U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, along with Congressman Nick Begich, joined President Donald Trump in the Oval Office as he signed two major Congressional Review Act resolutions to reverse restrictive Biden-era blockades that locked up millions of acres across Alaska and stalled vital energy, mineral and infrastructure development.
Sponsored by Begich, and supported by Sullivan and Murkowski, the measures were passed into law during a Dec. 11 signing ceremony.
“Alaska’s story is one of vast potential and opportunity. For too long that story was sidelined,” Begich said following the signing. “This year, we changed that. Today’s bill signings continue a generational shift in how our nation views Alaska’s abundance and Alaska’s role in securing America’s future.”
Begich thanked Sullivan and Murkowski for their support in the U.S. Senate.
We’ve known the road to American prosperity begins in Alaska; the rest of America now knows that as well. – Congressman Nick Begich
“We are unlocking opportunity across the state at an historic pace, and I am proud to deliver these results for Alaskans,” he added.
H.J. Res. 131 overturns the Biden administration’s 2024 Record of Decision (ROD) that halted oil and gas development across 1.16 million acres of the 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s Coastal Plain. By restoring the 2020 ROD, the resolution revives a program Congress previously established specifically for energy development, while reinforcing Trump’s executive order to prioritize unlocking Alaska’s strategic resources.
This measure ensures access to an estimated 7.7 billion barrels of oil to revitalize throughput in the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System in order to help secure long-term national energy supply.
H.J. Res. 106 repeals the Biden administration’s Central Yukon Resource Management Plan, which locked up more than 13 million acres in one of Alaska’s most impoverished regions. Biden’s actions restricted access to lands essential for energy production, critical minerals, and infrastructure corridors.
Under the new resolution, however, multiple-use management is restored, thereby opening access to 1.86 million acres previously closed, as well as opening up 330,000 acres for essential transportation and utility corridors. It also adds additional lands for oil, gas, and mineral leasing.
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“With the leadership of President Trump and House Republicans, we are advancing legislation at an historic pace to unlock opportunity, strengthen our economy, and ensure we have the energy needed to power America and her allies well into the future,” Begich noted. “We’ve known the road to American prosperity begins in Alaska; the rest of America now knows that as well.”
Sullivan marked the presidential signing with a short video on his Facebook page.
“A great day for Alaska at the White House as President Trump signs our legislation to repeal the Biden lock-up of ANWR and the Central Yukon,” he said.
