The Trump administration is rolling back federal restrictions on oil and gas development across millions of acres in Alaska.
On Thursday, the Interior Department announced it is reopening the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas leasing, calling the area one of the “most promising untapped energy resources in the United States.”
The decision reverses a Biden-era rule that limited development in the region.
“From day one, President Trump directed us to unlock Alaska’s energy and resource potential while honoring commitments to the state and local communities,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “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.”
The department also said it is restoring leases to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, clearing the way for development to resume.
President Donald Trump has long pushed for the U.S. to be less reliant on foreign fuel sources and campaigned on a promise to “drill, baby, drill.”
The U.S. is a net petroleum exporter, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, but production of oil in Alaska has declined.
The state's production of crude oil peaked at over two million barrels per day in the late 1980s, but has decreased to fewer than 500,000 barrels per day over the past five years.
Environmental groups have criticized President Trump's plan to drill more in Alaska.
When the proposal was on the table in June, Marlee Goska, the Alaska attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity, told Scripps News that the impact would be severe.
"It'll be devastating both for the local human and wildlife populations out there and for the global community," she said.
Burning fossil fuels is the main driver of climate change, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, and Alaska is warming at a rate faster than any other U.S. state.
