Doug Burgum, Interior Secretary | official facebook
The Department of the Interior has announced that it is rescinding three policy documents related to special area management within Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve. The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) withdrew these documents, which included a request for information published in July 2024, a report from January 2025, and an interim management memorandum also from January 2025.
According to the department, these policies were created without adequate consideration for statutory requirements, economic factors, or local input. Officials stated that the now-rescinded measures could have limited access to domestic energy resources.
“Alaska’s resource potential has been held hostage for years by anti-development ideologues,” said Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum. “The Trump administration is delivering certainty for industry, opportunity for Alaskans and real energy security for the American people. We are committed to putting development back at the center of land management where it belongs.”
This move follows Executive Order 14153 and Secretary’s Order 3422—both titled “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential”—and supports other recent executive and secretarial orders focused on national energy strategy. The department says these actions aim to promote responsible energy development and reduce dependence on foreign sources.
Local residents in Alaska’s North Slope region reportedly voiced opposition to expanding special areas that could restrict development. The department noted that public comments received last year reflected concern over changes proposed by previous administrations.
Officials emphasized that Congress established the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska as a strategic domestic energy supply and directed the Secretary of the Interior to support competitive oil and gas leasing while protecting surface values when possible. They argued that expanding restrictive zones would conflict with congressional intent.
The rescission is part of broader efforts by the Department of the Interior to update resource policy in Alaska. This includes reversing a 2024 rule limiting leasing in the reserve and introducing a new Integrated Activity Plan intended to better align with statutory priorities and economic needs.
By removing these restrictions, officials say they are supporting national energy independence and enabling Alaskans to benefit from further resource development.
