Nearly every President over the past 20 years pledged that his administration would be ‘open and transparent’ to the American people.  Joe Biden never did, outside of being available and honest with the press during his White House run.  Now, fourteen months into his tenure, his team is certainly living up to its non-promise. One of the most secretive areas of Team Biden surrounds the twin “Climate Czars” of Gina McCarthy and John Kerry.  Named as special envoys by the Administration, they weren’t subjected to confirmation hearings, operate outside of typical government accountability channels and generally are treated with kid…

By Rick Whitbeck, Alaska State Director Shockwaves rippled through Alaska last Friday afternoon as word spread that Congressman Don Young passed away while traveling home to the Great Land. The “Dean of the House”, the 88-year-old Young served in Congress for nearly five decades, using his sharp mind – and occasionally, even sharper tongue – to advocate for Alaska and her people.  Even as he increased in years, his energy levels were that of a person a third of his age; rising early and going to bed late, in order to fulfill his mission to leave Alaska better at the…

Last week, the University of Alaska-Anchorage’s Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) published a study outlining Alaska’s mining potential over the next 20 years. The results?  In a favorable scenario, you could see more than double the employment and a significant increase in mining’s export value from 10% of state totals to 25%. The biggest impacts to the national discussion on energy transition would be through five mined materials: copper, zinc, lead, graphite and cobalt.  Right now, each of those five has nearly the entire US supply imported, with Chinese and Russian companies the benefactors of American demand. While…

You’ve heard a number of well-rehearsed lies repeated over and over by the Biden Administration these past few months: “Our team is doing everything we can to keep gas prices low.”  “Russia is to blame for the situation the world is in now.” “Oil and gas companies are greedy, with 9,000 leases in-hand that they refuse to move forward with.” and the biggest falsehood of them all, “The U.S. needs to accelerate our push toward green energy, and securing domestic supplies of critical and strategic minerals is an absolute must in those plans.” Forgetting the absurdity of the first three…

In another example of blind allegiance to a position that becomes worse day after day, the White House has continued to draw a line in the sand when it comes to halting the importing of Russian oil, despite strong, bi-partisan Congressional pressure to do so. Led by the moderate duo of Alaska’s Lisa Murkowski and West Virginia’s Joe Manchin – who have teamed up to spearhead and pass a number of solid energy and resource development bills recently – the Senate is taking a hard-line approach to Russia’s continued exporting of its oil to the U.S. Their efforts, dovetailing on…

Imagine yourself as a member of Alaska’s 60-person state legislature.  You have been in session for the past 45 days, and during that time, the price of oil has skyrocketed nearly 25%.  While no one expects the per-barrel price to stay in the triple figures (estimates run from $81 to $87 per barrel through the next fiscal year), it is still significantly higher than the State’s latest formal estimate of $71. With federal infrastructure bill funding added to the mix, billions of dollars will be flowing into the state that wasn’t expected this time last year.  So what do you…

A political game of chicken has erupted between the state legislatures of Washington and Alaska.  The vehicle of choice?  Oil. A bill to impose a six-cent-a-gallon surcharge on Alaskan oil that ultimately is refined in Washington passed the Washington State Senate and is being fast-tracked through the House by lawmakers seemingly more interested in climate than common sense. Rep. Jake Fey (D-Tacoma) summed up their thinking this way: “This is really related to being fair with respect to climate impacts…I think it’s only appropriate since we produce the fuels for (other states’) use that they support our climate activities…” While…

When Alaska’s Governor Mike Dunleavy announced this week that Alaska would work toward having 80% of its Fairbanks to Homer corridor source its energy from renewables by 2040, there was a quick reaction from green activists to embrace the idea.  The rest of the state has reacted differently. The plan, as outlined in the Governor’s proposed legislation, would gradually increase renewable energy production, and require billions of dollars in investment for wind, solar and tidal. The Governor’s intentions are understandable.  He cites rising LNG prices and calls for energy to be affordable, but what is driving up prices is a…

A recent article in Mining News North highlighted the extreme shortage of worldwide copper; especially in light of the current ‘go green’ movement being pushed by environmentalists. The article states: The World Bank Group estimates that more than 3 billion tons of minerals and metals will be required to manufacture the EVs and low-carbon electrical generation to stay under the 2-degree Celsius temperature increase limit set by this global accord. This includes an estimated 550 million tons of copper for wind turbines, solar panels, EVS, and the wiring to connect them over the next 25 years, which is roughly equivalent…