Alaska stands as an American energy powerhouse, a vital gateway to energy dominance, economic prosperity and national security.

The 49th state holds half of U.S. coal resources, the country’s fourth-largest proved crude oil reserves, and the second-largest proved natural gas reserves behind Texas. 

On his first day in office, President Donald Trump recognized these untapped opportunities and issued an important executive order, Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential. 

He declared that developing Alaska’s energy resources would help deliver price relief for Americans and create high-quality jobs for our citizens while resolving trade imbalances and bolstering the nation’s exercise of global energy dominance.

ONE STATE’S NATURAL RESOURCES CAN FINALLY PUT AN END TO AMERICA’S RELIANCE ON CHINA

America should not have to rely on foreign energy sources to fuel our cars and heat our homes. It’s expensive, and those countries end up with leverage over the United States. 

Anyone who lived through the 1973 Arab oil embargo marked by long gasoline lines and fuel shortages understands this vulnerability.

Producing more of our resources – oil, gas, coal – at home lowers the price of energy used for electricity and transportation fuel, which helps bring more affordable goods and services to Americans.

President Trump’s EO ended the assault on Alaska’s sovereignty and its ability to responsibly develop these resources for the benefit of the nation. He reversed punitive restrictions implemented by the previous administration that prevented the U.S. from producing American energy on both state and federal lands in Alaska, which can now help spark an energy and economic revival.

PRESIDENT TRUMP IS PURSUING ENERGY DOMINANCE — CONGRESS SHOULDN’T GET IN THE WAY

Alaska’s Energy Goldmine

All of this settled in as I traversed the great state of Alaska last week with Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright, Sen. Dan Sullivan and the state’s governor, Mike Dunleavy.

From the Arctic Coastal Plain to the North Slope, the potential held within Alaska’s bastion of natural resources was clear. 

The U.S. Geological Survey says Alaska has at least 160 billion short tons, and possibly up to 5.5 trillion short tons. Yet only one surface coal mine – the Usibelli mine – is operational, supplying about 1.2 million tons annually to neighboring states and Asian allies. 

Coal mines also contain critical minerals required for our modern life, a reality unearthed by President Trump during his first term. He has already taken steps to expand sourcing critical minerals for national security.

MY FAMILY TRIED LIVING EUROPEAN-STYLE AUSTERITY. ONE STATE’S INSANE ENERGY AGENDA WANTS THAT AS A MODEL

Alaska is rich in critical minerals including graphite, lithium, tin, tungsten, rare earth elements and platinum-group elements – essential to everyday products Americans demand. Flake graphite, a major component in lithium-ion battery anodes, is currently 100% imported, but Alaska could provide domestic supply.

The state is also an oil and gas titan, yet most of the natural gas produced is not brought to market because of lack of pipeline infrastructure.

During President Trump’s first term, the oil and gas industry in Alaska supported 47,300 total jobs, provided $4.6 billion in labor income to Alaska and contributed $19.4 billion to Alaska’s total gross domestic product, which was more than 35% of the state’s total GDP. 

By contrast, the previous administration all but ended oil and gas drilling on the North Slope and canceled the seven remaining leases for drilling on the coastal plains, sacrificing economic growth, energy security, affordable reliable power generation and prosperity for all Alaskans.

AMERICA’S ENERGY CRISIS IS HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT AND IT’S WORSE THAN YOU KNOW

President Trump’s vision for us to unleash oil, gas, coal and even critical minerals in Alaska could generate billions of dollars in revenue and thousands of high-paying jobs. 

Producing this bounty would set us on a path to fulfill President Trump’s vision for U.S. energy dominance.

We can’t afford not to produce Alaskan energy.

Native Alaskans Have a Voice

I was fortunate to visit with the Chenega Regional Development Group, LLC and native Alaskans of the Chenega tribe on this trip. What struck me was their kindness, resilience and openness to energy development in their state.

While more than half of Alaskans live in Anchorage, Juneau or Fairbanks, most native Alaskans don’t – they inhabit much of the northern and southwestern regions.

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Native Inupiat Eskimos in Northern Alaska have said they do not want to be suspended in the 19th century, and most of the 20th when they struggled with no electricity, running water, toilets or sewage management.

They have struggled to stay warm, and in many cases, have nearly died from hypothermia when they lived without adequate energy and home heating.

All Americans must have access to adequate electricity and home heating. Climate activism cannot stand in the way of access to critical energy resources.

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We can produce and deliver energy, grow the economy, create jobs and simultaneously protect the environment. It’s not a binary choice. It’s a matter of urgency, humanity and national security.

Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential will help to power the Great American Comeback and lead America into its Golden Age of success. 

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A conservationist from Kennebunk, Maine, died in a helicopter crash while conducting conservation work in Alaska.

The death of Shiloh Schulte, PhD,, who previously served as an elected official in Kennebunk, was announced by the Manomet Conservation Sciences. A GoFundMe has been set up to support his family, including his wife and two daughters.

He was 46.

“Shiloh was a lifelong birdwatcher, conservationist, and scientist whose passion for the natural world was infectious,” the GoFundMe, co-organized by Jonah Jill Schulte reads. “From a young age, he could be found exploring forests and wetlands with binoculars in hand, always eager to discover and share the wonders of the avian world. His dedication to protecting shorebirds and their habitats took him to some of the most remote and challenging environments on Earth, where he worked tirelessly to ensure a future for these vulnerable species.”

Schulte previously served on the Kennebunk Select Board. Schulte was elected chairman of the board in July 2022. At the time, his colleagues said he had a “really great way about him to move things forward, regardless of where he is on the spectrum of an issue.”

Schulte’s work with the Manomet Conservation Sciences included working as the coordinator for the American Oystercatcher Recovery Program. He is credited with rebuilding the American Oystercatcher, a large shorebird once believed to be locally extirpated, by 45%.

“Shiloh gave his life in the service of something greater than himself, dedicating himself to preserving the natural world for future generations,” the Manomet Conservation Sciences said.

His family said he will be remembered as more than a scientist.

“Shiloh was so much more than a scientist,” the GoFundMe page states. “He was a devoted husband and father, a loving son and brother, a generous neighbor, and a pillar of his community. Whether he was helping a neighbor with yard work, leading the town Select Board, running a marathon or inspiring others through his photography and storytelling, Shiloh gave his all—always with a warm heart and boundless energy.”

The Trump Administration’s unilateral imposition of tariffs, tax cuts for the rich and elimination of cabinet departments and federal employees invite U.S. economic calamity.

The trade war tariffs will neither reduce U.S. trade deficits nor bring about a renaissance in American manufacturing. Federal government revenue generated by these tariffs will cover only a fraction of the revenue lost to tax cuts proposed in the federal budget bill. The oppressive, indiscriminate federal workforce reductions brought about by the Department of Government Efficiency raise deep concerns about the delivery of immediate critical health, safety and welfare services and longer-term agency function. One would be hard pressed to craft a more irresponsible economic policy. It punishes the poor today and future generations of Americans.

The Trump fiscal plan is corrosive for the U.S. as a whole and disastrous for Alaska in particular. Consider each of these fiscal plan elements in turn:

Trade war

The Trump administration’s heavy-handed tariffs on steel, aluminum, automobiles and other raw materials and finished goods are illegal and will raise the costs of imported cars, equipment, machinery and supplies to American manufacturing firms and ultimately result in higher costs passed through to intermediate goods and end-product consumers. In general, a tariff on imported goods and services amounts to a sales tax levied on domestic, U.S. businesses and consumers. It’s a highly regressive form of taxation, hitting low- and middle-income households the hardest. Right now, the blended ‘sales tax’ rate on all imported goods stands at 17.8 percent, up 15 points from its pre-2025 levels. Since imports are more than 11 percent of GDP, it’s a huge pending inflation uptick to consumer prices, which can already be seen in the recent, steep decline in consumer sentiment. Beyond this, the chaotic, haphazard implementation of tariff policy is acutely counterproductive to business investment because trade policy predictability is the cornerstone of well-managed fiscal policy. This is why federal law does not authorize the president to impose tariffs without congressional approval.

For Alaska commerce, which lies at the very edge of the global logistics, the impact from this hurtful cost structure and supply chain disruption has already fueled business network chaos and American brand destruction. Other damages include 1) weakened crude oil price impacts on state royalty and tax revenue, on Permanent Fund earnings, and on oil company capital project optics; 2) time-critical Alaska seafood market disruption from China and other Asia-Pacific counter-tariff policies; 3) falling tourism bookings and 4) disastrous cost increases on the already budget-stressed Alaska LNG energy lifeline. The ultimate outcome of this trade war for Alaska and American business is higher structural inflation, investment contraction, business slowdown, rising unemployment, climbing interest rates, and widening housing and stock market implosion – all tipping the U.S. and especially Alaska toward a recessionary downward spiral. And all entirely unwarranted and unnecessary.

Federal budget and tax cuts. The proposed “big beautiful” budget bill passed on May 22 by the House of Representatives will deepen federal debt to $40 trillion or to 125 percent of GDP by 2035. In response to this nightmare scenario, Moody’s rating agency lowered the U.S. government’s credit score. The U.S. bond market reacted; yields on medium- and long-term US Treasury bonds spiked yet again. According to CBO estimates, the proposed tax cuts will lower after-tax income to the bottom 40% and raise after tax-income to the richest 10%. In addition to tariff shocks, Alaska household disposable income and business earnings will be impaired by the combined impacts of regressive income taxation and higher interest costs.

Beyond these disturbing policy and market dislocations, the proposed budget bill imposes unconscionable safety net impairment to America’s most vulnerable population, including added work requirements and cuts to healthcare spending ($715 billion), SNAP/food stamps ($300 billion), and Medicare ($500 billion). Alaska’s 279,000 Medicaid recipients (including 109,000 children) would face about $3 billion in uncovered healthcare costs for which no safety net alternative exists.

Department of Government Efficiency actions. Over the past 90 days, DOGE has carried out indiscriminate layoffs of about 280,000 federal employees and contractors without consideration for organizational structure and job function; all in the quest to save money by eliminating waste. The layoffs have extended beyond federal agencies, affecting contractors and nonprofit organizations that rely on federal funding. The ripple effect has led to additional job losses, with over 4,400 positions eliminated in related sectors.

Alaska’s 15,000 federal employees, including about 8,000 military, play a disproportionate role in our economy, both in public service delivery and in disposable income. Alaska’s federal workforce serve in mostly year-round jobs, are among the state’s highest paid workers and, critically, they spend locally. Setting aside diminished quality-of-life, public safety and security, a 15% reduction in Alaska’s federal workforce — well below DOGE 20-30% federal reduction target — would result in direct, devastating $250 million in lost wages to local business spending, based on $1.6 billion in reported Alaska federal workforce earnings in 2024 from Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Add to this further indirect, additional multiplier losses that would follow in step.

Taken together, the Trump Administration’s tariffs and tax cuts will cause economic chaos and destruction. So far, global tariffs — even those recently scaled back — have resulted in trillions of dollars in U.S. capital market destruction, enormous financial market instability, and the promise of rising inflation with slowing economic growth. President Trump’s faulty perception of tariff ‘medicine’ to fix bilateral trade deficits and to generate new federal revenue is analogous to a physician prescribing heavy chemo doses to a perfectly healthy patient. Furthermore, giving gigantic tax cuts to the wealthiest households is like to prescribing steroids to the now-ailing patient — due entirely to unnecessary and irresponsible tariff poisoning! And DOGE’s reckless efforts have brought disruption and dysfunction to all levels of the federal government’s responsibility for: protecting individual rights, overseeing infrastructure and commerce, and providing a safety net lifeline.

Bottom Line: The Alaska congressional delegation must continue to build the congressional coalitions to accomplish three critical things:

• Assert congressional tariff-making authority and oversight to reign in the president,

• Restore congressional authority for federal program formation and spending, and

• Craft a budget that protects the safety net and keeps guard rails on federal deficit expansion.

Will Nebesky is an economist and pilot who lives in Anchorage.

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