Senate Rescinds Biden-era Lock-Up of Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve

WASHINGTON-The U.S. Senate, by a vote of 52 to 45, today passed Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski's (both R-Alaska) joint resolution of disapproval under the Congressional Review Act (CRA) to overturn the Biden administration's restrictive 2022 Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) Record of Decision (ROD) for the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A).

The Biden-era NPR-A IAP replaced a 2020 Trump administration plan, closed nearly half of the NPR-A to oil and gas leasing, contradicted Congress' clear direction in long-standing federal law, and disregarded the strong support of Alaska Native leaders of the region, which relies on responsible development to fund schools, emergency services, and infrastructure. On September 18, Congressman Nick Begich (R-Alaska) introduced a companion CRA resolution in the House. Once approved by the House, the legislation will go to the President's desk for approval.

"The Biden administration's 2022 NPR-A Integrated Activity Plan was one of the most blatant examples of federal overreach we've seen in Alaska in decades," said Sen. Sullivan. "This plan effectively locked up about half of the National Petroleum Reserve-an area Congress explicitly set aside for energy production, ignored Alaska Native voices, violated clear congressional intent, and undermined our state's ability to responsibly develop the resources that support our communities and strengthen our nation. As I said in my remarks on the Senate floor, responsible resource development builds infrastructure, supports communities, creates good-paying jobs, and literally leads to my constituents living longer. I wish more of my Senate Democratic colleagues recognized that truth and found the courage to stand up to the far-left Lower 48 eco-colonialists who are determined to lock up Alaska, kill good-paying jobs, and silence the people who live there. But I do want to thank the majority of my colleagues in the Senate who stood with me, Senator Murkowski, and Congressman Begich in passing this resolution-restoring balance, upholding the law, and ensuring Alaska's resources are managed responsibly for the benefit of our people, our economy, and America's national security."

"In 2022, the Biden administration cut off access to millions of acres in our petroleum reserve and left only 52 percent of it available for potential energy leasing. Even as they relaxed sanctions on the likes of Iran and Venezuela, they ignored the requirements of federal law, the views of North Slope leaders, our history of responsible production, and the need for energy security as they tried to block some of our state's best opportunities," Sen.Murkowski said. "The passage of this disapproval resolution will help us restore balanced management in the NPR-A, allowing responsible development to occur as we protect sensitive areas and provide for subsistence rights. I credit Senator Sullivan for leading this effort and hope the House will return to session very soon to take up this measure."

"The Biden Administration tried to lock up Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve under the guise of environmental protection-policies that did nothing but drive up costs, kill jobs, and keep America dependent on foreign energy. This reckless lock-up of the NPR-A ignored both the law and the people who live closest to these resources," said Congressman Begich. "Responsible development in the NPR-A means good jobs and greater energy security for our nation, and the passage of this joint resolution puts us one step closer to restoring Alaska's right to responsibly develop our abundant resource potential. I thank Senators Sullivan and Murkowski for their leadership in the Senate on this important issue, and I look forward to advancing this resolution in the House to ensure Alaska's voice is heard loud and clear."

The CRA provides Congress an expedited mechanism to overturn certain federal agency rules through a joint resolution of disapproval and forbids the agency from issuing another rule in substantially the same form unless authorized later by law. A joint resolution of disapproval under the CRA is afforded special procedures, bypassing normal Senate rules and allowing for a vote on the Senate floor. If a CRA joint resolution of disapproval is approved by a simple majority in both chambers of Congress and signed by the President-or if Congress successfully overrides a presidential veto-the rule is invalidated.

On March 6, 2025, the Alaska congressional delegation sent a letter to the Comptroller General requesting the Government Accountability Office (GAO) issue a decision as to whether the 2022 NPR-A IAP ROD is a rule for the purposes of the Congressional Review Act. On July 24, 2025, the GAO concluded that the 2022 ROD is a rule for the purposes of the CRA because it meets theAdministrative Procedure Act (APA) definition of a rule, and no CRA exception applies.

The NPR-A is a region on the North Slope of Alaska first established in 1923 as Naval Petroleum Reserve No. 4 to serve as an emergency oil reserve for the U.S. Navy. Congress later redesignated the area as the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska in 1976 through the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act (NPRPA) and, subsequently, in 1980 directed the Secretary of the Interior to undertake an "expeditious program of competitive leasing of oil and gas" in the NPR-A.

The delegation's legislation fulfills the objectives of President Trump's Day One executive order, "Unleashing Alaska's Extraordinary Resource Potential," which directs the Secretary of the Interior to rescind the Biden-era NPR-A IAP ROD and reestablish management consistent with the first Trump administration's 2020 NPR-A IAP ROD. In the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law on July 4, 2025, Congress mandated lease sales be offered in the NPR-A under the same terms and conditions set forth in the 2020 IAP.

Passage of the delegation's S.J. Res. 80 provides durability against any future administration promulgating a substantially similar anti-development management plan for the NPR-A. The CRA resolution is supported by the Alaska North Slope Regional Trilateral -the Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope, the North Slope Borough, and Arctic Slope Regional Corporation; the Alaska Support Industry Alliance; the Alaska Oil & Gas Association; the American Petroleum Institute; the American Exploration & Production Council; Citizens for Responsible Energy Solutions; the Resource Development Council for Alaska; the National Federation of Independent Businesses; Americans for Prosperity; and the Trump administration.

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