The Biden administration has announced new protections for 1.3 million acres in Alaska’s North Slope, aiming to shield the region from oil companies eager to drill in its ecologically sensitive Arctic environment. This move creates a legal obstacle that may slow down but likely won’t stop the Trump administration’s anticipated efforts to expand drilling in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, a vast and largely undisturbed area. The reserve, home to diverse wildlife such as polar bears, caribou, grizzly bears, and migratory birds, also contains significant oil and gas reserves. It was initially created in 1923 to provide oil for the Navy and has been the site of limited exploration but remained largely untouched until the 1990s.
Under the new policy, the Bureau of Land Management must now assess the impact of drilling on subsistence hunting and fishing activities in the area. The policy also proposes expanding “special areas,” which are ecologically significant or vital for subsistence activities by Alaska Natives. These changes stem from extensive consultations, including input from 88,000 comments from North Slope communities. Some of the newly protected regions are close to ConocoPhillips’ Willow oil project.
Environmental advocates praised the new protections, emphasizing that they follow scientific recommendations to safeguard the area’s irreplaceable value. However, Republican lawmakers criticized the move, pledging to reverse these actions once President-elect Trump takes office. They argue the Biden administration’s decision will make it easier for environmental groups to challenge Trump’s plans for increased drilling.
This decision adds to the Biden administration’s prior actions, which included banning drilling in about 13 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, or roughly half of the entire reserve. Additionally, it blocked a proposed industrial road for copper mining and restricted drilling in Alaskan waters, including the Northern Bering Sea. Republican figures, including Representative Bruce Westerman and Senator Dan Sullivan, have voiced strong opposition, arguing that these actions harm Alaska’s interests and disregards the wishes of local communities.
