Interior Department proposes restoring oil, gas drilling in Arctic after Biden restriction

The Interior Department on Monday proposed the restoration of oil and gas drilling in the Arctic after it had previously been restricted by the Biden administration.

The proposal is regarding 13 million acres of government-owned Arctic land that is part of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska, which is a total area of 23 million acres that former President Warren G. Harding set aside in 1923 as an emergency supply of oil for the Navy. The Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976 transferred the reserves from the Navy to the Interior Department.

President Trump on Jan. 20 signed an executive order that directed a reversal of Biden administration policies that limited drilling in the area.

"Rescinding the 2024 rule will remove regulations that are inconsistent with the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976, restore the original intent of the Act for the management of the area, and eliminate roadblocks to responsible energy production," according to the Interior Department.

The department added that the Bureau of Land Management and Department officials concluded the Biden-era policy exceeded "the agency’s statutory authority under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976, conflicts with the Act’s purpose, and imposes unnecessary barriers to responsible energy development in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska."

“Congress was clear: the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska was set aside to support America’s energy security through responsible development,” Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in a statement.

“The 2024 rule ignored that mandate, prioritizing obstruction over production and undermining our ability to harness domestic resources at a time when American energy independence has never been more critical. We're restoring the balance and putting our energy future back on track.”

The Biden administration said it restricted drilling in the 13 million acres for the protection of animals like grizzly and polar bears, caribou, and migratory birds, in addition to tribes that depend on the area’s land water and wildlife, The Hill news outlet reported.

The newly proposed rule is to be published in the Federal Register and will be open to public comment for 60 days.