Lawsuit Challenges Federal Approval of ConocoPhillips Drilling in National Petroleum Reserve Alaska

Conservation and Indigenous aligned groups filed a legal challenge on December 11 to block a one year ConocoPhillips exploratory program in the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska. The complaint names the Bureau of Land Management, the Department of the Interior and senior Interior officials, and seeks to set aside federal approvals for seismic surveys and plans for four exploration wells near existing ConocoPhillips developments. The proposed activity would include areas near the Willow project area.

The plaintiffs brought the case through Earthjustice on behalf of Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic, the Center for Biological Diversity and The Wilderness Society. The complaint alleges the federal approval process was rushed, lacked transparency and failed to adequately analyze environmental impacts, with particular concern for caribou and important habitat. Those procedural and scientific complaints form the core of the request to the court to review and potentially overturn the agency action.

ConocoPhillips said it is confident in the robustness of its plan and the permits that support the program. The Department of the Interior declined to comment on pending litigation. With regulatory review now before a judge, the company may face delays if the court requires additional environmental analysis or changes to permits.

For residents of the North Slope Borough the lawsuit raises immediate questions about timing and local effects. Seismic surveys and exploratory drilling can produce noise, vehicle traffic and seasonal disturbance that affect caribou migration and subsistence harvesting. Local hunters and community leaders have long voiced concern about industrial activity near calving and migration routes, and this filing renews those tensions while the legal process unfolds.

The case also reflects wider debates about balancing energy development, Indigenous rights and conservation in Arctic landscapes that are of local, national and international significance. Court review will determine whether agencies must reassess environmental impacts and consultation practices, a decision that could change project timelines and reinforce standards for future approvals in the region.