Focus on the BIG picture.
Saturday, Nov 15, 2025
Outside the box.
Trump Administration Revokes Biden-Era Limits on Alaska Oil Drilling
New rule opens more than ten million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska for development under President Trump’s energy agenda
The Trump administration has finalised the rollback of the Biden administration’s 2024 regulation that restricted oil and gas leasing in the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska (NPR-A), opening over 10.6 million acres once off-limits and lifting limits on an additional 2 million acres.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the move “follows the direction set by President Donald Trump to unlock Alaska’s energy potential, create jobs for North Slope communities and strengthen American energy security.”
The NPR-A, located on Alaska’s North Slope, is the nation’s largest tract of undisturbed public land and was originally set aside for national petroleum reserves.
The 2024 regulation under the previous administration had prohibited new leasing on 10.6 million acres and limited development on over 2 million more.
The rollback reverses those constraints.
Local stakeholders welcomed the decision.
The Voice of the Arctic Inupiat, an Alaska Native organisation, said it supports the move because energy-infrastructure development contributes vital tax revenues that fund essential services such as education and healthcare in the region.
The decision aligns with the administration’s broader energy-policy agenda of reducing regulatory burdens, bolstering domestic oil and gas production and lessening reliance on foreign imports.
It also signals to industry and investors that Alaska remains a key frontier for U.S. energy development.
At the same time, the change will need to navigate environmental, regulatory and Indigenous-rights considerations, given the NPR-A’s ecological sensitivity and the traditional uses of the land by Indigenous communities.
With the final rule now in place, federal leasing and exploration activity in the opened acreage is expected to accelerate, though actual production increases will depend on local infrastructure, company investment and permitting timelines.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said the move “follows the direction set by President Donald Trump to unlock Alaska’s energy potential, create jobs for North Slope communities and strengthen American energy security.”
The NPR-A, located on Alaska’s North Slope, is the nation’s largest tract of undisturbed public land and was originally set aside for national petroleum reserves.
The 2024 regulation under the previous administration had prohibited new leasing on 10.6 million acres and limited development on over 2 million more.
The rollback reverses those constraints.
Local stakeholders welcomed the decision.
The Voice of the Arctic Inupiat, an Alaska Native organisation, said it supports the move because energy-infrastructure development contributes vital tax revenues that fund essential services such as education and healthcare in the region.
The decision aligns with the administration’s broader energy-policy agenda of reducing regulatory burdens, bolstering domestic oil and gas production and lessening reliance on foreign imports.
It also signals to industry and investors that Alaska remains a key frontier for U.S. energy development.
At the same time, the change will need to navigate environmental, regulatory and Indigenous-rights considerations, given the NPR-A’s ecological sensitivity and the traditional uses of the land by Indigenous communities.
With the final rule now in place, federal leasing and exploration activity in the opened acreage is expected to accelerate, though actual production increases will depend on local infrastructure, company investment and permitting timelines.
