STATE THAT HAS ALL THE MINERALS
AND RARE EARTHS NEEDED TO SUPPLY
VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS.
ALASKA’S GOVERNOR JOINING ME
NOW.
GOVERNOR, IT’S WILD, YOU KNOW,
YOU TALK ABOUT RARE MINERALS
FROM CHINA THAT WE’RE GETTING,
AND NOW THEY’RE EXPANDING INTO
CANADA, THE U.S. IS LOOKING TO
GET THEM FROM CANADA.
WHAT ABOUT THE U.S.?
I MEAN, IT SEEMS TO BE AN
AMERICA LAST POLICY.
>> IT MAKES NO SENSE TO ME AT
ALL.
WHEN I READ THAT ARTICLE,
LITERALLY I WAS SLACK-JAWED.
WE HAVE 30 OF THE 35 RARE EARTHS
HERE IN ALASKA, NOT TO MENTION
GOLD, COPPER, SILVER, COMMERCIAL
GRADE GRAPHITE.
WE HAVE EVERYTHING THIS COUNTRY
NEEDS.
WE ARE PART OF THIS COUNTRY, AND
YET WE LEARN ABOUT A LOW-KEY
DISCUSSION GOING ON WITH OUR
BATTERY PRODUCERS AND OUR
ELECTRIC CAR PRODUCERS HERE IN
AMERICA GOING TO CANADA,
RELATIONSHIPS WITH CANADA.
DON’T GET ME WRONG, THE
CANADIANS ARE GREAT NEIGHBORS,
BUT ALASKA HAS A LOT OF THESE
MATERIALS, ELEMENTS, RARE EARTHS
THAT WE NEED.
WE COULD ALSO USE THE INVESTMENT
HERE IN ALASKA.
WE DO IT BETTER THAN ANYWHERE
ELSE IN THE WORLD.
WE HAVE SOME OF THE STRICTEST
ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS THERE
IS.
SO IF YOU’RE AN ENVIRONMENTALIST
AND YOU WANT TO SAVE THE
ENVIRONMENT ON A GLOBAL SCALE,
DO THIS WORK HERE IN AMERICA
WHERE YOU CAN KEEP AN EYE ON IT.
DAVID: YEAH.
WELL, YOU CERTAINLY DO IT A LOT
BETTER THAN THE CHINESE.
I MEAN, WHO ARE BIG POLLUTERS.
BUT SECRETARY BLINKEN WAS IN
ALASKA LAST WEEK TALKING TO THE
CHINESE.
I UNDERSTAND YOU TALKED TO HIM
ON THE PHONE.
DUD YOU MENTION THIS SUBJECT TO
HIM AND HOW DID HE RESPOND?
>> IT WAS A VERY SHORT
CONVERSATION.
WE HAVE A WHOLE HOST OF ISSUES
THAT WE’RE DEALING WITH THE NEW
ADMINISTRATION ON, OIL AND GAS,
FOR EXAMPLE.
WE HAD A CONVERSATION THAT ONLY
LASTED A FEW MINUTES, BUT WE
PRESSED OUR POINT THAT WE NEED
TO BE PART OF THE DISCUSSIONS.
WE HAVE REACHED OUT TO THIS
ADMINISTRATION BUT, IN ESSENCE,
WE’VE REALLY HEARD NOTHING BACK.
WE’VE GOT TO PRESS OUR CASE, BUT
NONETHELESS DO IT HERE IN
AMERICA, BUILD BY AND MINE HERE
IN AMERICA BECAUSE YOUR GOING TO
KEEP -- YOU’RE GOING TO KEEP THE
JOBS, THE REVENUE AND THE WEALTH
HERE, AND YOU CAN PROTECT THE
ENVIRONMENT.
RIGHT NOW IT’S, IT LOOKS LIKE
WE’RE ON THE VERGE OF BEING
CANCELED.
DAVID: NOW, LET ME TALK ABOUT
ANWAR FOR A SECOND.
THAT’S A BEAUTIFUL RESERVE,
MILLIONS OF ACRES.
I MAY BE WRONG ON THAT, BUT IT’S
CLOSE TO IT.
AND ONLY A SMALL PORTION OF IT,
UNDER 10%, I BELIEVE, WOULD BE
USED FOR DRILLING OR WAS BEING
USED FOR DRILLING OR EXPLORATION
FOR OIL.
THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION’S CUT
THAT OUT COMPLETELY.
IS THERE ANY HOPE OF MOVING THE
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION ON THAT
ISSUE AT ALL?
BECAUSE, AGAIN, NOT ONLY IS IT A
SMALL PERCENTAGE OF ANWAR, YOU
DO IT MORE CLEANLY THAN ANY
OTHER OWL COMPANY IN THE WORLD.
OIL COMPANY IN THE WORLD.
>> YEAH.
WE DON’T FLARE OUR GAS IN
ALASKA.
IT GOES BACK INTO THE GROUND.
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT A
POSTAGE-SIZE STAMP BUT A
FOOTBALL FIELD, THAT WOULD BE
THE FOOTPRINT.
AND, YOU KNOW, THE THING IS OUR
INDIGENOUS FOLKS LIVE RIGHT ON
TOP OF THAT RESERVE, AND THEY
ARE PRO-DEVELOPMENT.
THEY PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT,
THEY DO IT THE RIGHT WAY.
THE ANWAR LEASE SALES ARE PART
OF A TAX LAW WHEN PRESIDENT
TRUMP WAS IN PASSED BY CONGRESS.
WE DON’T UNDERSTAND HOW THROUGH
EXECUTIVE ORDER THEY CAN CANCEL
LEASE SALES WHEN THIS IS
ACTUALLY A LAW THAT WAS PASSED.
AGAIN, WE LOOK FORWARD TO
WORKING WITH THE BIDDEN
ADMINISTRATION IF, BUT WE’RE --
BIDEN ADMINISTRATION, BUT WE’RE
GOING TO HAVE TO PENETRATE THE
WALL THAT’S BEEN SET UP.
DAVID: SINCE IT WAS A LAW ARE,
GOVERNOR, ARE YOU GOING TO
CHALLENGE IT IN COURT?
>> WE’RE GOING TO CHALLENGE IT,
YES.
DAVID: HAVE YOU SET THE MOTIONS
OF THAT IN PROGRESS ALREADY?
>> WE’RE WOK ON IT -- WORKING ON
IT NOW WITH OUR DEPARTMENT OF
LAW.
WE HAVE NO CHOICE BECAUSE,
AGAIN, IT WAS A LAW THAT HAS
PASSED, THE SALES HAVE OCCURRED.
THERE’S SUPPOSED TO BE ANOTHER
TRANCHE OF SALES UNDER THAT LAW,
SO WE HAVE TO TO PRESS OUR CASE.
THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANWAR IS
VITAL TO ALASKA AND PUTTING OIL
INTO THE PIPELINE, IT’S VITAL
FOR AMERICA.
DAVID: HAVE THEY ABSOLUTELY
REFUSED TO TALK TO YOU ABOUT
THIS?
>> HAVEN’T HAD, HAVEN’T HAD
REALLY ANY CONVERSATION WITH THE
ADMINISTRATION.
WE’RE REACHING OUT, WE’RE TRYING
TO GET SOMETHING SET UP.
BUT WE’LL KEEP PRESSING --
DAVID: I MEAN, YOU DID TALK TO
THE SECRETARY OF STATE ABOUT THE
RARE MINERALS, BUT YOU DIDN’T
MENTION TO HIM, BY THE WAY, CAN
YOU DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE OIL
LEASING?
>> WE DID.
WE DID, AND HE SAID HE WOULD
PASS IT ON.
AND WE ALSO MENTIONED TO HIM
THAT THERE’S A LACK OF DIALOGUE
AND WE HOPE TO IMPROVE THAT, SO
HE SAID HE WOULD TALK WITH
MEMBERS IN THE BIDEN
ADMINISTRATION.
DAVID: VERY QUICKLY BECAUSE
WE’VE GOT TO GO, BUT WHAT ARE
THE WORKERS WHO WERE COUNTING ON
THE WORK GOING ON IN ANWAR, WHAT
ARE THEY GOING TO BE DOING NOW
IN.
>> WELL, I GUESS THEY MIGHT BE
GOING TO CANADA TO HELP THE
CANADIANS SET UP MINES TO SUPPLY
AMERICA.
THEY’RE PROBABLY GOING TO GO
WHERE THE JOBS GO JUST LIKE
ANYWHERE, ANYONE DOES.
YOU GO WHERE THE JOBS ARE.
AND THAT’S THE PROBLEM.
WE’RE GOING TO LOSE OPPORTUNITY
THE HERE IN ALASKA, WE’RE GOING
TO LOSE OPPORTUNITY IN THIS
COUNTRY.
AND, QUITE FRANKLY, I THINK TO
SOME DEGREE IT’S MADNESSES.
WE REALLY HAVE TO HAVE A
DIALOGUE ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO IN
THIS COUNTRY AND DO IT BETTER