Federal oil and gas leasing boundaries are being redrawn to include the ‘High Arctic’ zone and other areas off-limits under the Biden administration.
The Trump administration is laying the groundwork for a major expansion of offshore oil and gas development, announcing the start of a new five-year leasing plan that could open vast new areas—including parts of the Arctic and other previously restricted zones—for energy production.
The Interior Department said on April 18 that it is developing the new initiative—officially called the 11th National Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Oil and Gas Leasing Program—in line with President Donald Trump’s push to expand domestic energy production by reversing restrictions imposed under previous administrations.
The program will guide future drilling auctions in federal waters. Notably, a new “High Arctic” planning area off Alaska has been added to the federal offshore leasing map for the first time. The boundaries of other coastal zones are also being revised—potentially clearing the way for oil and gas companies to tap into new reserves along the Atlantic, Pacific, and Arctic coasts.
“Under President Donald J. Trump’s leadership, we are unlocking the full potential of our offshore resources to benefit the American people for generations to come,” Interior Secretary Doug Burgum said in a statement. Launching the process to develop the new program marks a “decisive” step toward ensuring American energy dominance, he added.
The new leasing plan follows Trump’s Jan. 20 executive order rescinding multiple Biden-era directives that had blocked oil and gas leasing in parts of the Arctic and other coastal waters.
In a parallel directive that made it official government policy to encourage energy exploration and production on federal lands and waters, Trump said opening these areas is critical to strengthening U.S. energy independence and reducing reliance on foreign oil, while helping rebuild America’s economic and military security.
“America is blessed with an abundance of energy and natural resources that have historically powered our nation’s economic prosperity,” Trump wrote the directive. “In recent years, burdensome and ideologically motivated regulations have impeded the development of these resources, limited the generation of reliable and affordable electricity, reduced job creation, and inflicted high energy costs upon our citizens.”
By Tom Ozimek
