Allows Oil and Gas Leasing in Arctic Refuge

Official: A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Bureau of Land Management relating to "Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program Record of Decision".

IntroducedOctober 28, 2025

EnergyAdministrative law and regulatory proceduresCongressional oversightDepartment of the InteriorMiningOil and gas

Why This Matters

This resolution nullifies a rule that protects the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge from oil and gas leasing.

If you care about the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, this resolution allows oil and gas leasing in the area.

Affects: This resolution affects local wildlife, environmental advocates, and communities near the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

Summary

This joint resolution nullifies the rule submitted by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), issued on December 9, 2024, and related to the record of decision (ROD) for the program that leases, develops, produces, and transports oil and gas in and from the Coastal Plain program area within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The 2024 ROD that is being nullified by this resolution replaced the 2020 ROD that made all of the approximately 1.6 million acres of the program area available for oil and gas leasing. The 2024 ROD adopted Alternative D2 in the 2024 Coastal Plain Oil and Gas Leasing Program Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement, which made approximately 1.2 million acres unavailable for leasing or exploration in order to protect and conserve resources and certain uses in these areas. However, the 2024 ROD requires the statutory minimum of 400,000 acres to be made available for oil and gas leasing in a specified lease sale, subject to certain stipulations and operating procedures. Under current law, those acres must be located in the areas with the highest potential for the discovery of hydrocarbons.

What does this resolution do?