US President Reopens Alaska’s Arctic To Oil Drilling

United States President Donald Trump has removed legislative protections introduced during the Biden administration that restricted oil and gas exploration in Alaska, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and on federal lands across the state, Oilprice.com reported, citing Bloomberg.

The changes, made through several congressional measures under the Congressional Review Act, quickly drew criticism from environmental groups.

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,” the National Wildlife Federation said.

The Brooks Range Coalition added that the measures “leave 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 actions follow an earlier administration decision to reopen more of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas drilling.

In October, the Interior Department announced it would restore the full 1.5-million-acre Coastal Plain to leasing and reinstate previously canceled leases held by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority.

The move represents the most aggressive push to expand exploration in Alaska’s far north since the original Trump-era lease sale in 2021.

Alaska remains one of the United States’ major legacy oil-producing regions. Production peaked at 2 million barrels per day in 1988 but now accounts for barely 3% of national output.

High costs, aging fields, and limited leasing opportunities have slowed investment for decades.

However, with the U.S. prioritizing energy security and Asian buyers showing renewed interest in long-term crude and LNG supply, Washington appears poised to place a new bet on Alaska’s North Slope.

Earlier this year, the Trump administration also moved to boost crude oil production from the National Petroleum Reserve by removing restrictions and opening 82% of the area to new drilling.