Take That, Dems! Alaska Congressional Delegation’s Letter Supports Alaska’s Energy Workers

February 14, 2020

Despite the ever-present pressure from the environmental Left, Alaska’s energy workers continue to produce world-class, safe and responsibly-undertaken oil, gas, minerals and rare earth materials from across our vast state.

They toil in temperatures that may vary by more than 150 degrees throughout the year.  They work in 24 hours of darkness or 24 hours of daylight, depending on the season.  They work in 100-mile-per-hour winds, and in clouds of mosquitos that would make most of us run inside and hide.

Thankfully, amid the drone of “leave it in the ground”, “no blood for oil”, “climate change will destroy our planet in a decade” and “save Mother Earth”, there are activities that advocate for the workers in Alaska’s cornerstone industries.

Recently, the Alaska delegation of Congressman Don Young and Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan, penned a letter to executives at 11 financial institutions that had been targeted by a group of Democratic lawmakers.  The Democrats’ letter – penned last month – demanded the financial groups reconsider any efforts to invest in Arctic energy development, including Alaska’s ANWR and NPR-A areas.

In responding to their Democratic colleagues, the Alaska delegation made a compelling case for why the banks should, in fact, look to Alaska for investment, noting:

“Unfortunately, but not surprisingly, the arguments laid out in [our colleagues’] letter are willfully ignorant of the reasonable program we enacted to guide safe production in the 1002 Area, Alaska’s strong environmental record, and the preferences of the Alaska Natives who actually live in ANWR.

“Our colleagues completely ignored the voices of the Alaska Natives who actually live on the North Slope. Reading their letter, you would have no idea that the Inupiat people exist, or that many live within ANWR in the community of Kaktovik. Most Inupiat support responsible development in the 1002 Area, yet they are not even acknowledged by those who claim that indigenous concerns should prevail in this discussion.”

Kudos to our leaders in Washington for their efforts in helping to protect Alaskan jobs, our leading industries and the incredible opportunities that will drive our future economic health.  Power The Future joins them in fighting the irrational and anti-Alaskan idiocy that extremists undertake – whether driven by bought-and-paid for Congressional operatives, ENGOs or billionaire ideologues – that would damage our state’s bright energy future.