Washington DC - The Biden administration is moving to protect 28 million acres of public lands in Alaska, warning that failure to do so could risk lasting negative impacts on wildlife, vegetation, and permafrost as well as Indigenous subsistence practices.

Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland announced the decision Tuesday, reversing an order by ex-president Donald Trump – made without adequate tribal consultation – that would have left the lands vulnerable to mining and fossil fuel extraction.

The decision does not impact lands available for selection by eligible individuals under the Alaska Native Vietnam-era Veterans Land Allotment Program.

"Tribal consultation must be treated as a requirement – not an option – when the federal government is making decisions that could irrevocably affect Tribal communities," Haaland said in a statement.

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"Continuing these essential protections, which have been in place for decades, will ensure continued access and use of these public lands now and in the future."

In June, the Biden administration blocked the 211-mile Ambler Highway project and extended protections for vast swaths of Alaskan land.

That measure followed a Biden administration move in April to block new oil and gas projects in 13 million acres of northwest Alaska. The president also canceled Trump-approved oil and gas leases in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge last September.

But in 2023, the Biden administration approved a major oil project in Alaska, dubbed the Willow Project, by the oil company ConocoPhillips, drawing the ire of Indigenous and environmental groups.

The latest announcement comes as Indigenous Alaskans continue their fight for recognition of their sovereignty at the United Nations amid generations of US colonial occupation.