U.S. Interior Takes Actions to Expand Oil and Gas Development in Alaska

The U.S. Interior Department is taking actions to expand energy development opportunities in Alaska’s federal lands including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. President Trump signed an executive order in January, titled Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential, to maximize the development and production of natural resources located on both federal and state lands within Alaska, prioritizing Alaska’s liquefied natural gas potential.

Under the department’s guidance, the Bureau of Land Management will undertake actions to enhance opportunities for exploration and development in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. The bureau is also working towards partial overturning of public land withdrawals that will assist in strengthening the pathway for the proposed Alaska Liquified Natural Gas Pipeline and Ambler Road projects.

President Trump signed an executive order in January, titled Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential, to maximize the development and production of natural resources located on both federal and state lands within Alaska, prioritizing Alaska’s liquefied natural gas potential. The order directs executive departments and agencies to prioritize permitting of all necessary pipeline and export infrastructure related to the Alaska LNG Project, giving due consideration to the economic and national security benefits associated with such development.

As part of the executive order, the department and bureau will aim to reopen up to 82 percent National Petroleum Reserve in the state accessible to leasing and enhancing energy expansion opportunities. The department and bureau will also attempt to reinstate a program that makes the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge accessible for oil and gas leasing. Moreover, they will aim to rescind withdrawals along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Corridor and Dalton Highway north of the Yukon River, so that these lands can be conveyed to the state. This step would help advance the proposed Alaska Liquified Natural Gas Pipeline and Ambler Road projects.