The Department of Interior’s proposal would affect resource extraction in the state
The Department of the Interior has announced a suite of initial steps intended to implement orders for resource extraction and energy development in Alaska.
In late January and early February 2025, the Trump administration and the Department of the Interior issued Executive Order 14153 and Secretary’s Order 3422, respectively, both titled “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential.”
Secretary Burgum’s plans include reopening up to 82% of the 23-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. In addition, they include reinstating the oil and gas leasing program across the entirety of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).
Policies surrounding resource extraction in Alaska and subsequent impacts to the ANWR have presented significant challenges to natural resource management in an ecosystem that is especially susceptible to disturbance and already feeling the stress of climate change. During the first Trump administration, 22 tracts of land on the coasts of ANWR were made available for oil and gas leasing. In a letter to then-Secretary Zinke, TWS urged the Department of Interior to balance resource extraction potential in Alaska with “measures to safeguard the outstanding wildlife and habitat of the region.” The Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society supported this message with identified concerns and recommendations. Subsequently, following then-President Biden’s inauguration, the Biden administration immediately suspended all purchased leases.
The recent Department of Interior announcement also includes a commitment to convey land along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Corridor and Dalton Highway to the State of Alaska, actions that are meant to advance the Ambler Road and Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas Pipeline projects. The Ambler Road project was permitted during the first Trump administration and subsequently halted during the Biden administration on the basis of environmental threats and potential harm to Indigenous communities. The Alaska Chapter of The Wildlife Society provided extensive comments to the BLM during the Biden administration, highlighting the project’s potential impacts on native birds, bats and ungulates, as well as the overall lack of scientific evidence supporting the environmental impact analysis for the project.
The Wildlife Society’s Position Statement on Energy Development and Wildlife recognizes the need for responsible management of energy projects and emphasizes the need to avoid, reduce and offset the negative effects of energy development on wildlife populations, habitats and landscape connectivity.
