Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat v. Bureau of Land Management

A nonprofit corporation representing local and tribal governments, tribal service providers, Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act Corporations, and other North Slope-serving entities challenged the U.S. Bureau of Land Management’s “Management and Protection of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska [(NPR-A)]” final rule. They alleged that the final rule “turns a petroleum reserve into millions of acres of de facto wilderness” in violation of federal statutes, including the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act, the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, NEPA, FLPMA, and the Administrative Procedure Act. BLM <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2024/05/07/2024-08585/management-and-protection-of-the-national-petroleum-reserve-in-alaska">said</a> the rule was needed to update the regulatory framework governing the management of the NPR-A’s surface resources to account for and respond to changing conditions, including impacts of climate change.