### Interior Department Reverses Trump-Era Bid to Open Alaska Public Lands to Oil and Gas Leasing
In a significant move aimed at preserving Alaska’s natural heritage, the US Interior Department has reinstated protections for 28 million acres of D-1 public lands in the state. This decision reverses a Trump-era initiative to make these areas available for oil and gas leasing, a major victory for environmental advocates and Alaska Native communities.
The reversal comes after a prolonged review process initiated by the Biden administration, which included a thorough environmental assessment and public consultations. This effort aimed to evaluate the potential impacts of lifting the protections on fish and wildlife habitats, subsistence resources, and Alaska Native communities.
“Today’s action is a response to the previous administration’s unlawful decision to lift long-standing protections without adequate analysis,” the Interior Department stated. “This sweeping action would have opened millions of acres to extractive development activities, including mining and oil and gas drilling, potentially harming subsistence hunting and fishing.”
The D-1 lands, administered by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), are a critical component of Alaska’s ecosystem. These areas are scattered across Northwest, Southwest, Southcentral, and Southeast Alaska, including BLM’s Bay, Bering Sea-Western Interior, East Alaska, Kobuk-Seward Peninsula, and Ring of Fire planning regions. The lands are protected under Section 17(d)(1) of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), which withdrew unreserved lands from federal mineral entry to allow the Secretary of the Interior time to determine if such lands should remain withdrawn for public interest.
The Biden administration’s decision follows from a period of intense debate. During the Trump administration, there were efforts to open these lands for industrial use, particularly for oil and gas extraction. These plans were met with opposition from environmental groups and Alaska Native leaders who emphasized the potential harm to vital subsistence resources.
As part of the Biden administration’s response, 19 community meetings were conducted to gather input