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Lawmakers, Alaska Native Tribes, and conservation organizations are asking the Biden administration to add new protections for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). In response to a request for public comment the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) issued in July, more than 50 members of Congress joined a letter asking the BLM to consider expanding the "Special Areas" within the NPR-A which are managed for the protection of wildlife and Alaska Native subsistence resources from oil development. "The myriad of unique ecosystems, sensitive habitats, and iconic species within the Western Arctic must be prioritized and protected from the impacts of oil and gas development," the lawmakers wrote in the letter.
Meanwhile, three Alaska Native organizations submitted a separate letter asking for the designation of a new Special Area in the NPR-A. The letter requests that the area, if designated, be co-managed by the Bureau of Land Management and Alaska Native Tribes.
The July 2024 request for public comment followed the April 2024 release of the BLM's final NPR-A Rule, which updated regulations for the management and protection of the NPR-A. The final NPR-A Rule has overwhelming support: A sentiment analysis conducted by the Center for Western Priorities found that 88 percent of the public comments on the rule encouraged the Interior Department to adopt the rule as written, or to limit oil and gas drilling even further.
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As we look to our future, we look to our past, to our ancestors, and this is the biggest threat that is harming us right now.”
