Conservationists and an Inupiat-led entity are suing President Donald Trump’s administration, contending that the government violated federal law in approving a new North Slope oil exploration program.
The litigation filed on Dec. 11 in U.S. District Court in Anchorage centers on the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) decision to permit ConocoPhillips for a one-year exploration program near its Willow project, a large ConocoPhillips venture in the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska (NPR-A).
The project was previous approved by former President Joe Biden’s administration despite some concerns over climate issues.
Plaintiffs in the case, represented by Earthjustice, include the Center for Biological Diversity, The Wilderness Society, and Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic.
On Nov. 26 the BLM gave its go-ahead to the project, which involves seismic work and drilling four exploration wells to the west and east of its Willow project, which is under construction.
ConocoPhillips spokesman Dennis Nuss said the plaintiffs’ actions are “by the same groups that have historically used legal maneuvers to delay exploration and development in the Petroleum Reserve,” which “jeopardize hundreds of local jobs and adds unnecessary risk to investment in Alaska.”
“We remain confident in the robustness of our plan and BLM’s permits and look forward to completing our work within Alaska’s limited winter exploration season,” Nuss said.
Plaintiffs’ particular concerns include the Teshekpuk Caribou herd, which is critical culturally and for food security to Alaska Native communities on the North Slope. The herd migrates through the region, births, and raises their calves there on the coastal plain.
Plaintiffs also argue that climate issues resulting from exploration and extraction of the oil would have adverse impact on the herd.
The Arctic is already warming four times faster than the rest of the planet, and greenhouse gas emissions could cause loss of more snow cover, sea ice and permafrost – as well as accelerate global warming through dangerous feedback loops, which could harm wildlife and human health, according to the plaintiffs.
“The Western Arctic is not just land to be leased – it is the heart of our culture, our food security, and our survival,” said Nauri Simmonds, executive director of Sovereign Inupiat for a Living Arctic. “Each new project compounds decades of human rights violations and cultural degradation, deepening divides within our communities and eroding the bonds that sustain us.”
Matt Jackson, Alaska senior manager for The Wilderness Society, said that “with an administration bent on ignoring the public, our only choice is to turn to the court to defend these public lands for generations to come and ensure that our rural communities remain free to sustain our Alaskan way of life.”
The Willow oil drilling project was approved by the Biden administration in March 2023.
ConocoPhillips is currently actively constructing for the project, with a goal of first oil production by 2029.
