Interior Department Blows Up Delicate Balance of Managing Western Arctic’s Natural Resources in Give-Away

Washington, DC –The Department of the Interior has announced a plan to allow oil and gas development on 82% of America’s largest remaining piece of intact public land–the 23 million-acre National Petroleum Reserve in the Western Arctic.

Below is a statement from Chris Hill, CEO of the Conservation Lands Foundation, which represents a national network of community advocates who are solely focused on the public lands overseen by the Bureau of Land Management including National Conservation Lands and similar protected public lands in the Western Arctic.

“This plan will blow up the delicate balance the community achieved between allowing industrial development and maintaining the natural resources that support the people, cultures, and wildlife for the region. It’s shortsighted and irresponsible and worsens the threats facing Arctic lands, which are warming at more than twice the rate of the rest of the planet. 

“This plan will harm irreplaceable landscapes, essential wildlife, and the Indigenous peoples who rely on them for their way of life–not in the name of necessary energy production but to pad the pockets of billionaire CEOs. The U.S. is already the world's largest producer of oil and gas. 

“Areas within the Western Arctic, including Teshekpuk Lake have supported the Iñupiat people for millennia, who still rely on it to sustain a way of life that has been passed down through generations. This policy will inflict tremendous damage on them and other communities throughout the region. 

“It’s possible to improve Western Alaska’s financial and social health and sustainability by protecting the quality of its public lands and waters and we will continue to stand with the people of the Western Arctic and use all tools necessary to defend the vulnerable public lands from privatization.” 

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Background: 

The Reserve is the largest single unit of public lands in the nation, spanning nearly 23 million acres. It contains vital habitats for wildlife like polar bears, muskox, fish, and millions of migratory birds and their eggs. It is home to three caribou herds, including the 150,000-strong Western Arctic Caribou Herd. 

Today, more than 40 indigenous communities continue to rely on sustenance resources within the Reserve. Within the Reserve exist five designated Special Areas covering more than 13 million acres that have significant ecological significance – Teshekpuk Lake, Utukok Uplands, Colville River, Kasegaluk Lagoon, and Peard Bay. 

In late 2020, the Trump administration revised the Reserve’s Integrated Activity Plan, which opened 82% of the Reserve (18.6 million acres) to oil and gas leasing, including in the Teshekpuk Lake Special Area. Following a legal challenge by Conservation Lands Foundation and others, the Biden administration overturned these changes to the plan and completed a final rule in 2024 (Management and Protection of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska) following extensive engagement with the public, Alaska Native Tribes, and Alaska Native Corporations. 

The 2024 rule and guidance for managing the Reserve successfully balances the needs of tribes, local communities, and ecosystems, and ensures maximum protection for significant land, water, and wildlife for 13.3 million acres of Special Areas in the Reserve while supporting subsistence uses and needs for Alaska Native communities. 

The Trump administration’s current policy is an attempt to revert back to the reckless Reserve policies from 2020 that harm local communities, biodiversity, and cultural values.