The Trump administration on Thursday formally overturned Biden-era restrictions on oil and gas development across a vast area of federal land in Alaska, marking one of President Donald Trump’s most expansive energy policy actions since returning to office. The decision nullifies a 2024 rule issued under former President Joe Biden that had prohibited leasing on 10.6 million acres of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPRA) and imposed additional limits on another 2 million acres.
The NPRA — a 23-million-acre region established in 1923 as an emergency fuel source for the Navy — is the largest remaining block of untouched public land in the country and has been the subject of longstanding political disputes over whether it should be preserved or developed.
“By rescinding the 2024 rule, we are following the direction set by President Trump to unlock Alaska’s energy potential, create jobs for North Slope communities and strengthen American energy security,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement. “This action restores common-sense management and ensures responsible development benefits for both Alaska and the nation.”
The administration announced the policy shift in a press release Thursday, stating it had issued a final rule to formally rescind the Biden-era restrictions on 13 million acres within the reserve. Officials did not immediately release the text of the rescission, which is expected to appear in the Federal Register on Friday.
The move is consistent with President Trump’s broader agenda to loosen regulations on domestic energy production and increase access to federally controlled resource areas. Supporters say reopening the affected acreage could spur job growth, raise federal revenues, and bolster U.S. energy independence following several years of tighter regulatory limits.
The Biden administration’s 2024 rule had been promoted as an environmental safeguard intended to limit development in areas Democrats view as particularly sensitive within the reserve. But Republicans and Alaska officials have long countered that carefully managed drilling can coexist with environmental protections while delivering substantial economic benefits for the region.
The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) is among the most significant energy infrastructure projects in the nation’s history. Constructed between 1974 and 1977 following the discovery of large oil reserves at Prudhoe Bay, the 800-mile pipeline carries crude from Alaska’s North Slope to the port of Valdez, where it is then shipped to refineries.
The pipeline traverses mountain ranges, rivers, and permafrost, requiring engineering adaptations such as elevating long sections above ground to prevent heat from destabilizing frozen soil. At its peak in the late 1980s, TAPS carried more than 2 million barrels of oil per day, though volumes have dropped as North Slope production has declined.
The pipeline remains a key component of the nation’s energy infrastructure, supporting thousands of jobs and generating substantial tax and royalty revenue for Alaska. It is operated by the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company.
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With Thursday’s action, the Trump administration’s earlier proposal to revoke the Biden rule is now finalized, reopening millions of acres to potential development and paving the way for expanded energy activity in one of the country’s most resource-rich regions.
During his term, Biden ended a number of oil and gas infrastructure projects and ordered dozens of coal- and fuel-fired power plants shuttered over the coming years while moving to replace them with so-called “green” alternatives that critics say left the U.S. behind the curve in the production of new energy to power AI and other emerging technologies.
Trump has already reversed many of those initiatives in favor of boosting plentiful and less expensive fossil fuels.
