The Trump administration is taking strides to repeal a Biden-era rule that banned oil drilling in Alaska.
Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve consists of an estimated 23 million acres and was set apart by Congress for oil and gas endeavors as a means of energy security.
A press release from the Department of the Interior explains that the 2024 Bureau of Land Management rule restricting oil drilling overstepped the agency’s authority under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976. The Biden administration’s rule affected about 13 million acres considered “special areas.”
According to the United States Geological Survey (USGS), there are an estimated 8.7 billion barrels of oil and 25 trillion cubic feet of natural gas resources in the National Petroleum Reserve.
“Congress was clear: the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska was set aside to support America’s energy security through responsible development,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in a statement. “The 2024 rule ignored that mandate, prioritizing obstruction over production and undermining our ability to harness domestic resources at a time when American energy independence has never been more critical. We’re restoring the balance and putting our energy future back on track.”
Members of the Trump administration met with Alaskan Governor Mike Dunleavy (R) and Sens. Dan Sullivan (R) and Lisa Murkowski (R) to discuss the state’s resources.
While Murkowski has previously criticized President Donald Trump, she noted that the officials’ presence in the state is a “newsworthy takeaway.”
”It is instructive, I think, for those of us here in Alaska to realize the partnership that we have with this administration,” she said, as per Anchorage Daily News. “The Trump administration has looked at Alaska’s potential as an asset, instead of a liability.”
President Trump signed an order in January to develop Alaska’s resources. “By developing these resources to the fullest extent possible, we can help deliver price relief for Americans, create high-quality jobs for our citizens, ameliorate our trade imbalances, augment the Nation’s exercise of global energy dominance, and guard against foreign powers weaponizing energy supplies in theaters of geopolitical conflict,” the order said.
