Delegation Celebrates Series of Interior Announcements for Alaska Day

Washington, DC- U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, U.S. Congressman Nick Begich, and Governor Mike Dunleavy, all R-Alaska, today participated in an "Alaska Day" ceremony at the U.S. Department of the Interior with Secretary Doug Burgum. Secretary Burgum announced a series of administrative actions, including the signing of three land allotments for Alaska Native veterans, the restoration of the Coastal Plain oil and gas program, the reinstatement of key permits for the Ambler Access Project, and a land exchange agreement to facilitate a life-saving road for the isolated community of King Cove, Alaska.

Watch the full event here.

"Thank you to Secretary Burgum and his team for their significant efforts on these Alaska priorities. I appreciate the finalization of several Native allotments, while recognizing we need to extend that program. It is great to see the reinstatement of permits for Ambler that should have never been revoked in the first place, and the restoration of a Coastal Plain program that reflects federal law," Murkowski said. "I'm also truly grateful that Secretary Burgum has added his name to the bipartisan list of Secretaries who have listened to the good people of King Cove and chose to help them. I'm hopeful this land exchange agreement will finally deliver a life-saving road for this predominantly Alaska Native community-delivering them from a seemingly never-ending federal cycle and providing them with reliable access to the all-weather airport in nearby Cold Bay. After decades of dangerous medevacs and terrible crashes that have cost human lives, it is past time to ensure that their health, safety, and quality of life is fully protected."

"Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum has been in office for nine months and I can easily say he's been the best Secretary of Interior for Alaska in American history," said Sen. Sullivan. "The contrast with the previous administration could not be clearer. Working closely with the Trump administration, we are rapidly checking off each of the Biden administration's egregious 70 executive orders and actions that locked up Alaska and hurt our economy. From pushing through a land exchange for the long-sought life-saving road for residents of King Cove, to reopening the entire ANWR Coastal Plain to leasing, to reauthorizing the Ambler Access Project leading to a major deposit of critical minerals, to finalizing allotments for our courageous Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans after a decades-long fight, Secretary Burgum and the Trump administration are listening to Alaskans and delivering for our communities. These actions aren't just important for economic opportunity for Alaska's working families-the ability to access our lands and responsibly develop our resources is directly related the livelihoods and well-being of Alaskans. That might be the most important legacy of Secretary Burgum and President Trump in Alaska."

"Today's event at the Department of the Interior was a clear example of the strong partnership between the Trump Administration and Alaska. I want to thank Secretary Burgum, President Trump, and the entire Department of the Interior team for their steadfast commitment to Alaska. Today's actions mark a turning point - proof that when the federal government works with Alaska, not against it, we can deliver real results for the people of our great state", said Congressman Begich. "From honoring Alaska Native veterans through long-overdue land allotments, to authorizing the Ambler Access project and restoring the Coastal Plain program in ANWR, to finally securing the life-saving road to King Cove, this Administration is demonstrating that Alaska's potential is America's strength. These decisions unlock our resource potential and ensure that Alaska remains at the center of our nation's strategic future."

"From day one, President Trump directed us to unlock Alaska's energy and resource potential while honoring commitments to the state and local communities," said Secretary Burgum. "By reopening the Coastal Plain and advancing key infrastructure, we are strengthening energy independence, creating jobs and supporting Alaska's communities while driving economic growth across the state."

"Today's announcements are historic for Alaska. President Trump and his administration are delivering on promises made to Alaska," said Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy. "The land transfer for the King Cove Road will save lives, economic opportunities will be unlocked in the Ambler Mining District and ANWR's Coastal Plain, and Alaska Native Vietnam-era veterans will finally receive land allotments they were promised."

More information about today's announcements is below.

Alaska Native Allotments: The Alaska Native Vietnam-Era Veterans Land Allotment Programwas established through a Sullivan-Murkowski provision in Murkowski's 2019 lands package. The program has enabled thousands of Alaska Native veterans to apply for their rightful land allotments, which can range from 2.5 to 160 acres, on certain Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands in Alaska.

Secretary Burgum today announced the certification of three new allotments. With hundreds of applications still pending, and over one thousand more veterans or heirs eligible for allotments, the delegation is seeking to extend the program for five years. They are also seeking to open non-wilderness Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service lands for selection near eligible individuals' homes and ancestral homelands.

Under current law, the deadline for allotment applications is December 29, 2025.

Coastal Plain: In 2017, Congress passed the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA), opening the non-wilderness Coastal Plain to responsible energy development. This 1.57-million-acre expanse is projected to be America's largest untapped conventional oil and gas field. It is also known as the 1002 Area after the provision of the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act that set it aside for potential future development.

TCJA limited development on the Coastal Plain to no more than 2,000 federal acres. In 2020, BLM's Record of Decision included dozens of lease stipulations and required operating procedures to further ensure protection of the natural environment. Multiple leases were awarded through a lease sale held in January 2021. After taking office, President Biden and his administration ignored the law to suspend the program, revoke all leases, and arbitrarily restrict leasing to just 26 percent of the 1002 Area-even as they simultaneously reduced sanctions on Iran, Venezuela, and others to enable them to increase their energy production.

Secretary Burgum has now reversed the Biden administration's unlawful actions and restored the previous Trump administration's Record of Decision for the Coastal Plain program. In addition to being sound policy, this will facilitate a provision in the FY 2025 budget reconciliation bill (H.R. 1, PL 119-21) requiring at least four lease sales area-wide on the Coastal Plain over the next 10 years. Congress required those sales to be conducted in accordance with the 2020 Final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and ROD that Secretary Burgum reinstated today.

Ambler Access Project: The Ambler Access Project will provide surface transportation access to the Ambler Mining District in central Alaska and enable the domestic development of critical minerals such as copper, cobalt, gallium, and germanium. The U.S. depends heavily on foreign nations for many of the minerals within the Ambler District, including several for which China has threatened to cut off U.S. supplies.

Congress spoke on the Ambler Access Project decades ago. ANILCA established a right-of-way and guaranteed access across federal land by stating that the Secretary of the Interior "shall permit" a road "from the Ambler Mining District to the Alaska Pipeline Haul Road." That provision was included in ANILCA to ensure balance between conservation-the creation of the surrounding 8.4-million-acre Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve-and responsible resource development to benefit Alaska and the nation.

The previous Trump administration fully approved the Ambler Access Project and issued permits for it in 2020. Despite that, the Biden administration sought a voluntary court remand in 2022 to conduct a Supplemental EIS, and last year rejected the project in its entirety-again ignoring the law and greatly exaggerating its potential impacts to justify selection of a "no action" alternative.

On October 6, 2025, President Trump overturned that politically motivated project denial through a process provided for under Section 1106 of ANILCA. As part of his determination re-approving the project, President Trump directed federal agencies to re-issue and reinstate relevant permits within 30 days. Secretary Burgum announced today that the National Park Service, BLM, and Army Corps of Engineers have now done so.

King Cove: The remote Aleut community of King Cove is located between two volcanic peaks near the end of the Alaska Peninsula, about 625 miles southwest of Anchorage. The small gravel airstrip in King Cove is typically closed by bad weather for more than 100 days each year. Many of the flights not canceled are impacted or delayed by wind, turbulence, fog, rain, or snow squalls. By comparison, the federally-constructed, all-weather airport in Cold Bay, which is less than 30 miles away from King Cove, has one of the longest runways in the state and is closed an average of 10 days per year. Marine travel between the two communities is no easier, as local conditions often generate heavy seas with waves that can top twelve feet or more.

In 2009, Alaska's congressional delegation secured the approval of legislation to facilitate a land exchange and life-saving road for King Cove. However, then-Secretary Jewell rejected that exchange on December 23, 2013, heartlessly declaring that it was not in the public interest.

Since then, the residents of King Cove have endured well over 200 emergency medevacs. Most occurred in dangerous weather conditions. Many had to be carried out by the U.S. Coast Guard, risking the lives of crews and patients alike and coming at significant expense to U.S. taxpayers.

The equal-value agreement with the King Cove Corporation that Secretary Burgum announced today will result in the net expansion of the Izembek refuge, clearly adding to its conservation and subsistence values. Under the agreement, Interior will receive or maintain roughly 14 times more land than it gives up.

Recent Secretaries Zinke, Bernhardt, and Haaland have also understood the need for a life-saving road for King Cove and supported land exchange agreements to facilitate it. When complete, this short road will connect two existing roads that already exist inside and outside of the refuge.

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