Look West: Public lands and energy news from the Center for Western Priorities


** Trump revokes Biden-era limits on drilling in Alaska
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Monday, November 17, 2025
Northeast National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska; Photo by Bob Wick (BLM) ([link removed])

The Trump administration announced a final rule last week ([link removed]) that will allow oil and gas drilling across a vast, fragile expanse of tundra and wetlands in northern Alaska called the National Petroleum Reserve. This move reverses a rule finalized ([link removed]) during the Biden administration that restricted drilling in half of the 23 million-acre National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A). In October, the Trump administration moved to open ([link removed]) the
coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to drilling.

Despite having "petroleum" in its name, the NPR-A is the largest single tract of public land in the U.S. and serves as important habitat ([link removed]) for caribou, grizzly bears, and thousands of migratory birds. Created in 1923, the NPR-A was originally envisioned as an emergency fuel supply ([link removed]) for the Navy. But in 1976, Congress authorized full commercial development ([link removed]) of the reserve and ordered the government to balance oil drilling with
conservation and wildlife protection.

The Biden administration banned drilling on 13 million acres of the NPR-A last year, seeking to protect wildlife and responding to concerns ([link removed]) from Alaska Native communities. These communities depend on healthy caribou populations, which have experienced sharp declines in recent years ([link removed]) . A 2023 Center for Western Priorities analysis of public comments ([link removed]) on the Biden-era rule found that 9 out of 10
commenters supported protections for the NPR-A. The Biden administration approved a major drilling project ([link removed]) on the eastern side of the NPR-A in 2023.

Lee sets hearing to probe BLM permitting activity

Senator Mike Lee of Utah has scheduled a committee hearing on Wednesday ([link removed]) to look into whether the Bureau of Land Management is prioritizing conservation over mining, grazing, and drilling on public lands. The hearing will examine how the agency is interpreting the Federal Land Policy and Management Act. Lee has argued ([link removed]) the BLM is prioritizing conservation, despite the Trump administration's single-minded focus on fossil fuel development on public lands.


** Quick hits
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Trump's pick to manage BLM notoriously hellbent on selling public lands

SFGate ([link removed])

Sen. Mike Lee sets hearing to probe BLM permitting activity

E&E News ([link removed])

Recreation on national public land generates $350 million daily, creates more jobs than logging and mining combined

Outdoor Life ([link removed])

Opinion: USDA’s beef industry plan sells out public lands

Oregon Capital Chronicle ([link removed])

Hikers who smoke weed on federal public lands to face prosecution again

Backpack Magazine ([link removed])

Opinion: Trump rollback risks public land protections in California

Sacramento Bee ([link removed])

'We haven't lost': Conservationists urge state action amid federal rollback of public land protections

Santa Fe New Mexican ([link removed])

Trump offers $70,000 hiring bonus as National Park Service seeks to hire 500 law enforcement officers

Sierra Sun Times ([link removed])


** Quote of the day
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” [Steve] Pearce’s entire political career has been dedicated to blocking Americans’ access to public lands while giving the oil and gas industry free rein to drill and frack anywhere they wanted.”

—Center for Western Priorities Executive Director Jennifer Rokala, SFGate ([link removed])


** Picture This
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@Interior ([link removed])
From October 7 through March 6, Cadillac Mountain at @AcadiaNPS ([link removed]) is the first place in the continental U.S. to see the sunrise. Drive to the summit or trek up by trail for panoramic views of a glacier-carved coast and an island-studded sea.

Photo by Roy Goldsberry

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