Trump administration moves to expand drilling options in National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska

The Trump administration on Tuesday moved to expand potential oil drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, reversing the more restrictive approach of the former Biden administration.

The U.S. Interior Department said it released a draft environmental assessment to propose reopening up to 82% of the reserve to oil and gas leasing and development.

The Indiana-sized reserve along the U.S. Arctic Ocean is the site of new industry interest, and home to ConocoPhillips’ large Willow oil field that was approved under Biden. Willow is set to start producing oil in 2029.

The petroleum reserve was established more than a century ago as an energy warehouse for the U.S. Navy. It’s estimated to contain more than 8 billion barrels of recoverable oil.

“This plan is about creating more jobs for Americans, reducing our dependence on foreign oil and tapping into the immense energy resources the National Petroleum Reserve was created to deliver,” said Adam Suess, acting assistant secretary for Land and Minerals Management.

The proposal drew swift pushback from conservation group The Wilderness Society. The group said more oil production will worsen the impacts of climate change, while the reserve is a subsistence area for Alaska Native people and supports caribou, geese, polar bears, millions of migratory birds and other animals.

“This is another step in the Trump administration’s reckless effort to sell out our most valuable national public lands to the oil industry in the midst of the climate crisis,” said Matt Jackson, The Wilderness Society’s senior manager for Alaska.

The proposal is part of the administration’s effort to update the Integrated Activity Plan for the reserve, the Interior department said. The agency said earlier this month it would rescind the 2024 rule that restricted oil and gas leasing across most of the reserve.

The proposal comes partly in response to Trump’s executive order, “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential,” the Interior statement said.

It also comes soon after Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Environmental Protection Agency administrator Lee Zeldin made a multi-day swing through Alaska. The trip was unusual for its duration and high-level entourage. The group visited Alaska’s Prudhoe Bay field to call for more oil and gas production in America, among other activities.