Milestone year as Trump signs two Alaska-focused CRA resolutions into law

Alaska’s delegation capped a historic year on Thursday as President Donald Trump signed two major Congressional Review Act resolutions, these ones authored by Congressman Nick Begich, reversing Biden-era land restrictions that had sidelined oil, gas, and mineral development across vast swaths of the state.

With the signing of H.J. Res. 131 and H.J. Res. 106 in the Oval Office, Begich now has four bills signed into law in his first year, an extraordinary pace for a freshman member of Congress, and one that again demonstrates how central Alaska’s resource portfolio has become in the new administration.

Sen. Dan Sullivan applauded the effort and had worked for parallel legislation to pass in the Senate.

A great day for Alaska at the White House as President Trump signs our legislation to repeal the Biden lock-up of ANWR and the Central Yukon. pic.twitter.com/MZMRMYMRnJ

— Sen. Dan Sullivan (@SenDanSullivan) December 11, 2025

The measures unwind two high-impact decisions from the Biden years that effectively shut down development in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s 1002 Area and across more than 13 million acres in the Central Yukon region.

H.J. Res. 131 overturns the Biden Interior Department’s 2024 Record of Decision freezing development on the 1002 Area. The resolution restores the 2020 framework Congress designed specifically to allow responsible oil and gas exploration on 1.16 million acres of the Coastal Plain.

By reviving the earlier plan, the law reopens access to an estimated 7.7 billion barrels of oil, a volume long viewed as essential to stabilizing throughput in the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and maintaining the nation’s long-term energy security. It also aligns with President Trump’s Executive Order 14154, which directs agencies to unlock Alaska’s strategically important resources.

H.J. Res. 106 repeals the Biden administration’s sweeping Central Yukon Resource Management Plan, which had imposed broad limitations across 13 million acres of Interior Alaska — including some of the state’s poorest communities.

By removing expansive “areas of critical environmental concern” and other restrictive designations, the law restores multiple-use access to:

• 1.86 million acres previously closed off

• 330,000 acres tied to transportation and utility corridors

• Additional lands suitable for oil, gas, and critical mineral development

The resolution reopens territory crucial for future infrastructure, energy security, and state revenue — and instantly became one of the fastest-moving pieces of legislation advanced by a freshman Alaska lawmaker in modern memory.

The dual signings represent more than a policy reversal; they mark the continuation of a strategic realignment the Trump administration has pursued since returning to office, one that places Alaska at the center of America’s energy and mineral security.

Earlier this week, the president signed another of Begich’s bills, this one to ensure national security in the Arctic.

House passes Begich bill strengthening national defense and securing Alaska’s strategic role

For Begich, the moment underscores a broader mission of reasserting Alaska’s role in national resilience and restoring long-standing commitments Congress made when it established resource-development frameworks in the Arctic and Interior decades ago.

As the year closes, Alaska enters 2026 with new access to lands long gridlocked by federal action.