The Trump administration withdrew three Biden-era policies blocking development on Alaskan resources in a move bolstering American energy. The rescinded documents include a request for information titled “Special Areas within the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska” from 2024, a report called Maximizing Protection in the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska” from January 2025, and memo from the Bureau of Land Management called “BLM Interim Management of Special Areas within the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska,” also published in January 2025.
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum celebrated the energy development, declaring, “Alaska’s resource potential has been held hostage for years by anti-development ideologues. The Trump administration is delivering certainty for industry, opportunity for Alaskans and real energy security for the American people. We are committed to putting development back at the center of land management where it belongs.”
According to the Department of the Interior, the restrictions were “burdensome.” In lifting the policies, the Trump administration is “reaffirming its commitment to restoring commonsense land management, prioritizing national energy independence and empowering Alaskans to benefit from the responsible development of the vast resources under their feet,” the department said.
The action fulfills President Trump’s executive order on “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential.” According to Trump’s order, developing Alaskan resources “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.”
Burgum previously moved to rescind a 2024 rule that imposed restrictions on Alaska’s petroleum reserve.
