When John Kerry sat down yesterday, his seat in the Biden leadership team was significantly hotter than when he last sat in it. The bombshell revelations that Kerry leaked Israeli national security secrets to the Iranians led to widespread criticism yesterday, as well as many calls for Kerry to be fired or forced to resign from his newly-created and highly partisan position of International Climate Envoy. Leading the charge was Alaska Senator Dan Sullivan, who took to the Senate floor shortly after reports were filed on Kerry’s potentially treasonous actions. In Sullivan’s 14-minute speech, he outlined how many of Kerry’s…

Earth Day 2021 has brought out the typical talk-tracks we hear every year: “The Earth only has ‘x’ years left before it burns…” “Our planet deserves to be treated with more respect than we show it…” “(insert famous person here) is partnering with (insert eco-Left organization here) to protect the (insert animal here) from inevitable extinction.  Join us!” President Biden got into the act this year, hosting a global summit of world leaders, all apparently ready to join the US in cutting emissions by 50% or something.  But in Alaska, we already celebrate our planet, take care of our lands…

Anyone who paid attention during Department of Interior Deb Haaland’s confirmation hearings clearly saw someone out of their league.  Haaland’s inability to answer simple questions related to running Interior on a day-to-day basis led many – including Power The Future – to call for Senators to reject her nomination. But, in spite of concerns and misgivings on Haaland’s background, clear anti-traditional-energy bias and potential impacts to energy-centric states, she was confirmed by the Senate, and took the oath of office to lead Interior. So, color us shocked that some of those same Senators were “surprised” when Haaland issued a number…

When COVID-19 shut down the multi-billion dollar Alaska tourism industry in 2020, the economy in Southeast Alaska was decimated.  Thousands of seasonal workers, hundreds of small business owners and communities from Prince of Wales Island to Haines struggled to find new opportunities to fill the devastation brought about by the shutdown. Much like small communities along the Railbelt – from Seward and Whittier north to Fairbanks – the vast majority of Southeast Alaska’s residents knew that 2020’s struggle would need to be a one-year event.  Although hundreds of small business owners were able to weather the storm last year, a…

OK, enough of the silliness.  Enough of the posturing.  Enough of the false narrative.  Enough of the bought-and-paid-for actors and actresses.  Enough of the lies and deceit. For over 40 years, the 1002 Area of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) – also known as the Coastal Plain – has been designated an oil and gas development area by Congress.  That’s right – over 40 years.  That’s not in dispute. For the same period of time, people and organizations have fought that designation, hoping instead to keep development from happening there. And for the past 25 years or so, those…

If it wasn’t so potentially damaging, it would almost be comical. The fear-over-facts crowd that offers crazed commentary on how Alaska’s Pebble Project would somehow ruin the Bristol Bay salmon fishery has spent over fifteen years spreading false propaganda.  What was once a rag-tag group of tribes and fishermen were buoyed by millions upon millions of dollars from radical environmentalists and their affiliated foundations.  Even Trout Unlimited has jumped into the fray (remember that the next time they ask you for membership!), financing the “Save Bristol Bay” organization and its rabid, anti-development mission. Which brings us to the latest in…

By mid-day Wednesday, Anchorage voters should know if they have a new mayor, or if a runoff election on May 11th is waiting for them. The vote-by-mail election for four School Board seats, a recall of the acting Assembly President, eight bond propositions and the city’s new mayor wraps up at 8:00 PM on Tuesday, and preliminary voter turnout numbers show the vast majority of Anchorage residents have not taken the time to be heard yet. Anchorage has moved in an exceptionally progressive direction with regard to most social and economic issues the past six years, as former mayor Ethan…

Last Friday, the Dunleavy administration held a press conference to announce it was asserting control over navigable waters throughout the state, through a program they are calling “Unlocking Alaska.” In the accompanying press release, they said: After 62 years of federal delay and obstruction, the State of Alaska is asserting its management rights over the vast network of navigable waters and submerged lands it received at statehood and will move aggressively to promote their use and enjoyment to serve the interests of the Alaska people. Building off of the two landmark Supreme Court decisions brought by Alaskan John Sturgeon, Dunleavy…

There isn’t one single Alaskan who hasn’t been impacted this past year.  COVID-19 clearly hit all of us in many different ways. But as the pandemic begins to turn the corner here in Alaska – leading the nation in vaccinations, third in the nation for per-capita deaths and released or relaxed mandates for most of the state – our economy is still in trouble. Alaska’s Legislature is scuffling along, trying to fill a $1 billion budget deficit.  Canada’s recent decision to deny cruise lines the ability to utilize their ports until at least 2022 means the 2.25 million cruise visitors…

In the first meeting between top US and Chinese officials under the Biden administration, things started off a bit testy.  The mini-summit, held in Anchorage, Alaska, began Thursday and will wrap up Friday.  They involve Secretary of State Antony Blinken and National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan on the US side, sitting across the table from China’s most senior foreign policy official, Yang Jiechi, and foreign minister Wang Yi. BBC noted the “sharp rebukes” and “ill-tempered talks” between the two nations, going so far as to state: In a blunt opening statement before the talks in private, Mr. Blinken said the…