Trump Administration Opening Millions Of Hectares In Alaska To Oil And Gas Drilling

The US Department of the Interior said on Thursday, March 20, that it aims to reopen 82 percent of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska available to leasing and expanding energy development. They also revealed plans to reinstate a program allowing oil and gas leasing across the entire 631,309-hectare (1.56-million-acre) Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

“It’s time for the U.S. to embrace Alaska’s abundant and largely untapped resources as a pathway to prosperity for the nation, including Alaskans,” Doug Burgum, US Secretary of the Interior, said in a statement.

“For far too long, the federal government has created too many barriers to capitalizing on the state’s energy potential. Interior is committed to recognizing the central role the State of Alaska plays in meeting our nation’s energy needs, while providing tremendous economic opportunity for Alaskans,” said Burgum.

The announcement comes after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on the first day of his second term to expand fossil fuel extraction in Alaska. Much of the policy was focused on reversing former president Biden’s suspension of oil drilling permits in the region.

“The inflation crisis was caused by massive overspending and escalating energy prices, and that is why today, I will also declare a national energy emergency. We will drill baby, drill,” President Trump said during his inaugural address, hours before signing the executive order. 

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to an incredible array of American wildlife, from polar bears and grizzlies to moose, caribou, and eagles. Beneath this unspoiled landscape lies an estimated 4.3 to 11.8 billion barrels of oil and vast natural gas reserves, posing a dilemma between conservation and resource extraction.

The issue of oil and gas drilling in this part of North America has been going backward and forward since the 1970s. While big business and their political cheerleaders say it could bring jobs and money to the region, environmentalists and Indigenous rights groups believe it could be catastrophic for the wildlife and people that live here.

However, it’s not certain that fossil fuel companies will come flocking to this region. There have been two congressionally mandated oil and gas lease sales for the Coastal Plain of the Arctic Refuge: the first in 2021 attracted “low interest” and the second in 2025 received zero bids.

The move is also likely to face some political pushback. In January, the State of Alaska said it was suing the federal government for actions in December 2024 for their part in opening up the Coastal Plain to leases. This latest update from the US Department of the Interior has also attracted criticism from environmental NGOs. 

“Time and time again, the American people have shown there is no economic or industry justification for expanding drilling across Alaska’s public lands. Past lease sales in the Arctic Refuge have failed to attract serious bidders, with major oil companies walking away. Leading financial institutions have refused to fund Arctic drilling, and economic analyses continue to show that these projects are not commercially viable,” the Alaska Wilderness League said in a statement.

“Yet, despite clear market signals and overwhelming public opposition, the administration is doubling down on a failed fossil fuel agenda—at the expense of Alaska’s lands, waters, and communities.”