As Trump officials visit Alaska, feds announce plans to remove some restrictions on Arctic drilling
The Trump administration plans to lift environmental protections on roughly half of the National Petroleum Reserve on Alaska's North Slope, reopening the area to possible oil and gas drilling.
The new move would reverse actions taken during the Biden administration to restrict development in the 23 million-acre reserve.
The plans, announced Sunday in Utqiagvik and formally on Monday by the U.S. Department of the Interior, open a public comment period, with final action to come later. The plans were announced as three of the Trump administration's top officials visit Alaska.
U.S. Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and Lee Zeldin, administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are in Alaska this week for a series of events, including a speaking engagement at Gov. Mike Dunleavy's annual sustainable energy conference, which begins Tuesday in Anchorage.
During a brief question-and-answer session with reporters on Sunday, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, sat alongside the three cabinet members and called the effort to restrict development in NPR-A the 'most egregious effort of the Biden administration,' adding that 'one of the top priorities is to get the NPRA back to where it was supposed to be by the intention of Congress, to develop oil and to remove all the regulations that the Biden guys put on NPR-A, and that is a huge priority.'
While large oil companies have expressed little interest to date in drilling within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which lies to the east of the Prudhoe Bay oil fields, there has been interest in drilling within the reserve, which lies to the west.
Since the first days of the second Trump administration, federal officials have said that they are prioritizing an effort to eliminate obstacles for companies interested in digging or drilling for natural resources in Alaska.
Burgum, Wright and Zeldin traveled to the North Slope after meeting with state officials in Anchorage on Sunday and were scheduled to tour Pump Station No. 1 of the trans-Alaska Pipeline System before returning to Anchorage on Tuesday to participate in the governor's energy conference.
The two-hour Anchorage event was largely closed to the public, but reporters were able to listen to closing remarks and ask limited questions at the end.
There were no new details about the potential construction of a trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline, and officials did not address the Trump administration's decision to freeze or rescind grants awarded to renewable energy projects in Alaska.
Burgum, speaking in Anchorage, noted that Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport offers direct flights to 16 countries and talked about the 'rise of the Pacific' in terms of global commerce.
'Alaska can play such a huge role in this, but we've got to get the federal government out of your way. That's what the three of us are here to do,' he said.
In response to a question, Burgum said the administration plans to prioritize development of the planned Ambler Road, a 211-mile mining access road through the Brooks Range, and the proposed King Cove Road, an 11-mile road connecting King Cove to the Cold Bay airport, among other projects.
On Monday, environmental groups responded to the NPR-A decision with scorn and concern.
Grandmothers Growing Goodness, an environmental group that supports Indigenous communities in the Arctic, said that the repeal of the Biden administration protections would significantly impact Teshekpuk Lake and its surroundings, which are important for the Teshekpuk caribou herd. 'The area is also integral to Indigenous subsistence practices, supporting hunting, fishing, and gathering,' they said, in an email statement with the announcement
Protest demonstrations are planned in Anchorage for Monday and Tuesday to oppose the proposed Alaska LNG pipeline project and 'other fossil fuel projects promoted by Gov. Dunleavy's 'sustainable energy conference,'' according to organizers.
'It's hard to overstate the havoc this could wreak on the Western Arctic's undisturbed habitat for caribou, polars bears and belugas,' said Marlee Goska, Alaska attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. 'Trump's fixation on plundering Alaska's ecosystems for short-term gain is matched only by the stupidity of turning this precious place into a fossil fuel extraction site. Alaska's vast expanses of wild lands are a big part of what makes our state so special, and we'll do everything possible to protect these places.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNBC
8 minutes ago
- CNBC
CNBC Daily Open: This week's the Olympics for market watchers
Choose a front-row seat and grab your popcorn. These five days will basically be the Olympics for market watchers: And looming over all those financial and macroeconomic events is U.S. President Donald Trump's August 1 deadline for his new tariffs. As Kim Forrest, founder at Bokeh Capital, said, "What isn't happening in this week?" Here's the ideal scenario for investors. The Magnificent Seven companies reporting earnings this week and the U.S. economy secure gold at their respective events. (The Fed is expected to keep rates unchanged — whether this qualifies the central bank for a medal is up for debate). Big trading partners of the U.S., such as South Korea and India, secure a deal with the White House and join the European Union and Japan at the podium, while Beijing extends its tariff suspension with Washington. If those events happen, U.S. stocks will probably have legs clear hurdle after hurdle — and the S&P 500 can continue topping record announces a trade agreement with the European Union. Most European goods, including cars, exported to the U.S. will face a 15% tariff, Trump said Sunday. The bloc also agreed to purchase $750 billion worth of U.S. energy, he added. Samsung inks a $16.5 billion contract with Tesla. While the South Korean firm didn't disclose the counterparty in its regulatory filing, Tesla CEO Elon Musk confirmed that it will manufacture the automaker's "next-generation AI6 chip." Perfect week for the S&P 500. The broad-based index rose Friday to close at a high — its fifth record in a row last week. The Nasdaq Composite and Dow Jones Industrial Average also advanced. Asia-Pacific shares were mixed Monday. The Fed is ready to start lowering rates, Trump said. On Friday, the U.S. president said Fed Chair Jerome Powell told him "the country is doing well," which Trump took to mean "he's going to start recommending lower rates." Futures markets disagree. [PRO] Winners of Hong Kong's crypto framework. The island's bill, which takes effect Friday, formalizes the process for financial companies to issue and manage stablecoins. Two online brokerages which offer crypto trading stand to benefit, analysts said. Trump's tariff deal offers scant relief for Japan automakers as bigger threat looms Japanese automakers may have sidestepped crushing U.S. tariffs, but the reprieve may offer little comfort. Their position in the global market is being eroded by Chinese automakers even as they face persistent structural challenges domestically. Still, analysts acknowledge that Trump's finalized tariff rate brings at least one benefit: some predictability.
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Key takeaways from the EU-US trade deal
EU head Ursula von der Leyen and US President Donald Trump on Sunday struck a deal on tariffs, just days before the August 1 deadline when Trump had threatened to impose steep levies on European goods had an agreement not been reached. These are the key takeaways from the deal: EU chief Ursula von der Leyen clinched an agreement Sunday with US President Donald Trump to avoid crippling tariffs from hitting the bloc, with both leaders hailing a 'good deal'. The stakes were high with a looming August 1 deadline and $1.9 trillion transatlantic trading relationship on the line. Many European businesses will breathe a sigh of relief after the leaders agreed the 27-country bloc will face a baseline levy of 15 percent instead of a threatened 30 percent – but the deal will not satisfy everyone. Here is what we know so far: What did EU, US agree on? Both sides confirmed there will be a 15-percent across-the-board rate on a majority of EU goods – the same level secured by Japan this month – with bilateral tariff exemptions on some products. Read moreTrump announces 'massive' trade deal with Japan, 15 percent tariff on exports The deal will bring relief for the bloc's auto sector, employing around 13 million people – and hit by Trump with 25-percent tariffs, on top of a pre-existing 2.5 percent. 'Obviously, it is good news for the car industry. So Germany will be happy. And all the EU members with auto supply chains, they go from 27.5 to 15 percent,' said Jacob Funk Kirkegaard of the Peterson Institute For International Economics. A 15-percent levy will remain 'costly' for German automakers, 'but it is manageable', said trade geopolitics expert Elvire Fabry at the Jacques Delors Institute. While 15 percent is much higher than pre-existing US tariffs on European goods – averaging 4.8 percent – it mirrors the status quo, with companies currently facing an additional flat rate of 10 percent imposed by Trump since April. The EU also committed to buy $750 billion of liquefied natural gas, oil and nuclear fuels from the United States – split equally over three years – to replace Russian energy sources. And it will pour $600 billion more in additional investments in the United States. Trump said EU countries – which recently pledged to ramp up their defence spending within NATO – would be purchasing 'hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of military equipment'. Are there exemptions? Von der Leyen said the 15-percent rate applied across most sectors, including semiconductors and pharmaceuticals – a critical export for Ireland, which the bloc has sought to protect. Trump in April launched probes that could lead to significantly steeper tariffs on the two key sectors, warning this month he could slap 200-percent levies on drugs. Brussels and Washington agreed a bilateral tariff exemption for key goods including aircraft, certain chemicals, semiconductor equipment, certain agricultural products and critical raw materials, von der Leyen said. The EU currently faces 50-percent tariffs on its steel exports to the United States, but von der Leyen said a compromise on the metal had been reached with Trump. 'Between us, tariffs will be cut and a quota system will be put in place,' she said. It is understood that European steel would be hit with 50-percent levies only after a certain amount of the metal arrived in the United States, but no details were initially provided on the mechanism. What happens next? The deal needs to be approved by EU member states, whose ambassadors will meet first thing Monday morning for a debrief from the European Commission. And there are still technical talks to come, since the agreement needs to be fully fleshed out. Von der Leyen described the deal as a 'framework' agreement. 'Details have to be sorted out, and that will happen over the next weeks,' she said. In particular, she said there has yet to be a final decision on alcohol, critical since France and The Netherlands have been pushing for carve-outs for wine and beer respectively. 'This is something which has to be sorted out in the next days,' von der Leyen said. (FRANCE 24 with AFP)
Yahoo
27 minutes ago
- Yahoo
President Trump 'Not Happy' With His Golf Nickname
President Trump 'Not Happy' With His Golf Nickname originally appeared on The Spun. President Trump is likely "not happy" with his golf nickname, according to his supporters. The President of the United States has developed a new nickname on the course this weekend. President Trump, 79, played a couple of rounds of golf in Scotland. The President of the United States has a prestigious course, Trump Turnberry, in Scotland, where he has family roots. President Trump, who was in Scotland to work on a deal with the European Union, played a round of golf on Saturday and another round on Sunday. However, video of President Trump potentially getting caught bending the rules is going viral on social media. Video of President Trump's caddie appearing to help him out with a drop is going viral on social media. Was this just a typical golf drop or a bend-the-rules drop? In the wake of the video, President Trump is being referred to as the "Commander in Cheat." He's not going to like that. "PAY NO ATTENTION TO THE CADDY DROPPING A BALL FOR ME! INVESTIGATE OBAMA AND KAMALA HARRIS INSTEAD! STOP CALLING ME COMMANDER IN CHEAT!" one fan joked. "No wonder the Commander in Cheat always wins the championship trophy at his own golf courses. He cheats at everything because he sucks at everything," another fan added. "His caddies also tee him up in the rough, toss his ball out of bunkers, and roll back six footers to him. How else is a 79-y-o fat guy supposed to win championships?" another fan added. "Such a perfect metaphor for our Commander-in-Cheat," one fan added. "Donald Trump's blatant golf cheating, as captured in the video and chronicled in 'Commander in Cheat,' mirrors his lifelong pattern of deceit, from falsifying scores to undermining democracy, proving he's unfit for any fair game or office," one fan added. What do you make of President Trump's nickname? President Trump 'Not Happy' With His Golf Nickname first appeared on The Spun on Jul 28, 2025 This story was originally reported by The Spun on Jul 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
