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Item 1 of 2 The island’s herd of more than 300 reindeer moves across the tundra on St. George, Alaska, U.S., May 22, 2021. Picture taken on drone May 22, 2021. REUTERS/Nathan Howard
[1/2]The island’s herd of more than 300 reindeer moves across the tundra on St. George, Alaska, U.S., May 22, 2021. Picture taken on drone May 22, 2021. REUTERS/Nathan Howard Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab
- Interior Department restores canceled leases to Alaska state agency
- Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is home to polar bears, Porcupine caribou, migratory birds
- Alaska lawmakers have sought to open region to drilling to boost jobs and revenues
Oct 23 (Reuters) - The Trump administration on Thursday announced a series of steps to open up Alaskan wilderness to energy and infrastructure development, including by allowing oil and gas drilling in the remote Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The administration has announced a string of policy swings involving the sprawling refuge for polar bears, Porcupine caribou, migratory birds and other species.
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Drilling in the pristine region has long been a source of friction between Alaska lawmakers and tribal corporations, who prioritize jobs and revenue, and conservationists who want to preserve the local ecosystem.
The Interior Department said in a statement that it will reopen the full 1.56-million-acre (0.6-million-hectare) Coastal Plain of the ANWR to leasing, reversing moves by former President Joe Biden's administration to restrict drilling there.
The ANWR's 19-million-acre wild landscape lacks roads and public facilities, but its coastal area along the Beaufort Sea is estimated to have up to 11.8 billion barrels of recoverable oil.
"From day one, President Trump directed us to unlock Alaska's energy and resource potential while honoring commitments to the state and local communities," Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement.
"By reopening the Coastal Plain and advancing key infrastructure, we are strengthening energy independence, creating jobs and supporting Alaska's communities while driving economic growth across the state."
The department will also restore canceled oil and gas leases to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, a state agency that was among the few bidders at the first auction of drilling rights the ANWR held in the final days of President Donald Trump's first administration.
The authority's seven leases granted in 2021 were canceled by the Biden administration in 2023, but a federal judge this year ruled that the government lacked the authority to cancel them.
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy praised the reopening.
"Today's announcements are historic for Alaska. President Trump and his administration are delivering on promises made to Alaska," Dunleavy said.
The reopening is aligned with Trump's promise to boost domestic energy development, although oil and gas companies to date have shown little interest in investing in the ANWR.
Biden's Interior Department received no bids from energy companies last year when it offered 400,000 acres, the minimum amount required under a 2017 tax law that opened the ANWR to leasing.
An Alaska-based environmental group said the administration was favoring oil and gas companies over preserving a prized wilderness.
"Opening the entire coastal plain of the Arctic Refuge to drilling would destroy one of the most ecologically significant landscapes on Earth," Kristen Miller, executive director of the Alaska Wilderness League, said in a statement.
Reporting by Nichola Groom; Editing by Edmund Klamann
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Nichola Groom covers U.S. energy and climate policy from Los Angeles. She focuses on federal and state-level initiatives to combat climate change and spends much of her time writing about how the energy transition is transforming businesses, governments and communities. Other major coverage areas include energy development on federal lands and waters, methane emissions from fossil fuel extraction and waste, and California's environmental policies.
