The Trump administration has announced a sale of oil and gas drilling rights covering 5.5 million acres of Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve, scheduled for March 9. (A file photo)
| Photo Credit:
LUCAS JACKSON
The Trump administration on Thursday
said it would hold a sale of oil and gas drilling rights across
5.5 million acres of Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve on
March 9.
WHY IT’S IMPORTANT
The sale is the first of at least five mandated by President
Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which he signed into
law last year. The U.S. has not offered tracts in the Alaska
reserve, which is known as the NPR-A, since 2019.
KEY QUOTE
“The National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska plays a vital role
in advancing America’s energy independence, and Congress has
repeatedly made clear their intent for timely leasing and
responsible development in the region,” Bill Groffy, acting
director of the Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management,
said in a statement.
“Selling off our most sensitive public lands will only pad
industry pockets at the expense of American communities and
ecosystems,” Jenny Rowland-Shea, director of public lands at the
Center for American Progress, a liberal think tank, said in a
statement.
This sale is part of the administration’s push to expand
domestic oil and gas production and reverse Biden-era
restrictions on drilling on millions of acres in the reserve.
While supporters argue it bolsters energy independence,
environmentalists warn of risks to one of America’s largest
natural ecosystems.
BY THE NUMBERS
The BLM will offer more than 600 tracts on about 5.5 million
acres. Currently about 1.6 million acres of the 23-million-acre
reserve are leased to oil and gas companies.
The BLM will accept sealed bids until March 5, and the
auction will be livestreamed on March 9.
Published on February 5, 2026
