Overview
- Interior said it has finalized the rescission of the 2024 BLM rule that restricted future leasing on roughly 11–13 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska, with publication set for Nov. 17.
- The department said BLM will manage the reserve under regulations aligned with standards established in 1977, arguing the change reduces regulatory burdens and advances economic benefits and energy security.
- A law passed earlier this year directs at least five NPR-A lease sales by 2035, each offering a minimum of 4 million acres, after the last sale in the reserve took place in 2019.
- BLM has issued a call for nominations and comments to prepare a lease sale planned for this winter, signaling near-term steps toward expanded leasing.
- Alaska Native and North Slope leaders, including Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat, praised the move, while Earthjustice and the Sierra Club criticized it over risks to wildlife, subsistence, and the climate.