Back to the Frontier: 13 Million Acres Reclaimed for American Energy
The Biden administration tried to quietly shut down energy development across 13 million acres of Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve. Now, the Trump administration is undoing that damage.
Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum announced this week that the Department of the Interior will roll back Biden’s 2024 rule, which imposed extreme restrictions on oil and gas activity in areas that Congress explicitly designated for energy production. The rule created broad “Special Areas” where leasing was essentially banned unless operators could prove a negative, “no adverse effects,” on surface resources.
In a statement reported in Fox News, Burgum made clear what was at stake:
“The 2024 rule ignored that mandate, prioritizing obstruction over production… We’re restoring the balance and putting our energy future back on track.”
The move is not symbolic. It’s a necessary step toward reversing years of bad energy policy that drove up prices, undermined U.S. energy independence, and crushed opportunity for Alaskans.
Despite the economic and strategic importance of the petroleum reserve, the Biden White House chose environmental politics over energy security. The Department of the Interior now admits the rule conflicted with the very law governing the reserve, violating the mandate for “expeditious leasing” under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act.
The Trump administration’s decision to rescind the 2024 restrictions means Alaska’s vast resource base is back on the table. That’s good news for American workers, national security, and every family tired of paying the price for someone else’s climate agenda.
The message is clear: we don’t need less American energy. We need more of it, and Alaska’s ready.
June 3, 2025