Why Alaska’s NPR-A, site of the Willow Project, deserves protection

April 15, 2025 update:

The Department of the Interior has issued an initial recommendation to repeal the NPR-A rule that was created approximately one year before. This recommendation will now go through a review process to determine whether repealing it is consistent with the law and the policies of the administration.

April 19, 2024 update:

The Department of the Interior has enacted a rule that protects 13 million acres of special areas in in the Western Arctic.

Thrust into the news when the Department of the Interior approved the Willow project, the NPR-A or Western Arctic is actually larger than its eastern and more well-known neighbor the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The Department of the Interior announced in March 2023 that his administration will take steps to protect this area. So what exactly is this place and why does it need protection?

What is the Western Arctic?

In the northwest corner of Alaska, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) manages 23 million acres of public land. This wild place is home to walruses, seals, polar bears and caribou. Beluga whales swim in its coves and millions of migratory birds visit the shorelines and lakes. Five areas including lakes, wetlands, rivers and bays have been designated as “special areas,” because of their unique environmental values.

2018 Map of the NPR-APhoto by Bureau of Land Management | Public Domain

Is there a history of oil drilling in the Western Arctic?

Yes and no. The Western Arctic has been under threat from oil drilling since 1923. Since 1999, 7 million acres have been bid on by oil companies in 15 lease sales and several leases have been developed by ConocoPhillips, 88 Energy and others.

In 2013, the administration formally recognized that more than half of the Western Arctic, approximately 13 million acres, is critical habitat for the wildlife that live there including endangered birds and the Teshekpuk Lake caribou herd. At the same time, they also opened up roughly 11 million acres for future oil and gas drilling.

But in 2020, the new administration changed course for the area, rolling out a new plan that includes developing more than 80% of the 23 million acres for oil, including allowing drilling in the special areas.

What effect does oil drilling have on the Western Arctic?

Oil drilling comes with infrastructure like roads, gravel mines, airstrips and the rigs themselve. These operations fragment habitat, making it harder for animals to move to hunt, mate or migrate. They also disrupt wildlife with local noise and air pollution. Further, much of the oil that is drilled is burned for energy and contributes to climate change and air pollution across the globe.

What is proposed for the Western Arctic?

Since 2021, there have been no lease sales in the NPR-A, but the Biden administration did approve a scaled down version of the controversial ConocoPhillips Willow project, allowing drilling to move forward but protecting areas close to the Teshekpuk Lake special area. The Trump administration has signaled interest in opening up more areas in the NRP-A to drilling.

How can you act to protect the Western Arctic?

Without an outpouring of public support for the strongest possible protections for the wildlife of the western arctic, the current protections may not hold. So we need as many people as possible to stand up for the caribou, the migratory birds, the seals, the belugas and the other residents of this wild place.

This summer, we’re working to get people involved on social media, by email and by word of mouth to protect the Western arctic. We’ll organize scientists, hunters, outdoor sportspeople and wildlife lovers across the country to make phone calls, write comment letters and recruit their friends, families and colleagues to do the same.

Tundra Swans, Northeast National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska