Overview
- Earthjustice sued on Dec. 11 on behalf of Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic, the Center for Biological Diversity and The Wilderness Society to vacate a recent federal approval in the National Petroleum Reserve–Alaska.
- The complaint targets the Bureau of Land Management’s one-year ConocoPhillips Alaska program, which includes seismic surveys and four exploration wells near the Willow project.
- Plaintiffs allege the review was rushed and lacked transparency, with a final decision issued days after a short public comment period.
- The suit names the BLM, the Interior Department and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum as defendants, and notes work could begin any day and continue into April or May.
- Separately, Trump signed Congressional Review Act measures rolling back Biden-era protections affecting ANWR and other federal lands, drawing condemnation from conservation and some tribal groups while other Alaska Native leaders support development.