Overview
- Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania joined Republicans in voting to rescind the rule.
- The 2022 plan kept about 52% of the Alaska reserve open to drilling versus roughly 82% under the previous Trump plan.
- Sponsor Sen. Dan Sullivan said the reversal would support North Slope jobs and local services, while the Biden administration said its limits protected ecologically significant areas.
- Lawmakers used the Congressional Review Act, which lets Congress overturn recent regulations with a simple majority and bypass the filibuster.
- The measure is likely to pass the House and reach Trump’s desk, reflecting a broader Republican effort to roll back Biden-era public-lands restrictions that recently included a coal leasing rule.