Sierra Club Statement on New Federal Rules Preserving Western Arctic Landscapes

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Today the White House announced new federal rules that will limit oil and gas extraction in the Western Arctic.

The new rules enact new protections on approximately 13 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, an area of public lands nearly as large as Indiana. The Biden Administration first announced proposed regulations in September 2023, followed by a multi-week comment period for public input, which ended in December 2024.

The new rules come out just over a year after the Biden Administration's approval of the Willow Project, the largest oil drilling project in Alaska in decades, and projected source of hundreds of millions of tons of carbon pollution.

In response, Sierra Club Executive Director Ben Jealous, released the following statement:

"This is a major victory for the communities and wildlife of Arctic Alaska. Oil and gas drilling in the Western Arctic isn't just incompatible with the long-term survival of those who rely on these landscapes - it's incompatible with President Biden's own climate goals.

"For more than a year, millions of people called on President Biden and his administration to stop the extraction on these lands - extraction that every year drives us closer to climate catastrophe. Thankfully, the Biden administration listened.

"The Western Arctic is one of the largest contiguous areas of public lands in the country, and it is on the frontline of climate change. Thanks to President Biden, this new rule puts it on the frontline of climate action."

About the Sierra Club

The Sierra Club is America's largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.