President-elect Donald Trump will sign an executive order Monday bringing “drill, baby, drill” to Alaska, focusing on unleashing the possibility of oil and gas development.
An incoming White House official previewed the order Monday morning, calling the state “key” to U.S. national security and energy dominance given its abundance of natural resources.
Oil and gas development is expected to remain at the forefront of the executive action, though the official said it will aim to unleash all of Alaska’s “natural resource potential,” including timber, seafood, and critical minerals.
No other specific details were shared regarding the order, though the incoming White House official indicated the administration would support projects exporting liquified natural gas from the state to the United States and abroad.
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The executive order is just one of several energy-focused actions Trump is set to take Monday in an effort to lower energy prices for Americans and secure what the Trump team calls “energy dominance.”
The incoming administration accused outgoing President Joe Biden and his administration of limiting oil and gas production in Alaska, saying it has hurt the state’s “ability to produce wealth for American citizens.”
Alaska has taken center stage in the debate over increased domestic drilling in recent years, particularly as administrations have disagreed on leasing in the Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
During his first administration, Trump approved a total of nine lease sales in the region. Two were ultimately canceled by bidding companies, and the Biden administration reviewed and suspended the remaining seven.
Biden’s Bureau of Land Management held an additional lease sale in the region earlier this month but failed to receive any bids for the 400,000 acres available. The sale was congressionally required through the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act.
While the administration said the sale was evidence that the oil and gas industry is not interested in drilling in the Alaskan refuge, state officials argued that the auction purposefully restricted oil and gas development.
Just before the lease sale, the state filed a lawsuit against the administration, saying the available acreage was the minimum required under the 2017 law. By comparison, the state said there are roughly 1.6 million available acres in the Coastal Plain.
Combined with existing restrictions on surface use, construction, and occupancy, the state said the available acreage would have been “impossible or impracticable” to develop on.
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Last month, Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R-AK) accused the Biden administration of targeting the state in such agency actions, urging the president-elect to do away with what he described as “overreach … that lock up Alaska lands and resources.”
“Your election will haul in a new era of optimism and opportunity, and Alaska stands ready and is eager to work with you to repair this damage wrought by the previous administration and to set both Alaska and America on a course to prosperity,” Dunleavy said.
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Publish date : 2025-01-20 06:30:00
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