The U.S. Interior Department has officially repealed a Biden-era rule that sought to block future development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A).

After a thorough legal and policy review by the Bureau of Land Management, the final rule was printed in the Federal Register on Nov. 17.

BLM found 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.”

U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski and U.S. Congressman Nick Begich praised the Trump administrations reversal of the old rule.

“The Biden administration’s NPR-A rule was one of the most blatant examples of federal overreach we’ve seen in Alaska in decades,” Sullivan said. “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.

Sullivan called repeal a “new day filled with opportunity for Alaskans.”

Begich echoed this sentiment, calling the repeal yet “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,” he added. “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.”

Murkowski, who is often at odds with Trump, also praised the change.

“The Biden administration imposed it over the objections of our congressional delegation, the Alaska State Legislature, the Governor, leaders from across the North Slope, and most Alaskans,” she said. “Worse still, they deliberately ignored federal law and failed to meaningfully consult with the Alaska Natives who actually live in this region.”

Murkowski added: “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 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.

Joining the D.C. 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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