Dunleavy has asked President-elect Donald Trump to issue a state-specific executive order that would set in motion “critical agency actions that would restore opportunity to Alaska" in line with Trump's first administration. Dunleavy and other Republican political leaders in the state have expressed excitement about Trump's return to the White House and believe he will be more friendly to oil and gas, mineral and other resource development than President Joe Biden.
Alaska has a long history of fighting what it sees as federal overreach, particularly when it comes to decisions that hinder development of the state’s vast resources.
Dunleavy outlined his requests in a letter to Trump dated Nov. 15 and publicly released this week. He is also asking Trump to create a Cabinet-level task force that would have the Interior Department, Environmental Protection Agency and other agencies work together on Trump’s Alaska-specific policy goals.
Dunleavy, in an interview with The Associated Press last month, said he considers the concept of an energy transition from fossil fuels “pretty much dead — meaning, demand for energy is growing so exponentially, there’s very few experts that believe it can get there without fossil fuels.”
“I personally would love to see the whole renewable world continue to expand, and I would love to see the oil and gas world, and coal, expand, especially if we can capture that carbon,” he said.
He has billed carbon offset and underground storage programs as a way for Alaska to diversify its revenues while continuing to develop resources such as oil and gas, coal and timber and not impose new taxes.
