Opinion: Alaska must speak with one voice about the future of a natural gas pipeline

“North to the Future” wasn’t just a motto in my family. It was a lived experience.

My grandfather came to Alaska in 1948 as a Local 302 heavy equipment operator. He helped build roads and airports across this state and ultimately worked on the trans-Alaska pipeline. He came north because Alaska was rising.

Back then, the spirit of this state was dynamic and confident. When opportunity appeared, we seized it. We were growing. Our infrastructure expanded and our young people stayed. Alaska believed in its future.

Today, Washington, D.C., and Wall Street are watching us again. They’re not just studying engineering plans for the Alaska LNG project. They’re listening for something deeper: Does Alaska still believe in itself? Does Alaska truly want this project?

If our message is confused, if we hedge, undercut or politicize this moment, the answer they will hear is “no.” And once that perception hardens, capital and federal focus will move elsewhere.

Energy security is not optional. Southcentral utilities have made it clear that we lack sufficient long-term, firm gas commitments beyond the near horizon. Without a durable solution, Alaska, sitting atop one of the largest untapped gas resources in North America, could soon be importing natural gas to heat homes and power businesses.

Importing energy in a resource-rich state is not resilience. It is vulnerability. Renewables absolutely have a role in Alaska’s future. So does hydro. So does coal. Alaska should be all-in on energy. We are one of the most resource-endowed places on Earth. There is no reason to think small.

Exporting North Slope gas does not displace our need to develop in-state hydro, responsible coal, wind, solar and emerging technologies. It complements them.

Let’s export the gas the world needs and reserve the gas Alaskans require for reliability.

And let’s continue diversifying our in-state portfolio to power industry and strengthen resilience. Energy abundance is not a contradiction. It is a strategy.

AKLNG is not simply an export project. It is an energy security project for Alaska and a strategic energy project for America. The economic upside is significant. The Alaska Gasline Development Corp. projects that AKLNG could generate roughly $600 million per year in total state revenues once operational — royalties, production taxes and related activity. That is a baseline estimate. If Alaska participates as a co-investor, long-term revenue potential increases substantially.

Talk about a revenue generator. At a time when policymakers debate new taxes on industry and even on individual Alaskans just to balance the books, we are staring at a project capable of producing hundreds of millions annually while strengthening energy security. That should be a no-brainer.

Meanwhile, our oil and gas industry is doing extraordinary work revitalizing North Slope production. Projects like Willow and Pikka are restoring throughput and revenue. The private sector is demonstrating confidence in Alaska’s future. The question is whether we will match that confidence.

For too long, we have allowed doubt and policy paralysis to define the conversation. We debate. We delay. We send mixed signals. Investors can model engineering risk and regulatory timelines. What they cannot model is political incoherence.

From the perspective of Washington and Wall Street, confusing or contradictory signals from Alaska’s elected leadership are more destabilizing than permitting hurdles. No financier commits billions into a jurisdiction that sounds ambivalent. No federal partner prioritizes a state that publicly undercuts itself.

We built the trans-Alaska pipeline because we believed in Alaska’s future more than we feared obstacles. That generation understood something simple: When opportunity arrives, you seize it. AKLNG is such a moment. The gas is here. The markets are real. Federal alignment is strong. Our broader energy portfolio is vast. Our workforce is capable.

Alaska has always been a powerhouse of people and resources. If we want energy security, we must say so clearly. If we want diversified energy, we must pursue it boldly. If we want growth, we must demonstrate confidence. Washington is listening. Wall Street is listening. The next generation is listening.

Let’s show them that Alaska still knows how to seize the moment — and rise.

Rep. Chuck Kopp currently serves as the Majority Leader in the Alaska House of Representatives and represents District 10.

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