Joe Biden, or whoever is pulling his strings now – perhaps his spouse, the famous Trump-flirting Lady in Red – seems determined to stick it to Alaska on the way out the door. In the latest such action, the administration is conducting a drilling lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) on Alaska’s North Slope – and they are holding it to the bare minimum that they are required by statute, effectively closing off 3/4 of the ANWR to development.
Advertisement
The Biden Administration announced it will hold a congressionally mandated lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s 1002 Area, which was an area set aside in law for oil and gas. The sale is required by the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, which was passed by Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump.
But the Interior Department, after canceling all of the lawfully allowed leases to date, has actually shut down all but one quarter of the 1002 area. The department will auction just 400,000 acres, which is the minimum required by the 2017 law, that mandated the department conduct two sales before the end of 2024.
During the Donald Trump Administration, there were nine leases issued, but the Biden Administration came into office and the president immediately suspended all nine in 2021.
To put it mildly, Alaska’s Republican Senator Dan Sullivan and Governor Mike Dunleavy were a bit peeved about this action. The Biden administration, you see, claims to have considered input from all parties involved, including the North Slope Borough native communities that stand to profit from the jobs created in oil development.
Sen. Dan Sullivan said the Biden Administration is acting illegally: “But the most insulting aspect of BLM’s announcement today is the agency’s claim to have ‘consulted with Alaska Native Tribes and Corporations’ on this Record of Decision. Having spoken with the leaders of these entities, I can report that nothing is further from the truth. The Biden-Harris administration has never given any weight to the voices of the Alaska Native people in the region who strongly support responsible resource development in ANWR for the benefit of their communities—just like the Biden-Harris administration refused to even meet with Alaska Native leaders when promulgating their illegal NPR-A rule. Cancelling Alaska Native voices continues under the Biden-Harris administration, but don’t hold your breath for the mainstream media to write that story.
Advertisement
And:
Gov. Mike Dunleavy was equally miffed at the end run by the Biden Administration: “The Biden administration has cloaked its latest sanction on Alaska as a lease sale in ANWR. The truth is this lease sale is designed to fail. It limits exploration to the largest extent possible while trying to pass it off as following the law passed by Congress to offer leases that have a legitimate chance of success.
Feature or bug?
This isn’t a matter that just affects Alaska, of course. While one can’t discuss American energy policy without mentioning Alaska, one also can’t discuss American energy policy without discussing things like the Keystone pipeline, which Joe Biden canceled on his first day in office (but which Trump has said he wants to revive). This entire administration has been the most energy-unfriendly regime in the history of the republic, and they are unapologetic about it. Why? In part to appease the green energy advocates and the climate scolds, who seem determined to undo America’s technological progress and return us to a colder, darker time. And could it be in part to punish a state that has voted for Republican presidents reliably since 1964?
It wouldn’t surprise this Alaskan.
All I can say is that starting January 20th, there will be a culture change, and to use a phrase coined by one of the Great Land’s more famous residents, it will be “Drill, baby, drill.”
Advertisement
See Related: Alaska Development Group Enters the Affordable Energy Fight
Hours After Trump Won Election, Biden Made Another Radical Move on the Environment
And, finally:
Sen. Lisa Murkowski did not offer her thoughts on the matter, nor did Rep. Mary Peltola.
You don’t say.
