25 trillion barrels of oil, and the concerns behind drilling for it
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) — The Trump administration’s proposal for offshore drilling in Alaskan waters was made several weeks ago, but is subject to change, according to Department of Interior officials.
Included in the first analysis and proposal were hundreds of comments from state officials, governors, federal lawmakers, and organizations around the country, many voicing opposition to the program. A second comment period of sixty days will end on January 23, followed shortly by the DOI’s second analysis and proposal. Based on the information gathered at this stage, the next proposal could be different, and the amount of offshore waters up for lease may even lower, according to Kara Moriarty, the Secretary of the Interior’s Senior Advisor for Alaska Affairs.
“We’re in the study phase,” Moriarty said. “So, while there may be 20-some lease sales proposed for the state of Alaska, it does not mean that those lease sales will stay in the final plan. So we’re in the planning process to evaluate a whole host of issues as it comes to the potential lease sales.”
The initial proposal includes lease sales in California, along the gulf coast, and 21 separate regions around Alaska. In those 21 areas, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management estimates there are 25 trillion “technically recoverable” barrels of oil, as well as 124 trillion cubic feet of natural gas, Moriarty said, much of which is in the arctic.
It’s the arctic region that could see the earliest lease sales, with portions of the Beaufort Sea becoming available in 2026, followed by the Cook Inlet in 2027. Moriarty said the DOI hopes to have the program finalized in the fall of 2026, though there is outspoken opposition to the proposition.
Environmental concern
“It’s a very damaging process through every phase from exploration to routine operations to oil spills to climate change,” said Pete Stauffer, Ocean Protection Manager for the Surfrider Foundation. “And we also don’t need the oil. The United States is energy independent. We’ve been a net oil exporter for the past five years.”
Disagreeing with federal calls for more energy development, Stauffer’s greatest concern for Alaskan waters was the risk and challenge of potential oil spills.
“We’ve had two major oil spills in the past 10 years,” Stauffer said. “One off Santa Barbara [California] and then one off Orange County [California] about four years ago. And, you know, even in balmy conditions, oil spill response can be really challenging. So, in an extreme climate and conditions of Alaska, the Arctic, that’s just magnified.”
Citing concerns about wildlife and ecology, Stauffer said waters around Alaska, particularly in arctic waters, are “one of the most unique and sensitive and special parts of the globe.”
The proposal does include environmental analysis of the lease areas, saying that all the included areas “are ecologically sensitive.”
By combining metrics on sea life and extinction risk, among others. BOEM scored all the lease areas around the country on a scale of 0-87, with 0 being the least environmentally sensitive. Alaska’s Hope Basin was the most sensitive of all areas across the country, with a ranking of 60, the Cook Inlet was third with a score of 46. The least sensitive area was the High Arctic, with a score of 12
The Cook Inlet, currently contains some of the state’s only offshore drilling rigs, and has been a point of contention due to the presence of endangered Cook Inlet Beluga Whales. Proponents of drilling in the inlet have cited its ability to aid in Southcentral Alaska’s gas shortage. When asked about whether the oil and gas drilled in Alaska would stay in-state to address such a shortage, Moriarty said it was too soon to tell.
“A five-year program does not guarantee that those lease sales will happen,” Moriarty said. “And there’s no guarantee that if you have the lease sale that it’s going to lead to drilling. And we, you know, deciding where potential future production goes to market is way down the decision line and something that that’s not our focus.”
Community concerns
“We have solar energy, we have wind energy that are starting to scale, and they’re cost competitive,” Stauffer said. “So, we think that’s the future and where the administration should be looking, not just to protect our environment, but to invest in our communities and smart economic growth.”
Moriarty said the DOI has reached out to stakeholders around the state, especially on the North Slope, including specific calls to tribes and native corporations in the state.
“The Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management, BOEM, takes our consultation with tribes so seriously that there is a specifically designated staff person in Anchorage that it is their job as the tribal coordinator to be that conduit,” Moriarty said. “And BOEM has an open door policy. People can call BOEM directly. They can call me directly in Alaska to provide their feedback.”
“We encourage as many people to engage in this process as possible and that’s how we’re going to come up with the best plan for Alaska.”
As for the area of the high arctic that falls outside of the “Exclusive Economic Zone” around Alaska, Moriarty said they are legally designated as U.S. waters, and that she hasn’t seen any correspondence or concerns raised by other nations.
The future of the 21 lease sales around the state — or the total 34 around the country — will only be apparent when the final proposal is released. Still others, like Stauffer, say the proposal is “a huge threat.”
“When you get to the Arctic, you start to talk about a global commons,” Stauffer said. “And again, I think the United States’ efforts and what they pursue is important, not just for the U.S., but for the world.”
The Department of Interior, and the Trump Administration, would disagree.
“Our focus is evaluating what areas of the state of Alaska and other parts of the country in federal waters is available and makes sense for leasing for potential lease sales and future oil and gas development,” Moriarty said. “Because, again, back to what I originally said, the president and the secretary are focused in increasing America’s energy resources.”
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