President Trump has removed legislative protections from the Biden presidency that restricted oil and gas exploration in Alaska, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and federal lands in the state.
Bloomberg reported today that the changes came in the form of several congressional measures under the Congressional Review Act and prompted a quick reaction from the environmentalist lobby.
The president’s move was “a direct attack on public input, science, and responsible stewardship of public lands, wildlife, water, Indigenous communities, and rural economies,” said the National Wildlife Federation. The Brooks Range Coalition said that the move “leaves Alaska’s rural communities, hunters, and Tribal governments with fewer protections at a time when climate change and resource pressures are rapidly intensifying.”
Trump’s measures follow an earlier decision by the administration to reopen more of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuges for oil and gas drilling. The Interior Department said in October it will restore the full 1.5-million-acre Coastal Plain to leasing, along with reinstating previously canceled leases held by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority. The decision marked the most aggressive push yet to expand exploration in Alaska’s far north since the original Trump-era lease sale in 2021.
Alaska is one of the biggest legacy oil-producing regions in the United States. Oil production there peaked at 2 million barrels per day in 1988 and now accounts for barely 3% of U.S. output. High costs, aging fields, and limited leasing have stalled investment for decades. With the U.S. chasing energy security and Asian buyers showing renewed interest in long-term crude and LNG supply, Washington appears ready to bet once again on Alaska’s North Slope.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration moved to boost crude oil production from the National Petroleum Reserve by removing restrictions and opening 82% of the area for new drilling.
By Charles Kennedy for Oilprice.com
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