The Administration’s Multi-Front Assault on the Western Arctic Continues with Illegal Repeal of Protections and Looming Congressional Threats

Washington, DC – The Trump Administration today announced its intention to dismantle critical protections for 13.3 million acres in the Western Arctic’s National Petroleum Reserve. This alarming action, which initiates a 60-day comment period, comes alongside ongoing threats that Western Arctic drilling provisions could be added back into the budget reconciliation package as it moves to the Senate. Together, these actions demonstrate a clear intent to fast-track the liquidation of public lands while minimizing public scrutiny.

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:

“Let’s be clear–there is no energy crisis. The U.S. is already the world's largest producer of oil and gas and the oil industry already has the majority of the nation’s most valuable lands for oil and gas development under lease. The administration knows how popular protecting these public lands are, which is why they’re trying to invent a fictional energy crisis and set the public up with a false choice of either protecting the environment or producing more energy. 

“Allowing development in the country’s largest remaining piece of intact public land, which is in the Western Arctic and which supports the livelihood of Indigenous people as well as critical wildlife habitats, is a shortsighted action that silences the voices of the Alaska Native communities and disregards the overwhelming public support for its protection – support that included over two hundred and fifty thousand comments.

“By ignoring established procedures and scientific expertise, this administration is putting at extreme risk the critical habitats for iconic wildlife, from endangered whales and polar bears to the migratory birds that connect this region to all corners of the globe. Removing these safeguards, particularly for areas like Teshekpuk Lake, which is vital for caribou calving and millions of nesting and molting birds while supporting the Iñupiat people for millennia, will inflict profound and lasting damage.

“This rollback comes alongside a destructive partisan budget reconciliation push by Congress that would mandate biennial oil and gas sales on at least four million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve, gut key environmental safeguards, and strip judicial oversight, all as an attempt to pay for tax breaks for billionaires and corporations.

“This shortsighted pursuit of fossil fuels in a region warming at four times the global average will only accelerate climate chaos, all while failing to deliver meaningful relief at the pump. Instead of more energy development on public lands, the vast majority of Westerners want their elected officials to protect more clean water sources and wildlife habitats, and provide more opportunities to visit and recreate. 

“Protecting public lands is a political priority for voters from all walks of life and we won’t stand by as the administration touts a fake ‘energy crisis’ to take away these enduring benefits from the American people. We call on the Senate to reject any language that mandates oil lease sales in the Western Arctic, and we urge the American public to participate in the 60-day comment period to voice their opposition to the dismantling of Western Arctic protections.” 

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Background on the Western Arctic

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.