The Interior Department’s announcement reverses a move by former President Joe Biden’s administration to restrict drilling in the area.
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The Trump administration announced a series of measures Thursday to open Alaska’s wilderness to energy and infrastructure development, including allowing oil and gas drilling in the remote Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The administration announced a series of policy changes surrounding vast protected areas for polar bears, porcupine caribou, migratory birds and more.
Drilling in this pristine area has long been a source of friction between Alaska state lawmakers and tribal companies, who prioritize jobs and revenue, and conservationists who want to protect the local ecosystem.
The Interior Department said in a statement that it is reopening ANWR’s entire 1.56 million acres (600,000 hectares) of coastal plain to leases, reversing moves by former President Joe Biden’s administration to limit drilling there.
ANWR’s 19 million acres of wilderness have no roads or utilities, but it is estimated that up to 11.8 billion barrels of oil could be recovered in coastal areas along the Beaufort Sea.
“From day one, President Trump directed us to unlock Alaska’s energy and resource potential while honoring our commitments to our state and communities,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement.
“By reopening the coastal plain and developing key infrastructure, we are strengthening our energy independence, creating jobs, and supporting Alaskan communities while driving economic growth across the state.”
The department also plans to reinstate canceled oil and gas leases to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, a state agency that was one of the few bidders in the first round of drilling rights held by ANWR in the final days of President Donald Trump’s first administration.
Seven leases approved by the agency in 2021 were canceled by the Biden administration in 2023, but a federal judge ruled this year that the government did not have the authority to cancel them.
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy praised the reopening.
“Today’s announcement is historic for the state of Alaska. President Trump and his administration are fulfilling their commitments to the state of Alaska,” Dunleavy said.
Oil and gas companies have so far shown little interest in investing in ANWR, but the restart is consistent with President Trump’s pledge to boost domestic energy development.
Biden’s Interior Department received no bids from energy companies last year when it offered 400,000 acres, the minimum required by the 2017 tax law that opened ANWR to leases.
Alaska-based environmental groups say the government is favoring oil and gas companies over precious natural protections.
“Opening the entire Arctic Refuge coastal plain to drilling would destroy one of the most ecologically important landscapes on Earth,” Alaska Conservancy Executive Director Kristen Miller said in a statement.
