**Interior Department Upholds Provisions to Protect 28 Million Acres of Alaska Public Lands**
In a significant move to preserve the ecological integrity and cultural heritage of Alaska’s vast wilderness, the U.S. Department of the Interior has officially retained protections for 28 million acres of D-1 public lands. This decision reverses a bid by the Trump administration to open these areas to oil and natural gas leasing.
The Biden administration’s swift action upon taking office included pausing the Trump-era plans and launching an extensive environmental review. This comprehensive analysis aimed to evaluate the potential impacts of lifting protections on fish and wildlife habitats, subsistence resources, and the communities of Alaska Native peoples who rely on these lands for their livelihoods.
The Interior Department announced that the reversal is a direct response to the previous administration’s decision, which was deemed unlawful due to its lack of thorough analysis and adequate Tribal consultation. The Trump administration’s attempt to discontinue longstanding protections without proper evaluation posed significant risks to subsistence activities and the broader eco-systems supported by these lands.
Congress authorized the initial protections in 1971 through the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. These D-1 lands are specifically designed to safeguard against mineral and oil and gas development, ensuring that the public interest remains a priority in land management decisions.
The protected areas span across multiple regions of Alaska, including Northwest, Southwest, Southcentral, and Southeast regions. These lands encompass various BLM planning areas such as Bay, Bering Sea-Western Interior, East Alaska, Kobuk-Seward Peninsula, and Ring of Fire.
The Interior Department engaged in extensive community outreach, conducting 19 meetings and collecting over 15,000 public comments during the draft Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) review process. The final EIS concluded that removing protections would not only harm subsistence hunting and fishing but also have lasting negative impacts on wildlife habitats and vegetation.
Alaska Native communities have long relied on these lands for their survival. Over 80% of their food comes directly from the