Trump administration moves to expand oil and gas leasing in Alaska reserve

The Trump administration proposed opening 82% of Alaska's 23-million-acre (9.3-million-hectare) National Petroleum Reserve for oil and gas leasing, a move that would reverse Biden-era efforts to limit drilling in the area, the Interior Department said on Tuesday.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT

The move aligns with President Donald Trump's energy dominance agenda that aims to boost domestic oil and gas production to stimulate the economy and create jobs.

Former President Joe Biden's administration had blocked development in some parts of the reserve, known as the NPR-A, to protect wildlife habitat and indigenous communities' ways of life.

KEY QUOTE

"This plan is about creating more jobs for Americans, reducing our dependence on foreign oil and tapping into the immense energy resources the National Petroleum Reserve was created to deliver," Adam Suess, the Interior Department's acting assistant secretary for land and minerals management, said in a statement.

CONTEXT

The NPR-A was designated for oil and gas exploration in the 1970s to address energy shortages. The Biden administration in 2022 imposed restrictions on fossil fuel leasing and development in Alaska as part of its climate change agenda, but left about half of the reserve open to leasing.

BY THE NUMBERS

The draft plan would allow oil and gas leasing across 82% of the reserve's 23 million acres. It would allow leasing at Teshekpuk Lake, an area prized for wildlife that has been protected under rules dating back to the Reagan administration.

WHAT'S NEXT

The public has 14 days to submit comments on the draft to the Interior Department's U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

(Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Jamie Freed)