Trump administration reopens Alaska’s ANWR Coastal Plain to oil and gas leasing

The administration of US President Donald Trump has reopened the Coastal Plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) to oil and gas leasing. In an October 23 statement, the US Department of the Interior (DoI) said it was making a number of moves in Alaska, including reopening the full 1.56mn acre (6,313 square km) Coastal Plain of the ANWR to leasing.

The move reverses a decision by former US President Joe Biden to restrict drilling for oil and gas in the ANWR. Indeed, it marks the latest step in a series of back-and-forth moves by different administrations on energy development in Alaska. Former US President Barack Obama had also sought to restrict drilling in the state, including in the ANWR. Then Trump, during his first term, authorised leasing in the Coastal Plain, resulting in nine leases being issued in 2021. The Biden administration then cancelled those leases.

Now, upon Trump’s return to office, he is once again pushing to open up Alaska to more drilling.

"From day one, President Trump directed us to unlock Alaska's energy and resource potential while honouring commitments to the state and local communities," US Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum said in a statement. "By reopening the Coastal Plain and advancing key infrastructure, we are strengthening energy independence, creating jobs and supporting Alaska's communities while driving economic growth across the state."

However, it is possible that these efforts will meet with limited success, like those under the first Trump administration. Oil producers have prioritised shale drilling in recent years and even if they increasingly look elsewhere as shale matures, years of oil price volatility and shareholder pressure has resulted in companies acting with caution and keeping a lid on capital expenditures. This affects areas considered to be costly or high-risk in particular, and appeared to have deterred drillers from moving into Alaska under the last Trump administration.

Whether there is more interest this time remains to be seen but cannot be guaranteed.