Opposition To Arctic Drilling Plans Speaks Out

You’ve heard about the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska or the NPR-A, but what is it and why is it being threatened?

Learn more about why we protect the NPR-A and #ProtectTheArctic. pic.twitter.com/uYx3XKxRCZ

— Defenders of Wildlife (@Defenders) July 15, 2025

With the comment period completed to weigh in on the Trump administration’s plans to drill for natural gas on the Arctic’s National Petroleum Reserve, two of Alaska’s Congressional members, Senator Dan Sullivan (R) and Representative Nick Begich (R) are now all in to remove protections for the vast swath of land, despite opponents’ pleas to keep the natural resources there preserved.

Alaska’s abundant resource potential provides the pathway for a stronger, more secure America! https://t.co/IWbT04EdN3

— Congressman Nick Begich (@RepNickBegich) September 7, 2025

A Begich press release last week also recapped a hearing of the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations that discussed tapping into the state’s natural resources, including its natural gas and oil reserves. Begich had this to say about the discussions:

“This hearing was a historic moment for Alaska. Alaskans have always understood that responsible development of our natural resources is the key to prosperity and security. Unfortunately, the Biden administration’s policies of preservation over production locked away opportunities and forced us to rely on foreign adversaries for resources we have in abundance here at home” said Congressman Begich. “House Republicans, along with the support of the Trump Administration are charting a new course that restores responsible development, unleashes energy and mineral production, and opens the door for new infrastructure and jobs. I want to thank each of our witnesses for their time and their commitment to our great state. Their testimonies were invaluable as we work to ensure our resources are responsibly managed for the benefit of future generations of Alaskans.”

Here’s some reaction, including a statement from Grandmothers Growing Goodness:

AK Congressional Delegation Takes Unprecedented Step to Dismantle Critical Protections for Teshekpuk Lake, Indigenous Communities, Wildlife In the Western Arctic 

Sen. Sullivan +  Rep. Begich’s Introduce CRA Resolutions to Overturn the 2022 Western Arctic IAP

(Nuiqsut, Alaska / Washington, DC) — Late last week, U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) and U.S. Representative Nick Begich (R-AK) introduced Congressional Review Act (CRA) resolutions of disapproval targeting the 2022 National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska (NPR-A) Integrated Activity Plan (IAP). U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) has also joined as a co-sponsor of Sen. Sullivan’s resolution. 

If passed, these resolutions would put subsistence areas, cultural areas, and critical wildlife habitat in the Western Arctic at risk, including preventing the Bureau of Land Management from being able to fully protect the following resources and values from expanded oil and gas development in the Western Arctic:

• Over 13 million acres of Special Areas, including Teshekpuk Lake, Utukok River Uplands, Colville River, Kasegaluk Lagoon, and Peard Bay, specifically designated for their exceptional ecosystems, subsistence resources, solitary recreation opportunities, and cultural significance;
• Caribou calving and migratory bird nesting habitat that supports global bird populations and Alaska Native subsistence traditions; and
• Critical habitat for federally-listed wildlife species, including the shrinking Southern Beaufort Sea population of polar bear.

In response, Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, Executive Director of Grandmothers Growing Goodness, released the following statement: 

“It is extremely concerning to see the Alaska delegation take this unprecedented step. On our land, we are feeling the constant threat of these decisions. If passed, the resolution would set a dangerous precedent not only for us but for all public lands nationwide. We will have serious impacts in not only Nuiqsut but throughout the Western Arctic communities, and on all of our wildlife and ecosystems. The assault has continued through the decades, and now the Trump Administration and Congress continue to dismantle the last safeguards and force more development on our vulnerable lands. Who is fighting for us if the Alaska delegation isn’t?  These lands are not just empty spaces. They are our home, our place for life, health, and safety, traditions, and culture.”

Additional Background:

The 2022 NPR-A IAP, which governs 23 million acres of federal lands in the Western Arctic, was informed by more than a decade of engagement with experts, Indigenous communities, stakeholders, and the broader public. The IAP helps protect critical habitat for the Teshekpuk and Western Arctic Caribou herds, polar bears, migratory birds, and Arctic fish from expanded oil and gas development – while supporting the subsistence traditions of Alaska Native communities. 

Congress has never “disapproved” a federal land use plan under the CRA before. If Congress moves forward with disapproving the NPR-A IAP, the statute states that the rule “may not be reissued in substantially the same form,” limiting the Bureau of Land Management’s ability to protect the NPR-A in a future plan and setting a dangerous precedent for protecting public lands and waters. 

About Grandmothers Growing Goodness:

Grandmothers Growing Goodness is dedicated to protecting the environment and promoting the well-being of Indigenous communities in the Arctic.

The Wilderness Society also chimed in on Sullivan’s and Begich’s plans:

Begich introduces NPR-A resolution after spearheading rollback of Central Yukon RMP 

Rep. Nick Begich and Sen. Dan Sullivan of Alaska today filed resolutions of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act with the intent of scrapping plans that govern management in part of the Western Arctic known as the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska.  

If passed, the resolutions would nullify the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) Record of Decision, a balanced and science-based plan issued by the federal Bureau of Land Management in 2022 that increased protections for “Special Areas,”– critical to wildlife and subsistence hunters — informed by years’ worth of public meetings, input and analysis.  

The House recently used CRA resolutions in an attempt to roll back three BLM Resource Management plans, an unprecedented step that experts say could have far-reaching consequences for public lands. Similar to those uses of the CRA, the new NPR-A resolutions illustrate how members of Congress are moving to recklessly and arbitrarily nullify agency decisions that were informed by extensive local input and deliberation.  

Matt Jackson, Alaska senior director for The Wilderness Society, made the following statement about the news: 

“With these resolutions, congressional Republicans are speeding down the slippery slope of using the CRA to cancel land-use plans. Rolling back the Integrated Activity Plan would mean D.C. lawmakers are haphazardly throwing out the careful input of Tribes and other local communities, scientists and even industry interests so they can make their own top-down decisions instead.  

“This approach erases community voices and ignores the role of Alaskans and the rest of  America in shaping the future management of our public lands for future generations, Jackson added.”