{
  "story": {
    "slug": "alaska-leasing-returns",
    "headline": "Alaska leasing returns",
    "deck": "Federal officials scheduled the first oil and gas lease sale in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve since 2019, opening millions of acres on the North Slope.",
    "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/story/alaska-leasing-returns",
    "section": "Energy",
    "area": "Anchorage",
    "published_at": "2026-02-12T20:00:00+00:00",
    "updated_at": "2026-10-01T05:30:25.954042+00:00",
    "body_md": "Federal officials have scheduled the first oil and gas lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska since 2019, opening millions of acres of the North Slope to potential energy development, according to Alaska's News Source.\n\nThe sale follows years of pauses, lawsuits, and shifting federal policy over Arctic drilling. Energy companies will be able to bid on leases later this year, marking the first such opportunity in the reserve in more than six years.\n\nThe National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska has long been a flashpoint between energy development and environmental protection. Supporters frame the lease sale as a step toward energy security and Alaska jobs. Opponents point to potential impacts on wildlife and nearby communities.\n\nThe decision puts Alaska back into the national energy conversation, with implications for state revenue and long term oil production on the North Slope.",
    "sources": [
      {
        "url": "https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/02/06/feds-schedule-first-lease-sale-alaskas-national-petroleum-reserve-since-2019/",
        "label": "alaskasnewssource.com"
      }
    ]
  },
  "envelope": {
    "story_id": "a0b7b7ff-341c-4a22-9d82-44ca6364a54e",
    "slug": "alaska-leasing-returns",
    "summary": "Federal officials scheduled the first oil and gas lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska since 2019, opening millions of acres on the North Slope for potential energy development, with bidding expected later this year.",
    "key_facts": [
      "First NPR-A lease sale since 2019",
      "Sale opens millions of acres on the North Slope",
      "Energy companies can bid on leases later this year",
      "Follows years of pauses, lawsuits, and policy changes on Arctic drilling"
    ],
    "faq": [],
    "claims": [
      {
        "claim": "Federal officials have scheduled the first oil and gas lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska since 2019.",
        "confidence": "sourced",
        "source_url": "https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/02/06/feds-schedule-first-lease-sale-alaskas-national-petroleum-reserve-since-2019/",
        "source_label": "alaskasnewssource.com"
      },
      {
        "claim": "The sale opens millions of acres for potential development on the North Slope.",
        "confidence": "sourced",
        "source_url": "https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/02/06/feds-schedule-first-lease-sale-alaskas-national-petroleum-reserve-since-2019/",
        "source_label": "alaskasnewssource.com"
      },
      {
        "claim": "Energy companies will be able to bid on leases later this year.",
        "confidence": "reported",
        "source_url": "https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/02/06/feds-schedule-first-lease-sale-alaskas-national-petroleum-reserve-since-2019/",
        "source_label": "alaskasnewssource.com"
      }
    ],
    "locations": [
      {
        "area": "Alaska",
        "kind": "region",
        "name": "National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska"
      },
      {
        "area": "Alaska",
        "kind": "region",
        "name": "North Slope"
      }
    ],
    "people": [],
    "organizations": [],
    "event_dates": [
      {
        "date": "2019",
        "label": "Last NPR-A lease sale before this one"
      },
      {
        "date": "2026",
        "label": "Scheduled lease sale bidding window"
      }
    ],
    "story_status": "scheduled",
    "what_changed": null,
    "keywords": [
      "national petroleum reserve in alaska",
      "north slope lease sale",
      "alaska oil leasing 2026",
      "arctic drilling",
      "npr-a lease sale",
      "alaska energy development"
    ],
    "disclosure": "Produced with AI assistance, narrated with Slav Lund's voice clone with his consent, and reviewed by a person before publishing.",
    "generated_at": "2026-10-01T05:30:25.91+00:00",
    "reviewed_at": null,
    "updated_at": "2026-10-01T05:30:25.954042+00:00"
  },
  "entities": [
    {
      "slug": "national-petroleum-reserve-in-alaska",
      "name": "National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska",
      "kind": "place",
      "role": "subject",
      "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/codex/national-petroleum-reserve-in-alaska"
    },
    {
      "slug": "north-slope",
      "name": "North Slope",
      "kind": "place",
      "role": "location",
      "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/codex/north-slope"
    }
  ],
  "corrections": [],
  "underwriting": null,
  "jsonld": {
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@type": "NewsArticle",
    "headline": "Alaska leasing returns",
    "description": "Federal officials scheduled the first oil and gas lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska since 2019, opening millions of acres on the North Slope for potential energy development, with bidding expected later this year.",
    "abstract": "Federal officials scheduled the first oil and gas lease sale in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska since 2019, opening millions of acres on the North Slope for potential energy development, with bidding expected later this year.",
    "datePublished": "2026-02-12T20:00:00+00:00",
    "dateModified": "2026-10-01T05:30:25.954042+00:00",
    "mainEntityOfPage": "https://thedailyalaska.com/story/alaska-leasing-returns",
    "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/story/alaska-leasing-returns",
    "author": {
      "@type": "Person",
      "name": "Slav Lund",
      "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/codex/slav-lund"
    },
    "publisher": {
      "@type": "NewsMediaOrganization",
      "@id": "https://thedailyalaska.com/#organization",
      "name": "The Daily Alaska",
      "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com",
      "logo": {
        "@type": "ImageObject",
        "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/__l5e/assets-v1/905bb2e5-b597-453b-a39d-7741edb068dc/the-daily-alaska-logo.png"
      }
    },
    "isAccessibleForFree": true,
    "inLanguage": "en-US",
    "articleSection": "Energy",
    "keywords": "national petroleum reserve in alaska, north slope lease sale, alaska oil leasing 2026, arctic drilling, npr-a lease sale, alaska energy development",
    "about": [
      {
        "@type": "Thing",
        "name": "National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska",
        "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/codex/national-petroleum-reserve-in-alaska"
      }
    ],
    "mentions": [
      {
        "@type": "Thing",
        "name": "North Slope",
        "url": "https://thedailyalaska.com/codex/north-slope"
      }
    ],
    "citation": [
      {
        "@type": "CreativeWork",
        "name": "alaskasnewssource.com",
        "url": "https://www.alaskasnewssource.com/2026/02/06/feds-schedule-first-lease-sale-alaskas-national-petroleum-reserve-since-2019/"
      }
    ],
    "contentLocation": [
      {
        "@type": "Place",
        "name": "National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska"
      },
      {
        "@type": "Place",
        "name": "North Slope"
      }
    ]
  }
}