Trump Opens All of Alaska’s Arctic Coastal Plain to Oil Drilling

The Trump administration is opening the entire coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas leasing, reversing a Biden-era decision that had placed the pristine wilderness area off limits, Ari Natter reported for Bloomberg News.

The refuge’s coastal plain is estimated to hold billions of barrels of crude, though many oil companies have been reluctant to target the area due to high costs and environmental concerns. (Photo: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) 

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said Thursday that the agency is opening 1.56 million acres of tundra on the state’s North Slope and will hold a lease sale this winter in the nearby National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska (NPRA).

“This land should and will be supporting responsible oil and gas leasing,” Burgum said.

The refuge’s coastal plain is estimated to hold billions of barrels of crude, though many oil companies have been reluctant to target the area due to high costs and environmental concerns.

Environmentalists and Alaska residents argue that drilling will threaten Arctic foxes, polar bears, and caribou.

Trump is also pursuing lease opportunities across 82% of the NPRA, a 23-million-acre expanse. Combined, the twin rollbacks could reopen more than 12 million acres to development, Julianne Geiger reported for Oilprice.com.

The Interior Department will also restore canceled oil and gas leases to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, a state agency that was among the few bidders at an ANWR drilling-rights auction held in the final days of Trump’s first administration.

The moves align with Trump’s promise to boost domestic energy production — a key priority for Alaska officials.

“From day one, President Trump directed us to unlock Alaska’s energy and resource potential while honoring commitments to the state and local communities,” Burgum said, according to Nichola Groom of Reuters.