Alaska Delegation Welcomes Repeal of Unlawful 2024 NPR-A Rule

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA-U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and U.S. Congressman Nick Begich (all R-Alaska) today issued the following statements after the Department of the Interior (Interior) repealed a rule the Biden administration imposed in 2024 as it sought to halt future development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A).

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) conducted "a thorough legal and policy review" of the 2024 NPR-A Rule earlier this year. In a new final rule that printed in the Federal Register today, BLM explains that "the 2024 NPR-A Rule conflicts with and exceeds its statutory authority under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act of 1976…undermines the purpose of that act, and is inconsistent with national energy policy."

"I thank Secretary Burgum and his team for moving quickly to repeal the NPR-A management rule. The Biden administration imposed it over the objections of our congressional delegation, the Alaska State Legislature, the State of Alaska, leaders from across the North Slope, and most Alaskans. Worse still, they deliberately ignored federal law and failed to meaningfully consult with the Alaska Natives who actually live in this region," SenatorMurkowski said. "After years of telling industry to focus on the NPR-A, this was a blatant attempt to shut down future development in our petroleum reserve. Officials from the Biden administration openly admitted they rushed the rule to evade the Congressional Review Act, but they failed to recognize that their successors could work with us to strike it. I'm glad they did and glad to see it go."

"The Biden administration's NPR-A rule was one of the most blatant examples of federal overreach we've seen in Alaska in decades," said Senator Sullivan. "This rule locked up of about half of the National Petroleum Reserve-an area Congress explicitly set aside for energy production, ignored Alaska Native voices, violated clear congressional direction and undermined our state's ability to responsibly develop the resources that support our communities, create good paying jobs, and strengthen our nation. But under the Trump administration, it is a new day filled with opportunity for Alaskans. I want to commend Secretary Burgum for taking action to rescind this rule on behalf of Alaskans, our jobs and economy, and for faithfully implementing President Trump's comprehensive, Day One, Alaska-specific executive order."

"The Department of the Interior's decision represents another significant course correction from the Biden-era restrictions on Alaska's resource potential. By rescinding the 2024 NPR-A rule, this Administration is unleashing the full potential of the National Petroleum Reserve and giving us the freedom to responsibly develop the vast energy resources that power our state and strengthen America's energy security. With 50% of all new lease revenues in the NPR-A going to Alaska - increasing to 70% starting in 2034 - Alaska stands to generationally benefit from the rescission of this Biden-era rule" said Congressman Begich.

The NPR-A spans roughly 23 million acres in northwest Alaska. Congress specifically set the area aside for responsible oil and gas development, directing Interior, through BLM, to conduct an "expeditious program of competitive leasing of oil and gas." Instead of following that directive, the Biden administration refused to hold a single lease sale in the petroleum reserve while repeatedly moving to restrict access, delaying projects, and layering on new restrictions to prevent future development.

Through the 2024 NPR-A Rule, the Biden administration sought to establish a presumption against new leasing across millions of acres in the petroleum reserve, while creating new restrictions and prohibitions that would have made it impossible to develop even existing leases.

Alaska's congressional delegation opposed the 2024 NPR-A Rule from the start. Among other actions, the delegation sent a letter to Interior opposing the proposed rule in March 2024 and spent months making a public case against it. Interior ignored the delegation, refused to engage in meaningful consultation with North Slope leaders who similarly opposed the rule, and instead plowed forward on a rushed timeline that one former official openly admitted was to avoid the Congressional Review Act. As Interior finalized the rule, multiple companies asked BLM to suspend more than one million acres of leases they held within the NPR-A.

The delegation is working closely with the Trump administration to restore reasonable access in the NPR-A. In this summer's budget reconciliation bill, the delegation added language requiring at least five lease sales in the petroleum reserve over the next decade, with each lease sale offering at least four million acres. The delegation also required those sales to be held consistent with the terms and conditions of the 2020 Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) for the reserve, as it struck a reasonable balance between responsible development and environmental protection.

In addition, the Senate recently passed a Sullivan-led, Murkowski-cosponsored disapproval resolution to overturn the restrictive IAP the Biden administration imposed in 2022 to close off roughly half of the NPR-A. Congressman Begich is leading an identical resolution in the House, which is expected to take the matter up soon.

Joining the delegation in support of repealing the 2024 NPR-A are the North Slope Borough, Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat, Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope, State of Alaska, Alaska Oil and Gas Association, Resource Development Council for Alaska, Alaska Chamber, the Alliance (Alaska Support Industry Alliance), Alaska Petroleum Joint Crafts Council, and API.

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