Energy Industry Cheers as Trump Announces New Alaska Drilling Initiative
Energy experts praise Trump’s decision to lift Arctic oil drilling ban, boosting economic growth and energy independence
Conservative energy leaders are applauding President Donald Trump’s latest move to expand American energy production with a new initiative to open up significant portions of Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve (NPR) for oil and gas drilling. The Department of the Interior announced Monday a proposal to rescind the Biden administration’s 2024 restrictions, which had limited energy development on more than half of the reserve’s 23 million acres located on Alaska's North Slope.
The rollback, announced by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, targets a Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rule issued during President Joe Biden’s tenure. That regulation was criticized by industry advocates for allegedly violating the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976, which mandates stewardship and responsible development of the NPR to ensure American energy security. “The National Petroleum Reserve, created by Congress over a century ago to secure America’s energy supply, supports responsible oil development on 13 million acres,” emphasized Frank Lasee, president of Truth in Energy and Climate.
Proponents of the measure argue that reviving drilling in Alaska is crucial for reestablishing U.S. energy independence, lowering consumer costs, and strengthening national security. “President Biden’s drilling ban in Alaska undermined energy security, increasing reliance on foreign oil, raising gasoline prices and fueling inflation through higher transportation costs,” stated Lasee. He added that reopening the NPR to development puts “economic growth and energy independence ahead of climate ideology in a place almost no regular American will ever visit.”
The proposed revision is consistent with Trump’s executive orders and would reinstate regulatory policies in effect prior to the 2024 Biden-era rule. Energy policy advocates, like Sterling Burnett from the Heartland Institute, hailed the move as a restoration of congressionally mandated policy, stating, “President Biden never should have halted congressionally sanctioned oil drilling in Alaska. Trump is to be applauded, both for putting Americans' energy needs and our economic well-being first and for following the law by opening these areas back up for production.”
The Department of the Interior maintains that the Biden-era restrictions were not adequately supported by the foundational law and ran counter to the BLM’s responsibility to facilitate timely leasing in the energy-rich region. Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, called the decision “a bold and necessary step toward reclaiming American energy independence.” According to Isaac, “By reversing Biden’s disastrous restrictions on 13 million acres, Trump is unleashing the abundant resources that power our economy, lower energy costs and strengthen national security. This is a victory for American workers, consumers and allies who rely on stable, affordable energy.”
While energy advocates welcomed the announcement as an opportunity for renewed investment and job growth, some expressed concerns over potential legal and regulatory obstacles. Steve Milloy, senior policy fellow at the Energy & Environment Legal Institute, warned that environmental lawsuits could threaten the viability of new leases. “Promises made. Promises kept. But the Trump administration will need to go further to give investors confidence that the Alaska leases will actually be viable. Radical climate activists will resort to the courts and scare off investors. There likely needs to be a legislative solution to that,” he suggested.
The NPR, established more than a century ago, has long played a strategic role in ensuring U.S. energy security. Leaders such as Gregory Whitestone of the CO2 Coalition praised the decision, underscoring its benefits for domestic supply chains. “That energy security can be achieved by responsibly developing our oil reserves, including in the Gulf of America, our vast shale oil deposits in America’s heartland and, now, thankfully, the 13 million acres of the NPR that are going to be developed.” He warned that continuing the restrictions would mean “greater reliance on foreign supplies of oil, increases in gasoline prices and the inflationary spiral across all sectors of the American economy from increased transportation costs.”
As Trump and Republican lawmakers push for broader rollbacks of Biden’s climate-focused initiatives and green energy grants, energy sector representatives see the latest Interior Department action as a pivotal shift back toward fossil fuel development—and a key component of the administration’s campaign pledge to put “America first” in energy policy.
