Trump proves he can undo Biden’s energy damage in Alaska in short order

Alaska's U.S. Senate race can help determine whether Republicans keep control of the upper chamber as Trump heads to The Last Frontier to tout his record energy reversals in under two years after four years of energy-dampening policies under Biden.

"Both Obama and Biden totally destabilized that industry [oil and gas] by trying to prevent us from being able to access what is an affordable and reliable energy source for producing electricity...we have been fighting tooth and nail for 20 years against Democrats and Democrat administrations and Democrat overreach as they have attempted to shut down our affordable and reliable energy producers," Rep. Harriet Hageman, R-Wyo., told Just the News. 

The rally held Tuesday in Wasilla drew another packed arena, with President Donald Trump as the headliner and other speakers such as Alaskan Senator Dan Sullivan, Alaskan GOP Rep. Nick Begich, local and state candidates and Alaska GOP figures. 

With three weeks remaining until November's midterms, Republicans are in the final stretch to make their case to voters that they should be given another two years — Trump's last two years in the White House — to complete the president's pro-energy agenda and to implement their own proposed policies. 

According to the Department of Energy (DOE), a 2024 report showed Alaska had 27,176 energy workers statewide in 2023, representing 0.3% of all U.S. energy jobs. From 2022 to 2023, energy jobs in the state increased by 884 jobs, or 3.4% and the energy sector in Alaska represents 8.0% of total state employment. 

Alaska as America's energy gold mine 

Alaska has long ranked among America’s strongest energy producers, driven by North Slope crude that once accounted for roughly a quarter of U.S. output after peaking near 2 million barrels per day in the late 1980s, according to the Energy Information Administration (EIA).

The EIA also reports that the state still ranks among the top five in crude oil production, recently averaging more than 420,000 barrels per day while holding substantial proven oil reserves. 

North Slope natural gas further bolsters its profile, with marketed production placing Alaska among the nation’s higher-ranking gas states and supporting both local power generation and long-term export potential, bolstering Trump's efforts to return the U.S. to its glory of being an energy exporter. The last time that happened prior to 2019 was 1952. 

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline System has carried these resources more than 800 miles to market for decades, anchoring state revenues and reinforcing Alaska’s enduring role in national energy supply.

Alaska crushed under Biden

Alaska’s energy production faced sustained pressure under Biden, who, following in President Obama's footsteps, advanced more than 60 executive orders and actions that Alaskan officials described as a targeted “lock-up” of the state’s resource economy. Obama's Energy Secretary, Steven Chu, started a controversy when he told The Wall Street Journal in 2008 that "somehow we have to figure out how to boost the price of gasoline to the levels in Europe." Chu later walked back that statement, Politico reported.

Early in his term, the Biden administration suspended and later canceled the remaining oil and gas leases issued for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s Coastal Plain under Trump's first administration, while the Department of the Interior claimed that there were deficiencies in the original leasing program. 

Subsequent rules and management plans restricted leasing and development across large portions of the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, including special-area protections that limited activity on millions of acres Congress had long designated for petroleum purposes. 

Additional withdrawals covered offshore areas in the Northern Bering Sea, and permitting timelines for major projects were lengthened amid layered reviews. The measures reduced access to federal lands that supply the bulk of North Slope output, contributing to investment uncertainty and slower growth in a state whose petroleum sector historically underpins both local budgets and national crude supply.

A tight senatorial race may swing on energy policies

Polls show a toss-up between the Democratic nominee, former Rep. Mary Peltola, and Republican incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan. Both support expansion of the oil and gas industry in the state. While that's not surprising for Sullivan, on whose behalf Trump is stumping in the state, a statement on Peltola’s website says “Mary has always been a champion for Alaska energy, consistently standing up to anyone — including Joe Biden — to promote oil and gas development, secure approval of the Willow Oil Project, bring down costs, and create good-paying Alaska energy jobs.”

Because Democrats traditionally enjoy the support of hardcore environmentalists, Peltola's choice to stand with fossil fuel may cost her in turnout.

ConocoPhillips plans to develop the Willow Project, located on Alaska’s North Slope in the National Petroleum Reserve. The Willow Project is, according to the company, "estimated to produce 180,000 barrels of oil per day at its peak, decreasing American dependence on foreign energy supplies. The project is projected to deliver $8 billion to $17 billion in new revenue for the federal government, the state of Alaska and North Slope Borough communities."

Defenders of Wildlife, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., says on its website that the organization "integrate[s] science, policy advocacy, strategic litigation, compelling storytelling and on-the-ground action into comprehensive strategies to conserve our country’s most imperiled species."

The environmental group has put the Willow Project directly in its crosshairs, saying on an undated webpage that "this oil and gas extraction project threatens to unleash 260 million metric tons of CO2 into the atmosphere over the next 30 years. In the process, it’ll industrialize thousands of acres of habitat for animals like threatened polar bears and caribou into a polluted and noisy oil field." They have also created templates for followers to use on social media with pre-written arguments against the Willow Project.

The group has not mentioned Peltola and her pro-energy position, but reveled last month in a press release dated September 30, about the failure of the Senate to pass S. 5438, (titled Alaska's Right to Produce Act 2.0) which would have purportedly ratified and approved all authorizations, permits, verifications, extensions, biological opinions, incidental take statements and any other approvals or orders issued pursuant to federal law necessary for the establishment and administration of the Coastal Plain oil and gas leasing program, among other purposes. 

Notably, the group points out that it was introduced by Sen. Sullivan, and continues to say, "This bill would have surrendered one of our most treasured refuges over to extractive industry, sending a clear message to the American people that devastating environmental consequences for both wildlife and humans don't matter. Human disturbances are already degrading habitat at an accelerated rate, and the Arctic Refuge can't afford to take another blow." 

The question remains whether environmentalists' potential disappointment with Peltola outweighs their hatred of Trump and his endorsees, resulting in a lowered Democratic voter turnout for a tight race.

Amanda Head is White House Correspondent for Just the News. You can follow her here.