Trump administration takes steps to expand Arctic drilling, including in contentious wildlife refuge

The Trump administration formally announced Thursday that it planned to expand drilling in the Arctic, including in the contentious Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. 

The Interior Department said that it would take steps toward opening up the entire 1.56 million-acre Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling. 

Drilling in the refuge was restricted under the Biden administration, and amid the restrictions oil companies decided against pursuing fossil fuels there.

In addition, the department said that it would seek to open up 82 percent of the separate National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska’s Western Arctic. The decision comes after the Biden administration limited drilling there to less than half of the 23 million-acre reserve. 

The Trump administration also indicated it would revoke a Biden-era decision that blocked an Alaska mining road and that it would take steps to bolster a gas pipeline project.

“It’s time for the U.S. to embrace Alaska’s abundant and largely untapped resources as a pathway to prosperity for the Nation, including Alaskans,” said Interior Secretary Doug Burgum in a written statement.

“For far too long, the federal government has created too many barriers to capitalizing on the state’s energy potential. Interior is committed to recognizing the central role the State of Alaska plays in meeting our nation’s energy needs, while providing tremendous economic opportunity for Alaskans,” he said.  

The moves are not necessarily a surprise. President Trump on his first day in office signed an executive order calling for opening up more drilling in the Arctic. During his first term, Trump also opened up about  82 percent of the National Petroleum Reserve for drilling — up from the 52 percent that was open under the Obama administration. 

The actions are also not final, as actually implementing these policies will require going through a lengthy regulatory process. But the announcement marks the first formal step toward action.

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is particularly contentious because it is home to animals including grizzly bears, polar bears, gray wolves, caribou and more than 200 species of birds, as well as land considered sacred to the Gwich’in people. However, others, including other Alaska Native groups, have said they want to drill there in order to bolster the state’s economy.