Renewed Plans to “Drill, Baby, Drill” in Alaska

November 18th, 2025
Elisa Ma

T-Minerals, being one of the two topicality violations in the National Debate Coaches Association’s (NDCA) Novice Packet, makes it clear that extracting natural resources remains one of the United States Federal Government’s concerns in foreign and domestic policy. A slogan used by Republican candidates since 2008, “Drill, Baby, Drill,” has returned as a rallying cry for American energy production, with political, economic and environmental consequences.

What Happened

In October 2025, the Trump Administration approved for the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) to begin planning the Ambler Road Project, which was previously blocked by the Biden Administration as not disrupt the environment and indigenous communities. This 211-mile-long Ambler Road Project would connect the remote Ambler Mining District to the Dalton Highway. According to Department of Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, the road is expected to provide jobs, improve energy independence and increase transportation of key minerals like copper and cobalt.

To follow up, in November 2025, the Trump Administration announced that it would roll back restrictions on mining in Alaska set by the Biden Administration in April 2024. The restriction closed off 13 million acres of Alaskan petroleum reserves, a place protected by the Biden Administration for its wildlife refuge, including keystone species like polar bears and caribou.

Similar Projects

It is important to note that the Willow Project, located within the National Petroleum Reserve on the North Slope, is underway after the backing of both the Trump and Biden Administrations, though lowered to the capacity of three, instead of five, drill pads as proposed by Conoco Phillips during Trump’s first term. Despite facing scrutiny from environmental advocates for its climate impacts, both chambers of the Alaska state legislature voted unanimously to proceed with the Willow Project.

In the Context of Policy Debate

Affirmatives are already being run on both sides of this issue to either further mining in the Arctic region or to protect the wilderness by banning, or at least restricting, development. Ambler Road and the Willow Project can be used to provide both (non)uniqueness/inherency and (non)impacts/harms.

While it may seem like “Drill, Baby, Drill” is having its comeback, the federal government extracting oil and minerals is not new.