Tribal Groups Concerned As Interior Downplays Western Arctic Drilling Environmental Risks (Update)

The following is courtesy of Grandmothers Growing Goodness and Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic:

Trump Administration to Declare Winter Oil & Gas Exploration Causes No Subsistence, Environmental Harm in Western Arctic 

(Washington, DC) — President Trump’s Department of the Interior today posted a notice of a categorical exclusion for wintertime oil and gas exploration in the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska (NPR-A). This will declare in advance that unlimited oil and gas exploration across the Reserve does no significant environmental harm and will be used for every future project without examining any of them. Publication and finalization of the categorical exclusion is slated for tomorrow, with no opportunities for public engagement. 

“The Trump administration’s plans for the Western Arctic will seal an unsafe future for us. The lands we rely on for hunting caribou and moose, fishing, gathering, and teaching our children would be opened up for reckless oil and gas development with absolutely no consideration for the impacts. There will be no limits to this development, which means no limits to the air pollution it causes. How could we possibly accept this?” said Dr. Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, Executive Director of Grandmothers Growing Goodness. “We’ve had to live with widespread development and encroachment on our lands, but at least we had the opportunity to participate in the process and get mitigation. Now there is no opportunity for us to participate – decades of protections and progress will be erased in the blink of an eye. The government has an obligation to protect our nation’s natural resources, not hand over more power to an industry that has destroyed the health, safety, and lives of so many people.”

“Our people live on this land and see the changes first. Free, prior and informed consent exists so that knowledge is heard before decisions are made. We have never had real self-determination in this process, and now Donald’s administration isn’t even pretending otherwise. Cutting out public comment makes that clear. Whether you support oil development or not, every Iñupiaq should care about keeping our voice present on our own land. If we let them take that from us now, it won’t stop with exploration,” said Nauri Simmonds, Executive Director of Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic. 

The categorical exclusion covers activities including seismic exploration, exploratory drilling, and rights-of-way in the NPR-A. If it goes into effect, the Interior Department could determine that a new winter seismic program, exploration well, or associated access proposal fits within the predefined category and authorize it without preparing a new Environmental Assessment or Environmental Impact Statement – cutting out any pathway for people to share knowledge about how a project could affect them, wildlife, or their communities.  

At the same time, the Bureau of Land Management is considering an industry-backed rulemaking that would eliminate separate environmental and subsistence analyses for qualifying oil and gas projects, removing formal opportunities for the communities most affected to examine specific proposals and seek changes before approval. 

Together, these two proposals would effectively end environmental review and public process for all oil and gas activity in the Western Arctic –threatening the health and subsistence way of life of local communities, Tribes, and their members, as well as the wildlife they depend on. 

UPDATE: Here’s an Interior press release:

BLM Streamlines Winter Exploration in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — Today, the Bureau of Land Management established a categorical exclusion to improve predictability and reduce burdens for companies seeking permits for wintertime oil and gas exploration in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. This action enables important winter exploration projects—such as exploratory seismic surveys, exploration wells, and plugging and abandonment— to move forward efficiently, advancing American Energy Dominance and national security. 

The BLM developed this categorical exclusion after analyzing the dozens of previous environmental assessments the agency has conducted for wintertime exploration in the Petroleum Reserve. Those analyses show that those exploration activities result in no significant impacts on human health or the environment when conducted under established operating procedures and mitigation measures. Wintertime exploration relies on temporary ice roads, ice pads, and snow routes where the only potential sign of exploration after the snow melts is generally the well-head, if drilled.  

“The BLM has decades of experience analyzing the effects of exploration in the Petroleum Reserve and permitting responsible exploration,” said BLM Alaska State Director Kevin Pendergast. “This categorical exclusion builds on that record to allow developers to more nimbly locate energy resources in the Petroleum Reserve, ultimately increasing domestic energy supply, leading to stable energy costs and more revenue for Alaskan communities and the American public.”  

Categorical exclusions are categories of actions that have been determined to not typically result in significant environmental impacts, eliminating the need conduct a full environmental review. Streamlining National Environmental Policy Act compliance through categorical exclusions removes regulatory burdens and speeds up the process, saving time, and resources. 

Before relying on a categorical exclusion for a proposed project, an agency must verify that there are no extraordinary circumstances, such as potential impacts to endangered species or cultural resources, that may result in the project having any significant environmental effects. 

This new categorical exclusion supports the goals of Executive Order 14153, “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential,” Executive Order 14154, “Unleashing American Energy,” and the Working Families Tax Cuts Act. The action builds on the BLM’s extensive work to improve regulatory certainty in the Petroleum Reserve, including rescission of the 2024 rule that restricted leasing and development in the Petroleum Reserve and reopening nearly 82% of the area to oil and gas leasing through an updated Integrated Activity Plan. It also complements BLM’s ongoing work to streamline permitting for qualifying production sites in the area.       

About?3.5 million acres?are?currently leased in the Petroleum Reserve following the historic lease sale held in March 2026. That sale resulted in 187 tracts receiving bids and $163,696,722 in total receipts, generating the most revenue ever, the most tracts receiving bids and the second most acreage sold in a single sale for the area. 

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The BLM manages about 245 million acres of public land located primarily in 12 western states, including Alaska, on behalf of the American people. The BLM also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the nation. Our mission is to sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of America’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations.