Breaking: Trump signs Alaska delegation’s bill reversing Biden lockup of National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska

President Donald Trump on Friday signed into law a resolution overturning the Biden administration’s 2022 “Integrated Activity Plan for the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska,” which locked up the petroleum reserve. Trump has now restored the pro-development framework put in place before Biden took office, according to a White House source.

The joint resolution, authored by Alaska Sens. Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski, passed the Senate in October on a 52–45 vote. It nullifies the Biden-era Record of Decision that had replaced the 2020 plan and shut down nearly half of the petroleum reserve to oil and gas leasing.

In the House, Congressman Nick Begich carried the companion measure, introducing it Sept. 18.

After the House approved it, the resolution moved to the president’s desk, where Trump signed it, marking a major reversal of the Biden administration’s energy policies in the NPR-A and reopening the vast reserve to future exploration and development under the earlier 2020 framework.

The restrictive plan during the Biden era ran counter to Congress’ long-standing directives for the reserve and ignored the strong support from North Slope Alaska Native leaders whose communities depend on responsible development to fund schools, emergency services, and modern infrastructure.

“The Biden administration’s 2022 NPR-A Integrated Activity Plan was one of the most blatant examples of federal overreach we’ve seen in Alaska in decades,” said Sen. Sullivan. “This plan effectively locked up about half of the National Petroleum Reserve—an area Congress explicitly set aside for energy production, ignored Alaska Native voices, violated clear congressional intent, and undermined our state’s ability to responsibly develop the resources that support our communities and strengthen our nation. As I said in my remarks on the Senate floor, responsible resource development builds infrastructure, supports communities, creates good-paying jobs, and literally leads to my constituents living longer. I wish more of my Senate Democratic colleagues recognized that truth and found the courage to stand up to the far-left Lower 48 eco-colonialists who are determined to lock up Alaska, kill good-paying jobs, and silence the people who live there. But I do want to thank the majority of my colleagues in the Senate who stood with me, Senator Murkowski, and Congressman Begich in passing this resolution—restoring balance, upholding the law, and ensuring Alaska’s resources are managed responsibly for the benefit of our people, our economy, and America’s national security.”

“The Biden Administration tried to lock up Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve under the guise of environmental protection—policies that did nothing but drive up costs, kill jobs, and keep America dependent on foreign energy. This reckless lock-up of the NPR-A ignored both the law and the people who live closest to these resources,” said Congressman Begich when the bill passed the Senate. “Responsible development in the NPR-A means good jobs and greater energy security for our nation, and the passage of this joint resolution puts us one step closer to restoring Alaska’s right to responsibly develop our abundant resource potential. I thank Senators Sullivan and Murkowski for their leadership in the Senate on this important issue.”

This story will be updated.