FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Tony Malandra, Senior Media Manager, anthony.malandra@nfib.org

JUNEAU, Alaska, Nov. 19, 2025—The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), the nation’s leading small business association, today praised the U.S. House for passing H.J. Res. 131, which aims to repeal a Biden-era, Bureau of Land Management restriction on oil and gas leasing on more than 1.15 million acres of land in northeast Alaska.

“With the House passing H.J. Res. 131 on to the Senate as S.J. Res. 91, and also sending H.J. Res. 124 to the president’s desk, there will be better assurance the nation’s energy needs will be met,” said Louis Bertolotti, Principal, Federal Government Relations for NFIB. “The leadership and work Alaska’s congressional delegation, Senators Murkowski and Sullivan and Congressman Begich, have exhibited is commendable.”

In a letter to Rep. Begich, urging support for H.J. Res. 131, Bertolotti pointed out that, “This land was specifically set aside by Congress in the 1980 Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act for oil and gas leasing … In the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, Congress directed two lease sales in the ‘1002 Area’ by 2024. Nine tracts were leased out in 2021, but these contracts were promptly frozen on the first day of the Biden administration and cancelled shortly thereafter. To make matters worse, in December 2024, BLM issued a final ROD [Record of Decision] that permanently closed 76% of the area to further energy development. Thankfully, Congress’ 2025 tax package rebuked this plan, and mandated four lease sales in the next decade. Passing H.J. Res. 131 will help achieve this target.”

According to a recent NFIB survey, the cost of natural gas, propane, gasoline, diesel, and fuel oil is ranked as the 6th most pressing issue for small businesses nationwide. In a recent NFIB member ballot, 88% of NFIB members agreed that Congress should “streamline regulations to facilitate the production and transport of oil, natural gas, and other energy sources in the United States.”

Keep up with the latest Alaska small-business news at www.nfib.com. Follow us on X at @NFIB_AK.

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For over 80 years, NFIB has been advocating on behalf of America’s small and independent business owners, both in Washington, D.C., and in all 50 state capitals. NFIB is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, and member-driven association. Since our founding in 1943, NFIB has been exclusively dedicated to small and independent businesses and remains so today. For more information, please visit nfib.com.

NFIB Alaska
Box 211231
907-723-1494
Juneau, AK 99821
www.nfib.com
X: @NFIB.AK