A new proposal from the Trump administration could make it easier for oil and gas companies to find new pockets of oil and gas in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve (NPR-A) by eliminating the need for certain environmental reviews of winter exploration activities.
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A new categorical exclusion
Sources confirmed to High Country News that the Department of the Interior plans to publish a categorical exclusion to the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA). The exclusion would allow the oil and gas industry to conduct seismic surveys and exploratory drilling in the NPR-A without completing environmental reviews for each project.
Under NEPA, categorical exclusions apply to actions that a federal agency has determined do not individually or cumulatively have a significant impact on the human environment.
“The use of CEs can reduce paperwork, save agencies time and resources, and refocus environmental analysis on the issues of greatest importance,” the NEPA website says. It’s the same reason an Interior spokesperson provided when confirming its plan to propose the new fast-tracking.
The spokesperson told High Country News the decision was based on findings from “dozens of environmental reviews.”
“These efforts are about using decades of experience and analysis to create a more efficient, predictable, and effective process while upholding environmental standards,” the spokesperson said.
Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve
The categorical exclusion, if published, would apply to the largest single tract of public land in the U.S. The NPR-A spans 23 million acres and serves as a critical habitat for wildlife like birds, polar bears and caribou.
When former President Joe Biden was in office, he took steps to protect the area, canceling oil and gas leases and proposing new protections that would limit gas and oil work in the area.
When President Donald Trump took office for his second term, however, he signed an executive order calling for expanding oil and gas development in the area.
“By developing these resources to the fullest extent possible, we can help deliver price relief for Americans, create high-quality jobs for our citizens, ameliorate our trade imbalances, augment the Nation’s exercise of global energy dominance, and guard against foreign powers weaponizing energy supplies in theaters of geopolitical conflict,” the order read.
Environmental concerns
Researchers are concerned about the area’s habitats. They argue the activities should not qualify for categorical exclusion because they could significantly impact the Arctic environment and wildlife.
A U.S. Geological Survey found that heavy work trucks and other vehicle traffic in the area alter caribou behavior and Arctic migration patterns, forcing them out of areas as they choose to avoid busy roadways.
Meanwhile, the University of Alaska found that winter vehicle travel, such as that needed for seismic surveys, can cause long-lasting damage to the Arctic.
“Scars from seismic surveys for oil and gas exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge remained for decades,” the university found.
Environmental conditions and the impacts of oil and gas development have also changed due to thawing permafrost and other climate change concerns.
The Trump administration’s process is also prompting concern, as it aims to publish the categorical exclusion without a traditional public comment period.
According to High Country News, the categorical exclusion could be published as early as this week.
Other NPR-A disputes
The proposal comes as the Trump administration rolls back other protections in the area.
Under Biden, the Interior Department was working to establish a caribou conservation area requested by the Native Village of Nuiqsut, which relies on caribou for food. The Trump administration canceled the initiative, and Nuiqsut sued over the decision.
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