Rescinding Alaska drilling limits seen as a win for US energy security
Conservative energy leaders are hailing President Donald Trump’s latest move to unleash American drilling, celebrating the Department of the Interior’s proposal to rescind President Joe Biden’s restrictions on oil and gas development in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.
Interior Secretary Doug Burgum stated that a Biden-era 2024 Bureau of Land Management (BLM) rule which limited energy development on more than half of the 23 million acres on Alaska’s North Slope, was in violation of the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976.
Frank Lasee, president of Truth in Energy and Climate, expressed his support for the decision, emphasizing that the National Petroleum Reserve was created by Congress over a century ago to secure America’s energy supply and supports responsible oil development on 13 million acres.
President Trump’s commitment to unleashing American energy was a key promise during his 2024 presidential campaign, with the move to lift restrictions in Alaska seen as a step towards boosting economic growth and energy independence.
Sterling Burnett, director of the Arthur B. Robinson Center on Climate and Environmental Policy at the Heartland Institute, commended Trump for prioritizing American energy needs and ensuring compliance with the law by opening up these areas for production.
The Department of Interior highlighted that the 2024 rule provisions lacked a basis in the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act and hindered the BLM’s obligation to oversee leasing in the region in a timely manner.
Jason Isaac, CEO of the American Energy Institute, praised Trump’s decision to restore drilling in Alaska’s Arctic region, calling it a necessary step towards reclaiming American energy independence and strengthening national security.
Steve Milloy, senior policy fellow at the Energy & Environment Legal Institute, described the announcement as more good news in rolling back Biden’s climate policies and emphasized the need for further action to ensure investor confidence in the viability of Alaska leases.
Trump and his Republican allies are pushing to reverse some of Biden’s green energy initiatives through budget reconciliation on Trump’s “big, beautiful bill,” with a focus on utilizing America’s oil reserves for energy security.
Gregory Whitestone, CO2 Coalition executive director, underscored the importance of responsibly developing oil reserves to achieve energy security and prevent a reliance on foreign oil supplies, which could lead to increased gasoline prices and inflation across various sectors of the American economy.
In conclusion, the move to lift restrictions on oil and gas development in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve has been widely praised by conservative energy leaders, who see it as a positive step towards promoting economic growth, energy independence, and national security.
