by wp_sysadmin | Sep 29, 2022 | Home, News
This week Headlamp has invited candidates for U.S. Senate and U.S. House to submit guest columns on their view of energy and resource development in Alaska. We will print one column each day this week. The views and opinions expressed by the candidates are not necessarily representative of those of AKHeadlamp.
“We Are Just Getting Started: Alaska’s Best Resource Development Days Are Ahead”
Alaska has unmatched resource potential, and with the right leadership, we can be a global production leader long into the future. While we face serious challenges over access and permits, we can overcome them if we work together to ensure that others understand how our resources benefit the nation and the world.
The Trans Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) has now transported more than 18.4 billion barrels of oil to tidewater in Valdez. Mines like Red Dog, Kensington, and Greens Creek produce vast quantities of gold, silver, lead, and zinc. The companies that operate in Alaska have a tremendous record of safe and responsible development that we can all be proud of. But that’s only the start of what is possible for our state.
When it comes to oil, TAPS is just one-third full. But after years of hard work, we are finally turning a corner, as new production promises to help refill it throughout the 2020s and beyond.
We have already worked together to clear federal obstacles and ensure that CD5, GMT-1, and GMT-2 could come online, adding tens of thousands of barrels of production from the North Slope each day.
Next up is the Pikka project, for which Santos and Repsol recently announced an initial $2.6 billion investment that will produce an estimated 80,000 barrels per day by 2026.
I’m also working tirelessly to help secure federal re-approval of ConocoPhillips’ Willow project, which will produce up to 180,000 barrels per day at its peak.
In combination with Hilcorp’s steadfast efforts in and around Prudhoe Bay, we are quietly on track to add hundreds of thousands of barrels to TAPS each day. That would be great for Alaska, especially when it comes to good careers for our residents. It would also be great for the world, which desperately needs alternatives to Russia, Iran, Venezuela, and other dangerous regimes.
It is important to recognize that our oil production is not in conflict with efforts to address climate change. The International Energy Agency projects that, even in a “net-zero” emissions scenario, the world will use 72 million barrels of oil a day in 2030 and 24 million barrels of oil a day in 2050.
The actual totals are likely to be significantly higher. But regardless, as much of that oil as possible should come from Alaska, because we produce with low emissions intensity and a vanishingly small environmental footprint.
My confidence in Alaska’s industry is why I wrote and successfully enacted legislation to open a small portion of the non-wilderness 1002 Area to responsible production. That ended a 40-year legislative fight over ANWR and could add hundreds of thousands more barrels to TAPS each day in the medium-term.
I’m also more optimistic than ever about our ability to commercialize Alaska’s natural gas. As global demand for this clean-burning fuel grows, Russia’s horrific war on Ukraine has created an unprecedented opening for us. Producing more than three billion cubic feet a day would allow Alaska to export to Asia, freeing up crucial volumes for Europe and other nations.
As Chairman of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, I ensured the Department of Energy and FERC approved the gasline project. I also added language to our bipartisan infrastructure law to allow the project to qualify for a federal loan guarantee of up to $26 billion. As interest rates rise, that will become more and more valuable.
Mining is another growth industry for our state because mineral demand is skyrocketing. Some firms are forecasting shortages of key minerals like copper, while Benchmark recently forecast that a stunning 336 new mines are needed by 2035.
Fortunately for us, Alaska is a storehouse for base metals and nearly every strategic mineral. While not every part of our state is suited for mining, many good projects are already underway. Graphite One near Nome and the prospects in the Ambler District are two examples. With my American Mineral Security Act now law, and billions of dollars ticketed for domestic mineral projects through legislation I have championed, mining stands to grow and strengthen Alaska’s economy in the years ahead.
I’ve also sought to ensure that Alaskans can pioneer new fuels and technologies. My Energy Act is the only comprehensive update to federal energy laws in the past 15 years, authorizing nearly $35 billion for energy storage, advanced nuclear, carbon capture, renewable energy, grid modernization, and other promising technologies.
Our bipartisan infrastructure law, which has directed nearly $2.5 billion to Alaska in less than a year, will also bring new opportunities. It will help Alaskans develop local, lower-cost resources like hydropower and geothermal, while creating openings to become a carbon or hydrogen hub—areas where we can go from “proving ground” to long-term global leader.
Alaska has always been blessed with abundant resources. Our opportunities are perfectly aligned with national and global needs. Our future can include another 45 years of successful operation of TAPS, a gasline, new mines, and technology deployment that delivers cheaper and cleaner energy for every community. That future will create tens of thousands of good jobs for Alaskans and be carried out under environmental, safety, and labor standards that are second to none.
Yet, none of that will happen on its own.
To realize our potential, we need more than resources in the ground. We need good companies, like the ones we have now, who employ Alaskans with technical expertise and a deep dedication to our state. And when it comes to politics, we need leaders who will educate and persuade members of both parties to do right by our state—members who can deliver results no matter who holds power in Washington, DC.
I’m proud of my partnership with Alaska’s resource industry and the victories we have achieved together. Through my seniority and bipartisan relationships, I’m better positioned than ever to help continue those successes and ensure that our best resource-producing days are still ahead.
by wp_sysadmin | Sep 28, 2022 | Home, News
This week Headlamp has invited candidates for U.S. Senate and U.S. House to submit guest columns on their view of energy and resource development in Alaska. We will print one column each day this week. The views and opinions expressed by the candidates are not necessarily representative of those of AKHeadlamp.
Alaska needs a senator who will unleash the fullness of our energy potential
In many ways, Alaska’s lands are sacred; they have been blessed with rich resource endowment, which have always been the key to our subsistence and economy. The problem is that environmental extremists, now given renewed power by President Joe Biden’s administration, have prevented us from realizing our true potential of rising prosperity, self-sufficiency, and economic independence, balanced with environmental conservation.
Alaskans deserve a U.S. senator who will fight for an Alaska-centric agenda that will unleash our enormous energy potential to create jobs and lower our fuel costs, not one who bows down to extremists and enables a radical D.C.-based agenda that wants to turn our state into a national park for the rest of the country. My energy platform will promote environmentally responsible growth and job creation in the energy industries which drive the Alaska economy.
Permitting processes for oil and gas leases on public lands are onerous and time consuming, taking years to complete. In the case of access to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), federal regulatory restrictions were in place for 60 years before President Trump cleared the way for energy production. Biden then suspended oil and gas leases in ANWR on his first day in office.
When bureaucrats don’t support something, they love to drag out the process. “Go slow” means “no go.” It costs our companies a lot of time and money, which often makes projects cost prohibitive, preventing Alaska workers from earning money to support their families. When I’m your senator, I will call for permitting processes to be completed within a defined time frame.
As your senator, I also will advocate for Alaska and First Alaskans—not the federal government—to own a majority of the land in Alaska. Alaskans should have the right to access and develop resources on the federal land within our state. President Trump was in the process of transferring 28 million acres of land to Alaska before Biden took office and promptly stopped the plan. To make matters worse, Biden’s Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has started the process of seizing 44 million more acres, trying to take more land from Alaskans and federalizing nearly 73% of the state.
We are owed land by the federal government, it’s as simple as that. Alaskans know best how to manage and responsibly develop our land and resources. No D.C. insider cares about the Alaskan environment more than the Alaskans who live and work here. We also develop resources in a more environmentally responsible way than the other countries from which the U.S. imports when the Biden administration prohibits Alaskan energy production. As your next senator, I will fight for timely completion of environmental and other regulatory reviews required for us to access and develop federal land. I also will demand the timely and orderly conveyance to Alaska of its public lands for potential development of natural resources.
Federal agencies do not abide by federal law for permitting, area plans and lease sales, and they have violated the No More Clause. BLM has kept millions of acres of land locked up through Public Land Orders for decades even though they were required to be dealt with shortly after ANILCA. Congress can hold these agencies accountable through budget cuts imposed by the Appropriations Committee, or through hearings conducted by the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, for example.
We must reform the permitting process to make it timely, and if agencies fail to comply, they should face budgetary consequences. With incumbent Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s seniority, we should have seen these agencies held accountable by now, but we have not.
President Trump’s policies were demonstrably beneficial to Alaska, but Murkowski openly opposed him, both in his first election in 2016 and in his re-election campaign in 2020. This open antagonism of a president who was good for Alaska is not the kind of leadership our residents want. Nor does it help Alaska for Murkowski to openly support the Biden administration that is anti-mining, anti-oil and gas, and anti-Alaska.
Worse, Murkowski was the deciding vote in the Senate committee which advanced Haaland’s nomination for Interior Secretary. This means Murkowski is personally responsible for the imposition of the radical environmental agenda relentlessly targeting Alaska and opposing fossil fuel development in America.
A senator’s real value is in the big moments, the critical votes, and Haaland’s nomination was one of those crucial times. Murkowski’s approval of Haaland will cost Alaska billions of dollars. It may make her popular with the D.C. cocktail party crowd, but it seriously hurts us back here at home.
Murkowski also has failed to gain Alaska’s entry into an offshore revenue sharing agreement. Under the Gulf of Mexico Energy Security Act of 2006, Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas share hundreds of millions in revenues annually, which also support environmental conservation programs. Alaska has never been included in such an arrangement, which would have provided much-needed incentive for offshore exploration and production in Alaska. An energy revenue sharing pact for Alaska, similar to the one enjoyed by Gulf of Mexico states, would have grown the state’s economy, created jobs, and protected the environment.
All Alaskans ever want is fairness and the opportunity to access what is rightfully ours. The Gulf compact has been in place for 15 years and Lisa Murkowski has been in the Senate that entire time. Why was Alaska never brought to the table?
Alaska was once a place that afforded people abundant opportunity, but those days seem distant because of federal government overreach and overregulation, something our current senator has failed to adequately address. I have a fire in my heart to rebuild Alaska, and I believe that embracing the blessings of our bountiful natural resources is the key to that future.
Kelly Tshibaka is a born-and-raised Alaskan, and a candidate for the U.S. Senate in Alaska who is endorsed by former President Donald Trump and the Alaska Republican Party.
by wp_sysadmin | Sep 27, 2022 | Home, News
This week Headlamp has invited candidates for U.S. Senate and U.S. House to submit guest columns on their view of energy and resource development in Alaska. We will print one column each day this week. The views and opinions expressed by the candidates are not necessarily representative of those of AKHeadlamp.
Why I’ll never stop saying ‘drill, baby, drill!’
I’m pretty sure everybody knows the core of my position on energy policy: “Drill, baby, drill!”
That’s more than just a catchphrase, though; it’s a rallying cry. It’s a plea that I’ve been making to the entire country – especially our political leaders – for well over a decade. It’s also shorthand for the principles that guide my approach to public policy.
You see, I’m a true believer in the philosophy that drove the Reagan Revolution in the 1980s, and which remains a key part of the MAGA Movement today: Small government, low taxes, federalism, strong national defense, respect for individual liberties, fealty to the original meaning of the Constitution as it was written by the Founding Fathers.
Look, I understand why the federal government thinks it has a role in shaping a national energy policy. In times of crisis, sometimes a nationally coordinated effort is called for. When there’s an energy shortage – when prices are rising and people can’t afford to put gas in their tanks or heat their homes – the federal government has tools at its disposal that it can use to stimulate domestic energy production and ease the burden on American families and businesses.
Tax credits or deductions and regulatory reprieve, for instance, can help energy producers get new projects off the ground faster and can alter the financial calculus in favor of some projects that might otherwise have been abandoned.
Unfortunately, it’s no longer the case that both political parties support common-sense approaches to making energy more abundant and affordable. Over the past two decades, the democrats have refashioned themselves into an anti-energy party. Democrat politicians compete with each other to see who can come up with the most hare-brained scheme to make life harder on the people they’re supposed to serve.
Politicians like John Kerry, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden have been talking about shutting down domestic oil and gas production for years, even when the country was in the throes of the Great Recession and Americans needed every economic boost we could get. I’ve never been able to understand why they have such disdain for ordinary Americans – the Joe Six-Packs who need good-paying jobs and affordable fuel for the cars, trucks, and homes.
The solution is so simple! All the oil we need is right beneath our feet. All we have to do is “drill, baby, drill.” So that’s what I said. And millions upon millions of Americans heard me and took up that rallying cry. Despite the left’s increasing opposition to energy development, we started a movement kept getting stronger with every election cycle. From the Tea Party to President Donald Trump, support for domestic energy steadily grew.
Thanks to this popular and political support, technological advances such as fracking made oil and gas extraction easier and cheaper than ever before. By the end of Trump’s first term, there was a glut of American energy on the market that drove prices down to previously unimaginable levels. We were putting the squeeze on Russia and OPEC instead of the other way around. It was a great time to be an American.
Now, though, we face a resurgence of political hostility to clean, abundant American energy. Joe Biden’s “30 by 30” plan is a nightmare for American energy independence – not to mention for our economy. Biden wants to make us poorer and more dependent on our enemies like Russia and Iran, simply for the sake of bragging about all the oil and gas we aren’t producing here at home. The Feds have already locked up way more than 30% of Alaska and it has hurt our economy.
It’s a disaster for America. And the solution today is the same as it was back in 2008. We just need to “drill, baby, drill.” If we just open up the spigots and let American workers get back on the job, we could get right back to energy independence, employ thousands of blue collar American workers, and quickly bring energy prices back down to a level that is affordable for working families. At the same time, lower energy prices would serve as a massive stimulus for virtually every sector of the economy, potentially bringing us out of the recession that the radical democrats’ reckless policies created.
In other words, the federal government needs to get off our backs and get back on our side. Instead of standing in the way of economic growth, the federal government should give the states a much larger role in managing the development of our God-given natural resources.
Listen, we know how to do this in a responsible, ethical way. We’ve been doing it for many decades in Alaska. Drilling for American oil and gas is WAY better for the environment than buying dirty oil from Russia, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. Remember when they said the Trans-Alaska Pipeline was going to somehow devastate the caribou population? Well, it’s been over 50 years, and the caribou are still frolicking – they’re often seen cozying up to the pipeline for warmth during the winter months and taking advantage of the elevated infrastructure for shade in the summer months.
Like all Alaskans, I have a deep appreciation for the beauty and splendor of the natural environment of our state – but I also have a deep appreciation for the bounty of natural resources that God has blessed us with, and I want to make sure that we’re developing those resources to benefit the people of Alaska, rather than just leaving them in the ground to satisfy misguided environmental activists in Washington, D.C.
Just like Alaska’s Willow project which could produce 120,000+ barrels of oil per day, and Pikka which could produce 80,000+. Both are critical for Alaska’s economic future and would reduce our dependence on foreign oil. We’ve already proven we can do it right.
So, when you hear me say “drill, baby, drill,” know that it’s not just some hastily contrived applause line I use in political speeches. “Drill, baby, drill” is a philosophy that I believe in with every fiber of my being. It’s a reflection of the principles that have guided me throughout my career in public service.
Sarah Palin is the former Governor of Alaska and the leading GOP candidate in the ongoing race for Alaska’s at-large congressional seat.
by wp_sysadmin | Sep 26, 2022 | Home, News
This week Headlamp has invited candidates for U.S. Senate and U.S. House to submit guest columns on their view of energy and resource development in Alaska. We will print one column each day this week. The views and opinions expressed by the candidates are not necessarily representative of those of AKHeadlamp.
Alaska: America’s Resource Future
By Nick Begich
One of my first memories as a child was when my father pulled me out of school at Harvester
Christian for a day to work on a placer gold claim. We pulled up to a camp that was operating on
the banks of Falls Creek near Moose Pass. When the guy running the camp put nuggets on the
table in front of me, I was hooked. As much as a five-year-old could, I understood the
excitement of discovering the earth’s riches. It’s the excitement that in later life would lead me to
stake a claim in Valdez and to hold mineral patents in Wrangell-St. Elias. But more importantly, it
is what brought so many to our state to explore, to expand, and ultimately to create the Alaska
that we know and love today.
We are tremendously rich in resources—our oil and gas, our minerals and metals, our timber,
our fish, our potential for alternatives. While these are resources that our country desperately
needs for our economy and our national security—as well as the security of our allies—the story
of Alaska is one of a constant battle to develop them. And that story is far from over.
Alaska’s next U.S. Representative must be a full-throated advocate of our resources. I will be
that advocate. While I support Gov. Dunleavy’s efforts to develop more renewables for our
fellow Alaskans, and while I also recognize industry’s efforts to improve upon their already world
class environmental practices in Alaska, I firmly believe that we must not capitulate to a far left,
radical agenda that uses fearmongering to justify killing our oil and gas industry. Such an
agenda will only wreak havoc on our communities—as is currently happening in Europe. It will
weaken our national security—placing global energy security into the hands of dictators and
Middle East mullahs. It will erode the way of life for millions of Americans and will decimate our
state’s economy.
By the mere fact of her allegiance to a party whose main goal is exactly that—to kill our oil and
gas industry—Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola is already capitulating to that agenda. Simply put: it
matters who you caucus with. A vote for her is a vote to empower Democrats and keep them in
the majority in the U.S. House of Representatives.
My other opponent, former Gov. Sarah Palin, declared war on Alaska’s energy industry when
she was governor. She introduced one of the largest tax increases on the industry in our state’s
history, which Mary Peltola, then a state Representative, voted for. By the time production
declined as a result—she had quit being Alaska’s governor and didn’t seem to care. Equally
concerning, energy issues are complicated and politically fraught. Her slogan, “Drill Baby Drill,”
galvanizes the far left. They use it to signal to the public that people who advocate for energy
are unconsidered, ill-informed, and simply seek to wantonly drill holes in the ground, the
environmental consequences be damned.
Energy is a complex issue. The American people are smart, and I believe hungry for more
leaders who can talk about this issue in a way that they both respect and understand. We need
more articulate leaders, like Senator Dan Sullivan, who can tell them Alaska’s resources hold
the answers to so many of America’s challenges, from prices at the pump to the materials that
we will need as we transition to more alternatives. We need to tell them that no other place
develops resources in a more environmentally responsible manner than Alaska and that it is
downright insane to shut our industry down and empower other global regimes with little to no
environmental or labor standards.
The country is ready to hear our story. Here at home America is facing an energy crisis. Abroad,
Russian energy has become an economic weapon as natural gas exports to Europe are
withheld. As a result, European countries are facing a catastrophe, even before winter has set
in. Our Indo-Pacific allies are likewise desperate find new sources of traditional energy and are
looking to us for help.
Meanwhile, the Biden Administration continues to shut down domestic production, while
begging countries like Saudi Arabia to produce more oil, which they have refused to do. His
Administration has shut down pipelines, has leased far fewer acres for oil and gas development
than any other post-World War II administration during this point in its term, and has encouraged
ESG activism which is denying capital to the industry.
This is crazy. We have the oil, and we have the natural gas to benefit both our own country and
our allies. We also have many of the critical minerals and rare earth elements our country needs
for our national security, our quality of life, and for alternative energy. Consider this fact: Of the
35 minerals listed in 2018 as essential for U.S. economic and national security, China is the top
producer or top supplier for 23 of them. This is a critical issue for our country and one on which
our Senators, especially Dan Sullivan, have been relentlessly sounding the alarm. They need
help. The delegation, our state, needs a Representative in the House who understands these
issues, can dive into the weeds and then, without reservation, explain them to the public and to
colleagues on both sides of the aisle.
For us to realize our potential, the potential that has been the dream of so many Alaskans for so
many decades, we need someone in the House who is fearless in their advocacy of Alaska and
our way of life. We need someone who shares a vision of growth and opportunity for all of our
people—a state where my son and all of Alaska’s children can thrive. My mission is to work
tirelessly to realize our great potential. We have the resources we need. We need the right
people in Congress to help get them out of the ground, to benefit our state and our nation
by wp_sysadmin | Sep 23, 2022 | Home, News
ENERGY INDEPENDENCE AND SECURITY ACT OF 2022
(to be included in the Continuing Resolution)
SUBTITLE A: ACCELERATING AGENCY REVIEWS
Sec. 1. Definitions.
This section provides definition for the bill.
Sec. 2. Streamlining Process for Authorizations and Reviews of Energy and
Natural Resources Projects.
Topline Summary:
Based on existing law streamlining provisions enacted by Congress for transportation
projects (roads, highways, bridges, rail, and transit) that have been in the code since 1998,
expanded by Congress in 2012 and 2015 and most recently modified by the 2021
Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA). These provisions also make changes to the
“FAST-41” infrastructure law which was created during the Obama Administration (in title
41 of the 2015 FAST Act) and made permanent in the 2021 IIJA.
- Sets a 2-year target for National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) reviews for major energy and natural resource projects which require a full environmental impact statement and reviews from more than one federal agency and a 1-year target for projects which require an environmental assessment. Also requires issuance of all other permits within 180 days of finishing the NEPA process.
- Designates a lead agency to coordinate project reviews and expands the use of shared inter[1]agency environmental review documents and concurrent agency reviews.
- Sets the 150 day statute of limitations for court challenges, requires random assignment of judges to cases consistent with current practice, and requires courts to set and enforce reasonable schedule (of no more than 180 days) for agencies to act on remanded or vacated permits.
- Establishes dispute resolution procedures for resolving project disagreements without delays.
Sec. 3. Prioritizing Energy Projects of Strategic National Importance.
Topline Summary:
Requires the President to designate and prioritize reviews for a list of strategically important
energy and mineral projects. Designation identifies these projects as national priorities for the
American public, energy producers and consumers, energy workers, and our international
allies.
Sec. 4. Empowering the Federal Permitting Improvement Steering Council
and Improving Reviews.
Topline Summary:
Makes changes to the existing FAST-41 permitting law related to energy and natural
resource projects.
SUBTITLE B: MODERNIZING PERMITTING LAWS
Sec. 1. State Certification under the Clean Water Act.
Topline Summary:
Specifies procedures for state certification that projects comply with applicable water quality
standards.
Sec. 2. Transmission.
Topline Summary:
Expands an existing authority to give the Federal government increased permitting authority
for transmission lines found by the Secretary of Energy to be in the national interest, requires
the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) to ensure project costs are allocated to
customers that benefit, and allows FERC to approve payments from utilities to jurisdictions
impacted by a project.
Sec. 3. Definition of Natural Gas Under the Natural Gas Act.
Clarifies that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has jurisdiction to regulate
interstate hydrogen infrastructure in addition under the Natural Gas Act in addition to
interstate natural gas infrastructure currently regulated under the Natural Gas Act.
Sec. 4. Authorization of the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
Topline Summary:
Requires federal agencies to issue all approval and permits necessary for the construction of
the Mountain Valley Pipeline.
