A federal judge has cleared the way for winter oil and gas exploration activities to proceed in Alaska's vast National Petroleum Reserve, delivering a significant setback to environmental and Indigenous groups who had sought to halt the project.
Court Rejects Request to Block Exploration Program
U.S. District Court Judge Sharon Gleason has denied a request from conservation organizations and an Iñupiat-aligned group to stop ConocoPhillips Alaska's planned exploration program in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The groups had sought to pause the activities until their legal challenge against the U.S. Bureau of Land Management's authorization of the program could be resolved.
In her order dated Tuesday, Judge Gleason stated that the plaintiffs had not demonstrated they possessed a "fair chance of success" on the merits of their claims. The lawsuit, brought by Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic, the Center for Biological Diversity, and The Wilderness Society, alleges that the approval process for ConocoPhillips Alaska's application was rushed and lacked transparency.
Project Details and Environmental Concerns
The Bureau of Land Management approved ConocoPhillips Alaska's program in late November. The initiative includes seismic surveys designed to help identify oil and gas reserves, along with plans to drill four exploration wells. The activities are slated to occur near existing ConocoPhillips developments, including the large Willow oil project approved by the Biden administration in 2023.
Opponents of the program argue that it could cause significant harm to sensitive habitats within the reserve. They specifically cited potential impacts on caribou and bird habitat areas, highlighting the need to balance oil and gas activities with the protection of natural resources. The petroleum reserve encompasses diverse ecosystems including tundra, wetlands, rivers, and lakes, serving as a critical habitat for millions of migratory birds, caribou, polar bears, and arctic foxes.
However, Judge Gleason noted in her ruling that the Bureau of Land Management is not obligated "to prevent all impacts to surface resources" within the reserve. She found that the agency had conducted a reasonably thorough analysis of the winter program's impacts on tundra vegetation and had highlighted planned mitigation measures in its assessment.
Recent Incident and Company Response
The court's decision follows a recent incident where a mobile drilling rig, intended for use in the exploration program, toppled onto snow-covered tundra near existing oil and gas infrastructure during transport last week. Company attorneys stated in court filings that this accident would not deter ConocoPhillips Alaska's overall plans, confirming that a substitute drill rig would be utilized instead.
Ian Dooley, an attorney with Earthjustice representing the plaintiffs, called it "remarkable" that the Bureau of Land Management had not independently halted the project to investigate the cause of the rig collapse. He criticized the agency's "lack of action" as consistent with what he described as a rushed process that prioritizes extraction over environmental protection.
ConocoPhillips Alaska welcomed the court's decision, stating in a release that the company looks forward to "building on our track record of responsibly exploring and developing Alaska's resources in ways that benefit all Alaskans." Brandi Sellepack, the company's exploration manager, emphasized in a December court filing that the company had invested tens of millions of dollars in the program that would be unrecoverable if the winter activities were blocked.
Broader Context and Political Backdrop
The National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, covering an area roughly the size of Indiana on Alaska's North Slope, has become a focal point for expanded oil and gas development in the state. This push has been backed by former President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, with legislation passed last year mandating at least five lease sales in the reserve over a ten-year period. The most recent lease sale occurred in 2019.
In December, the Bureau of Land Management issued a revised approval for the exploration program, stating it considered recent changes including the Trump administration's plan to reopen most of the reserve to leasing. However, the groups that filed the lawsuit maintained that this revised approval did not adequately address their concerns.
Sellepack further explained that information obtained from exploration activities is crucial for determining whether future investment in leases is justified. She noted that timely exploration is imperative for preserving lease rights, particularly given the challenges of operating in the remote reserve where construction seasons are typically limited to winter months.
The lawsuit names as defendants the Department of Interior, the Bureau of Land Management, and top agency officials including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. ConocoPhillips Alaska has filed as an intervenor in the case, supporting the government's actions. Despite the court's ruling, the plaintiffs' attorney confirmed that their legal challenge to the exploration program will continue.
