administration Ends Biden-Era Alaska Drilling Restrictions

Trump Administration Ends Biden-Era Alaska Drilling Restrictions

The administration of President Donald Trump is undoing as much of the Biden-era insanity as fast as it can, especially those policies related to the War on Fossil Fuels.

For example, the Trump administration has just announced plans to reverse Biden-era restrictions on oil and gas drilling in Alaska, specifically targeting the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A), the largest expanse of undisturbed public land in the United States.

This move would roll back protections over approximately 13 million acres that had been previously set aside to limit development due to environmental and wildlife concerns.

The rule, finalized by the administration of former President Joe Biden last year, prohibited oil and gas leasing, opens new tab on 10.6 million acres (4.3 million hectares) of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, while limiting development on more than 2 million additional acres (809,000 hectares).

The NPR-A, as it is known, is a 23-million-acre (9.3 million hectares) area on Alaska’s North Slope that was set aside in 1923 as an emergency oil supply for the U.S. Navy. The land was opened to commercial development in the 1970s and is now managed by the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management.

The Interior Department said the Biden-era rule was inconsistent with the 1976 Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act, which authorized oil and gas leasing in the area.

“Congress was clear: the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska was set aside to support America’s energy security through responsible development,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement. “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.”

It turns out that the move is getting a big thumbs-up from many Alaska Native leaders, especially from the North Slope Iñupiat communities, who have expressed support for the Trump administration’s decision. These leaders argue that responsible oil development is crucial for maintaining their local economy, funding essential services, and providing jobs.

The Iñupiat benefit from tax revenues generated by oil infrastructure, which support schools, hospitals, and basic infrastructure in their remote communities.

“We’re looking forward to an opportunity to see the coastal plain opened, cautiously optimistic that we can come to some sort of usability of that region,” said Nagruk Harcharek, president of Voice of Arctic Iñupiat (VOICE), a non-profit that represents the North Slope Iñupiat. The organization supports responsible drilling within the refuge.

Prior to the creation of the borough, Iñupiat communities had limited educational and employment opportunities and lacked basic infrastructure like running water.

But Harcharek said the Prudhoe discovery helped change things for the better.

The Iñupiat now benefit from tax levies on Prudhoe’s infrastructure, money that is reinvested into local communities and helps funds schools, hospitals and roads.

“It’s more money for the North Slope borough. It’s maintaining the services that they already provide,” Harcharek said. “All of these things that we’re able to provide for our own communities through that tax base is hugely important to us.”

Alaska Natives Cheer as Trump Admin Axes Biden-Era Oil Drilling Restrictions @ThomasCatenacci reports from on the ground in Utqiagvik, Alaska https://t.co/neMFhxyu2c

— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) June 2, 2025

Alaska’s political leaders, including both Republican senators and the governor, have praised the Trump administration’s move as a “victory” for local jobs, state revenues, and energy independence.

Alaska’s congressional delegation praised President Donald Trump and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum for starting the process of rescinding a Biden-era rule that restricted oil and gas exploration in the resource-rich Section 1002 of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

Sen. Dan Sullivan said Burgum announced the move at a town hall in Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow) at the northern tip of the vast state, where local natives applauded because they “understand better than anyone” why responsible oil production is key to their communities’ livelihood.

Sullivan called the Biden-era rule “illegal” and said it turned vast swaths of an area originally intended for domestic energy production into “de facto wilderness.”

“Responsible resource development has transformed the lives of the Iñupiat people, supporting the construction of clinics, gymnasiums, water infrastructure—basic amenities most Americans take for granted,” Sullivan said.

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