Among other things, if it is built, it will make a major contribution to energy security for Anchorage and the rest of Southcentral Alaska.
Opinion: How the Donlin Gold mine could turn a growing demand for gas into a statewide benefit
Tim Bradner, The Frontiersman, July 12, 2026
It’s below the radar for most Alaskans and eclipsed by the large Alaska LNG project, but the pending Donlin Gold mine west of Anchorage, in the mid-Kuskokwim River region north of Bethel, also has big implications for our state.
The project is nearing completion of its feasibility study and final engineering. A decision to build the mine could come early next year. The construction cost is being updated and is expected to be in the range of $10 billion.
Here’s how the energy security part works: The plan for Donlin Gold is to power the mine with natural gas delivered through a 316-mile pipeline from Enstar Natural Gas Company’s Beluga Pipeline near Beluga, north of Anchorage, to the mine site near Crooked Creek, on the Kuskokwim River. The mine developers say about 11 billion cubic feet of gas will be needed yearly.
One could worry about how this will further strain gas supplies from Cook Inlet, where existing gas fields are being depleted, but here’s a different take on this: Southcentral Alaska’s natural gas needs will be met one way or another, either by gas through a pipeline from the North Slope or by imported liquefied natural gas, or LNG.
If the proposed Alaska LNG project, which includes the pipeline, moves ahead, Donlin Gold’s steady, year-round demand for gas will strengthen in-state demand and help the economics of Alaska LNG’s plan for phase one, which is only the North Slope pipeline. Utilities in Interior and Southcentral Alaska would initially be customers for the pipeline, but their demand is highly seasonal. Donlin Gold will be a steady, year-round customer, and its requirements would strengthen the viability of Alaska LNG’s phase one pipeline. An LNG export plant would come later in the project’s phase two.
But if the North Slope pipeline is not built and Southcentral Alaska has to import LNG, Donlin Gold is equally important. That’s because its year-round demand will help pay for the LNG import facilities that are needed. This would reduce the cost burden on utilities and gas and electric ratepayers in the region.
“Those loud noises you might have heard on Friday were most likely the sounds of heads exploding at the headquarters of the Center For Biological Diversity and Wild Earth Guardians after the Department of Interior published this release. Those two anti-development activist groups have been most guilty of abusing the Endangered Species Act in coordination with corrupt career bureaucrats at the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service over the last 30 years, expanding the application of what was once a noble law beyond all recognition to halt energy projects all across the nation.
Now, the Trump administration is proposing to bring that cottage industry to a crashing halt.” David Blackmon, 5 Big Energy Stories, July 12, 2026
Department of the Interior Restores Clear ESA Enforcement by Rescinding Misguided “Harm” Definition
The Department of the Interior and the Department of Commerce announced on July 10, 2026, that they have finalized a rule rescinding the outdated regulatory definition of “harm” under the Endangered Species Act. The action returns the interpretation of the ESA back to its actual text and original intent, which will end years of federal overreach. Through this action, the Department is delivering the kind of common sense and accountability the American people voted for.
This reform is based on the Supreme Court’s 2024 decision in Loper Bright v. Raimondo, which requires agencies to follow the single best meaning of a statute rather than contorting laws to fit political agendas. Using the legally justifiable standard, the Services determined that the prior definition of “harm” was an unlawful regulatory intrusion that interfered with private property rights.
“For years, federal agencies abused the ESA to obstruct lawful land use and burden American families and businesses,” said Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. “That approach turned routine activity into a regulatory trap, drove up costs that impacted people’s lives, and expanded federal authority beyond what Congress intended. This action restores common sense, respects private property, provides much-needed certainty for landowners and follows the statute Congress actually passed.”
“President Trump is rescinding overly broad and burdensome regulations that have restrained our fishermen for too long,” said Department of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. “We’re returning the ESA to its foundational purpose to ensure legitimate conservation goals are met without sacrificing economic growth and American prosperity.”
The ESA’s core protections remain firmly in place. Actions that directly injure or kill listed wildlife will continue to be prohibited. Existing permits and incidental take statements remain valid and unchanged. What ends today is a system that repeatedly punished people for indirect or speculative impacts never contemplated by Congress.
“This Administration is committed to protecting wildlife using Gold Standard Science, the law and the tools Congress actually gave us,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik. “We can protect species and respect communities at the same time.”
The final rule will reduce unnecessary permitting, cut compliance costs, and eliminate confusion for landowners, small businesses, energy producers, farmers, ranchers and local governments. It brings long overdue financial and regulatory relief to citizens who faced unpredictable delays and unnecessary costs due solely by interpretations that went far beyond the statute.
