The rule banned drilling on nearly half of the NPR-A, with the aim to conserve the land, environment, and habitats of wildlife in the region, including polar bears, caribou, and thousands of migratory birds. 

The Trump administration has since blasted it as government overreach, claiming the regulation has limited energy production in the state. 

NPR-A, a roughly 23-million-acre area in Alaska’s North Slope Borough, was first set aside by President Warren Harding in 1923 as an emergency oil supply for the U.S. Navy. Jurisdiction of the land was transferred to the Interior Department in the 1970s, opening it up to oil and gas leasing. 

Interior Secretary Doug Burgum pointed to this history on Monday, insisting that the region can support American energy security through “responsible development.” 

“The 2024 rule ignored that mandate, prioritizing obstruction over production and undermining our ability to harness domestic resources at a time when American energy independence has never been more critical,” Burgum said in a statement.

Burgum claimed that a legal and policy review of the Biden-era rule found that the protections exceeded the agency’s statutory authority under the Naval Petroleum Reserve Production Act of 1976, conflicted with the act’s purpose, and imposed barriers to energy development. 

“We’re restoring the balance and putting our energy future back on track,” he added. 

The proposed recession is the latest move from the Trump administration to boost domestic oil and natural gas production, particularly in the 49th state. 

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump signed an executive order focused solely on unleashing the possibility of oil and gas development in Alaska. 

He also signed an order declaring a National Energy Emergency, aiming to rescind numerous past rules and regulations Republicans have deemed restrictive for energy development. 

The Trump administration’s efforts to open more of Alaska for drilling have been widely welcomed by many local and state leaders, including the Iñupiat, who have relied on funds generated from taxation on oil and gas development. 

INTERIOR DEPARTMENT TAKES STEPS TO OPEN UP ALASKA FOR INCREASED DRILLING

“VOICE has advocated tirelessly for durable policies and regular engagement with our North Slope leaders to support development opportunities in the region,” Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat President Nagruk Harcharek said earlier this spring when Burgum first indicated interest in reopening NPR-A for drilling. 

“It is vital to ensure that revenue streams supporting essential services and infrastructure, many of which are ubiquitous in the Lower 48 but have only arrived in our region within the last 50 years, and institutions managing our subsistence resources remain viable in the long term,” he added.