The decision follows a trip by senior administration members to Alaska earlier this month.

The U.S. Department of Interior on Tuesday proposed to open up 82% of Alaska’s 23-million-acre National Petroleum Reserve to oil and gas leasing, reversing a Biden-era plan.

On his first day in office, U.S. President Donald Trump declared an energy emergency, aiming to boost fossil fuel production in the country.  

The decision follows Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin’s trip to Alaska earlier this month.

“This plan is about creating more jobs for Americans, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and tapping into the immense energy resources the National Petroleum Reserve was created to deliver,” said Acting Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management Adam Suess.

The Biden administration had moved to make most of the reserve out of reach of oil companies after allowing ConocoPhillips’ Willow Oil project to proceed. The project, the first significant energy development in the state in years, is expected to begin production in 2029.

The public has until July 1 to submit comments on the proposal to the Interior Department's U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

The reserve was established during the oil crisis of the 1970s to bolster domestic production. However, indigenous communities and wildlife advocates have protested against further developments due to their environmental impact.

According to a report by the Anchorage Daily News, Matt Jackson of the Wilderness Society said the move was another step in the Trump administration’s “reckless effort” to sell public lands to the oil industry amid the global climate crisis.

While the Trump administration wants oil companies to drill more, the energy firms have maintained production discipline as oil prices have remained volatile this year.

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