The Fossil Fuel Comeback

Directed the Interior Department from day one of his second administration to "unlock Alaska's energy and resource potential," per Burgum's statement framing the reopening.

Named vice chair of the National Energy Dominance Council, alongside his Energy Secretary role.

Interior Secretary who issued the public statement on the sale results, framing the $163.7 million in high bids as evidence of the National Petroleum Reserve's role in U.S. energy security.

Acting director of the Bureau of Land Management at the time of the sale; issued the public statement announcing the auction in February 2026.

Alaska Governor; publicly advocated for reopening ANWR to drilling and praised the announcement as "historic for Alaska."

Chairman of Mubadala Investment Company, the Abu Dhabi sovereign-wealth fund whose wholly-owned subsidiary Mubadala Energy holds a 24.1% stake in Caturus LNG, the parent of Commonwealth LNG. Sits atop the beneficial-ownership chain that received the first post-pause non-FTA export authorization issued under DOE/FECM Order No. 5238.

Direct beneficiary of DOE/FECM Order No. 5238. Authorized to export up to 9.5 MTPA of LNG from its Cameron Parish, Louisiana facility to non-FTA countries in Asia and Europe. Had waited longer than any other developer for the post-pause approval.

Recovered seven Coastal Plain oil and gas leases originally granted in 2021 and cancelled by the Biden administration in 2023; AIDEA was among the few bidders at the first ANWR lease auction.

Denver-based independent oil and gas company; bid through its subsidiary North Slope Exploration LLC and won leases at the March 2026 NPR-A sale.

Conducted the March 18, 2026 NPR-A competitive lease sale under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act. Offered 625 tracts across ~5.5 million acres; awarded 187 leases on 1,334,967 acres to nine companies.

Developer of the Sabine Pass LNG expansion in Louisiana, whose pending federal export authorization for additional capacity was unfrozen by Section 8(a).

Largest winner of the March 2026 NPR-A sale; high bidder on 30 tracts — the most of any company. Already the dominant operator in the NPR-A through its Willow project area.

Issued the policy announcement reopening the ANWR Coastal Plain to oil and gas leasing and restoring the seven AIDEA leases that the prior administration had cancelled.

Developer of the Lake Charles LNG export terminal in Louisiana, whose pending federal export authorization was unfrozen by Section 8(a).

Denver-based oil and gas company; submitted the single highest bid of the March 2026 NPR-A sale at $3.7 million for one tract.

Committed more than $7 million across approximately 138,000 acres, returning to Alaska North Slope leasing in a move described as a "particularly big surprise" by the Anchorage Daily News.

Spanish integrated oil major; bid in partnership with Shell Frontier Oil and Gas, a Shell USA subsidiary. Several of the Repsol-Shell winning bids exceeded $2 million per tract.

Australian-headquartered oil and gas producer; a winning bidder at the March 2026 NPR-A sale. Specific tract count and bid amount not yet reported.

Developer of the Port Arthur LNG Phase 2 export project in Texas, whose pending federal export authorization was unfrozen by Section 8(a).

Through its Shell Frontier Oil and Gas Inc. subsidiary, partnered with Repsol on winning bids in the NPR-A sale; several joint bids exceeded $2 million per tract.

Issuing agency for DOE/FECM Order No. 5238 under the Natural Gas Act; the Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management evaluates and approves LNG export authorizations to non-FTA countries.

Developer of the CP2 export terminal in Louisiana, one of the high-capacity projects whose pending export authorization was unfrozen by Section 8(a).