Congress Advances Trump’s Plans to Sell Off Public Lands in Western Arctic
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 19, 2025. Congressional attacks take place as the Trump Administration Advances Numerous Proposals to Sell Off Public Lands in the Arctic.
(Nuiqsut, Alaska / Washington, DC) — The U.S. House of Representatives voted to overturn the 2022 Integrated Activity Plan (IAP) for the National Petroleum Reserve - Alaska, sending the proposal to President Trump’s desk to officially eliminate safeguards that protect the Western Arctic from expanded oil and gas development.
“How can this administration not support the generations of leaders who protected this area? We are tired of our leaders ignoring our wishes and taking us down a dangerous and destructive path,” said Rosemary Ahtuangaruak, Executive Director of Grandmothers Growing Goodness
Once finalized, this resolution will leave more than 13 million acres of protected Special Areas vulnerable, including Teshekpuk Lake, Utukok River Uplands, Colville River, Kasegaluk Lagoon, and Peard Bay – all places designated for their exceptional ecosystems, subsistence resources, solitude, and cultural significance. Specifically, Teshekpuk Lake and its surroundings are vital for the Teshekpuk Caribou Herd, providing calving grounds, summer habitat, and migration routes integral to Indigenous subsistence practices.
“These protections for the Western Arctic aren’t just a policy, they are a reflection of years of engagement with our communities, experts, and the broader public – all who resoundingly agreed that some places are too important for destructive industries. Seeing Congress take away these protections so carelessly is a betrayal of the public trust. We are asking to be heard and respected, not sold out by politicians beholden to special interests,” said Nauri Simmonds, Executive Director of Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic
This comes as the Trump administration also pushes a coordinated assault on the Arctic —stripping administrative protections from nearly 13 million acres and pushing new drilling near Indigenous communities.
Additional Background:
The 2022 NPR-A IAP, which governs 23 million acres of federal lands in the Western Arctic, was informed by years of engagement with experts, Indigenous communities, stakeholders, and the broader public. The IAP helps protect critical habitat for the Teshekpuk and Western Arctic Caribou herds, polar bears, migratory birds, and Arctic fish from expanded oil and gas development – while supporting the subsistence traditions of Alaska Native communities.
Congress has rarely “disapproved” a federal land use plan under the CRA. As Congress moves forward with disapproving of the NPR-A IAP, the statute states that the rule “may not be reissued in substantially the same form.” This will create significant uncertainty around the Bureau of Land Management’s management of the NPR-A and sets a dangerous precedent for protecting public lands and waters.
About Grandmothers Growing Goodness (GGG)
Grandmothers Growing Goodness is dedicated to protecting the environment and promoting the well-being of Indigenous communities in the Arctic.
About Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic (SILA)
Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic works to protect the Arctic as a living archive of memory, meaning, and kinship—honoring Iñupiat rights and relationships across generations.
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