Tell the Bureau of Land Management: Don't Rubber Stamp Big Oil in the Western Arctic

America’s Western Arctic, also referred to as the NPR-A, is one of the most exceptional and climate-critical landscapes in the country and the world. What happens here impacts everyone on the planet.

The Western Arctic, managed by the Bureau of Land Management, spans over 23 million acres of public land along the north slope of Alaska and supports an abundance of wildlife, Indigenous peoples who have subsisted off of these lands for millennia, essential breeding grounds for the world’s migratory bird populations, and rugged, wild landscapes too precious to lose.

Despite the region’s vital importance to Indigenous communities, wildlife, and global climate stability, the Bureau of Land Management is now considering an oil and gas industry petition to gut environmental review for oil and gas development across the Western Arctic.

Instead of evaluating each project’s individual impact on wildlife, Indigenous communities, and the ecosystem, this new rulemaking would rubber stamp approvals in as little as 60 days. If adopted, this rule change will open the floodgates for massive oil and gas development and lock in irreparable damage that every American will absorb – from lost wildlife habitat and degraded water to the increase of severe weather events.

What’s being done in the northern reaches of Alaska – from what they hope is far from public scrutiny – will be used as a playbook for public lands across the country. The same logic that justifies ignoring environmental and human impacts is the same logic that gets applied to the next proposal, and the next – whether that's a watershed in Colorado, a sage grouse habitat in Wyoming, or a stretch of coastline in California. 

We have until July 6, 2026 (10 p.m. Alaska Time) to make our voice heard. Take action today to tell the Bureau of Land Management to reject any permitting shortcut in the Western Arctic.