JUNEAU, Alaska – A coalition of conservation groups and an Iñupiat-aligned organization has filed a lawsuit aiming to reverse the recent approval of an exploratory drilling initiative in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve. The groups argue that the federal government failed to properly analyze potential environmental impacts, particularly on caribou and critical habitats.

Last month, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management greenlit a one-year exploratory program proposed by ConocoPhillips Alaska. This project includes seismic surveys to help pinpoint oil and gas reserves, along with plans to drill four exploratory wells. According to the lawsuit, these activities are set to take place near existing ConocoPhillips Alaska projects, such as the large-scale Willow oil development.

The legal complaint was filed by Earthjustice, representing Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic, the Center for Biological Diversity, and The Wilderness Society. It asserts that the approval process for ConocoPhillips’ application was expedited and lacked transparency. The lawsuit highlights that the final decision came just days after the conclusion of a brief public comment period.

The plaintiffs argue that the Bureau of Land Management hastily approved the project without adequate analysis or adherence to proper procedures, failing to address critical flaws in the measures used to justify the exploration program’s approval.

The lawsuit names the Bureau of Land Management, its parent agency the Department of the Interior, and high-ranking officials including Interior Secretary Doug Burgum as defendants in the case.

Interior Department spokesperson Alyse Sharpe said the department does not comment on pending litigation.

There has been longstanding debate over how much of the petroleum reserve — which covers an area roughly the size of Indiana — should be open for development. President Donald Trump’s administration has moved to roll back limits on drilling and protections enacted during the Biden administration, and a law passed this year calls for the first lease sales in the reserve since 2019.

The push has been cheered by the state’s Republican congressional delegation and governor, but it raised concerns among environmentalists who caution against the continued embrace of new oil production in the face of climate change. The reserve is home to Teshekpuk Lake, the largest lake in Alaska’s arctic region and third-largest in the state.

Nauri Simmonds, executive director of Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic, said the proposed exploration program is “not only an assault on caribou and tundra — it is another chapter in the enfoldment of our people into systems designed to fracture us from within.”

“Sovereign Iñupiat for a Living Arctic stands against this approval because our future depends on protecting our homelands, our unity, and our right to live free from the harms of industrial expansion,” Simmonds said in a statement.

The group describes itself online as “an organization of Iñupiat Peoples and community members that believe in a balanced Earth for future generations.”

There are differing views among Alaska Natives, however, over further oil development in places like the petroleum reserve. A group representing many North Slope leaders, Voice of the Arctic Iñupiat, has supported efforts to drill there.

The lawsuit says work under the proposed program could begin “any day” and last until April or May.