WASHINGTON — The Biden administration has issued interim management instructions aimed at protecting subsistence resources in the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska.
It’s not clear anything in the guidelines from the Interior Department will survive the transition to the Trump administration.
Acting Deputy Interior Secretary Laura Daniel-Davis said Thursday that the new measures stem from more than 80,000 public comments the department received about the reserve, which she referred to as the Western Arctic.
Daniel-Davis says no matter what happens next, it was the right thing to do.
“We know we're in these seats for a few more days, and the next team may have a different perspective on how we manage public lands, including in the Western Arctic," she said. "But I think really, we all have to agree that we must undertake activities in this incredible area with due consideration as to how they may impact subsistence resources, and that we are today identifying as a significant resource value.”
The department is also proposing to expand the inventory of special areas in the reserve by about 3 million acres.
The National Petroleum Reserve is a tract of federal land as large as the state of Indiana. It includes important habitat for migratory birds and wildlife. It also has substantial oil and gas potential. The Biden administration approved a major ConocoPhillips project there called Willow, to the dismay of environmental groups and some subsistence users. But a long list of North Slope governments and Indigenous groups support development of Willow and want more drilling in the reserve.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski says the Biden administration has burdened the reserve with too many restrictions and she’s counting the days until the department is in new hands.
She had the opportunity Thursday to question the person nominated to be the next secretary of Interior.
Doug Burgum said at his confirmation hearing that he wants to be Alaska’s partner in resource development.
“I would view Alaska as the one of the biggest assets this country has, and one of the biggest responsibilities of Interior and look forward to working with you," he said.
"That’s exactly what I was hoping you would say," Murkowski responded.
Burgum appears to have enough Senate votes for confirmation. He is a former governor of North Dakota. He has some familiarity with the 49th state. He said at a 2017 press conference that in 1976 he hitchhiked to Alaska.
