The Trump administration is reigniting its drilling push. Here’s what to know.
The Interior Department will open Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil and gas drilling for the first time since Biden-era leases were canceled, reinstating seven prior leases and authorizing a controversial road through a wildlife refuge. Secretary Doug Burgum said the decisions show “Alaska is open for business.”
Simultaneously, the Trump administration is preparing to expand offshore drilling in federal waters along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts, including parts of California and the eastern Gulf, according to internal planning documents.
On Capitol Hill, lawmakers from both parties—especially those representing coastal states—are already vowing resistance, citing risks to tourism, fisheries, and the environment.