By NICK BEGICH
Opening the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska — if there is one issue Alaskans agree on, this is it.
In poll after poll, an overwhelming majority of Alaskans – nearly 80% – say they support opening more of Alaska’s North Slope. Ted Stevens, Don Young, Frank Murkowski, and every governor of Alaska in recent memory –- all have gone on record supporting exploration and development of ANWR. It’s hard to think of an Alaskan issue that would have stronger bipartisan support.
Alaskans support it because we see it as a necessary next step in the development of our resources and the strengthening of our economy, only for it to be blocked by Outside environmental activists and the national Democrats who are beholden to them.
Alaskans realize that these Outside interests want to lock Alaska up and prevent us from having a prosperous future. We need representation who will stand for us, not stand with those who would block our potential.
But for Mary Peltola, this is apparently optional. We saw that clearly earlier this month when the question of opening ANWR and NPR-A came to the House floor in the form of the “Alaska’s Right to Produce Act.”
You may remember that when President Trump’s tax cuts passed Congress, they included provisions for lease sales in ANWR -– a stunning victory for Alaska resource development and the culmination of decades of work by our congressional delegation. But on his first day in office, President Joe Biden issued sweeping executive actions that suspended the ANWR leases and closed ANWR to further development. In what would become a pattern, Biden continued a relentless campaign against Alaskan development; the count of his unilateral actions locking up Alaska is now up to 63.
The Alaska’s Right to Produce Act rejects Biden’s closure of ANWR and would restart lease sales. One would think that our lone member of Congress would be an easy “yes” vote – and indeed, Peltola co-sponsored it when it was introduced last year.
But Mary Peltola first urged her colleagues to vote against it, voted to kill the bill, then voted “present” on it. Since only “yes” votes count toward passage, a “present” vote has the same effect as a “no” vote.
Why the flip-flop? She claims that there is a poison pill in the bill that somehow pits ANWR development against fish. The provision she cites doesn’t actually do that -– and it was in the bill when she co-sponsored it. When it was just a bipartisan bill with a catchy title, she co-sponsored it, with not a poison pill to be found.
But now that she’s in a serious fight for re-election, and needs support from Outside environmental interests, suddenly the bill doesn’t pass muster.
She’s scrambling to cover her actions, but one thing is clear: when Alaskan development is truly on the line, Mary doesn’t stand with us. In the battle between partisan politics and doing what’s right for Alaska, Mary Peltola has chosen the wrong side.
Peltola claims to be carrying the mantle of the late Congressman Don Young. But it is impossible to imagine Don Young voting “present” on a bill to open ANWR for exploration and drilling, a goal he promoted tirelessly for decades.
The “Alaska’s Right to Produce Act” did pass the U.S. House, and the vote was bipartisan. Five Democrats voted to open Alaska for resource development. If only Mary Peltola had been one of them.
If I’m elected to serve as your representative, my commitment is clear. I will advocate tirelessly for ANWR’s development, ensuring that Alaska remains at the forefront of America’s energy future. I will stand against those who seek to lock up our resources, denying us the prosperity that is rightfully ours.
I will be the voice in Congress that says “Yes” to Alaskan development, “Yes” to our economic future, and “Yes” to the enduring spirit of our great state.
Nick Begich is the leading Republican candidate for Alaska’s at-large seat in the U. S. Congress. To find out more about Nick, visit his campaign website.
You got my vote Nick!!
“Opening the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge and National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska — if there is one issue Alaskans agree on, this is it……..”
Both are on federal lands, and one is even entitled as a “reserve”. While I definitely support exploratory drilling in ANWR to ascertain what’s there, production in neither area would provide Alaska the windfall tax royalties that the Prudhoe fields provided (90% state instead of 50% on federal lands). Strategically, all we need is to keep the pipeline system in operation with minimum production while getting Keystone/Alberta oil sands in operation.
All this struggling over the past 40+ years between greedy power brokers and green ideologues has gotten disgustingly tiresome. Add Maduro and Putin to the political group, and it has gotten exceedingly more dangerous than the past half century with the Middle East clown show. Profiteers are starting to smell worse than lawyers.
No Reggie but they would put thousands of people to work both directly and indirectly which is worth more than the tax incentive.
Looks like you prefer Alaska as a state park, thats what no development does, nothing.
Nothing to advance infrastructure in any of our communities, none of us benefit.
Nothing to advance the living situation of all our remote cities and villages, no native benefits, same shit different day.
Nothing to improve the everyday lives of Alaskans, we will all have to rely on tourism to the state park known as Alaska.
“Looks like you prefer Alaska as a state park………”
Alaska IS a national park. It’s a done deal. Finished. Complete. Finalizado. Zakonchennyy. Do I “prefer” that? Well, I was here pre-1980 when that was being done to us, and no, I didn’t support it. I still resent it. They did it anyway, just like they do everything else to us. I suppose I could whine and cry about it, but that will change nothing just like the incessant whining and crying over the past 45 years changed nothing.
And, oh, by the way, Mr. Begich isn’t going to change anything, either. Stevens, Gravel, Murkowskis (two of them now), Young, Peltola, et all didn’t either. In fact, it was………..drumroll, please……….DONALD TRUMP who opened ANWR to exploratory drilling leasing and got the leases sold with a mere stroke of his pen. It took minutes. Yeah, the same DONALD TRUMP who our current Murkowski hates with seething passion, despite him doing what she has *claimed* to have been fighting for all these years.
And Brandon clamped a moritorium on the leases within hours of his inauguration.
Mr. Begich won’t do squat because he can’t. All he can do is make noise like everybody else, and this article is just that……….noise.
Reggie, the only way your comment can be credible is if you live in a mud hut, eking out an existence from the land in a neolithic manner… with no reliance on fossil-sourced energy. As you may know, all manufactured items, including the computer you typed you comment on, exist as a result of oil extraction. More importantly, foreign-sourcing fossil energy as you suggest makes America vulnerable to unpredictable geopolitics. The embedded hypocrisy is so typical of the leftist agenda. You need to demonstrate with your lifestyle how we should exist without fossil-sourced energy. Otherwise…. fill in the blank.
Nick Begich is the only candidate solidly grounded in facts and practical reality. His political perspectives give all Alaskans the most hope for gainful and prosperous living in our wonderful state.
“………Reggie, the only way your comment can be credible is if you live in a mud hut, eking out an existence from the land in a neolithic manner……….”
I used to. I evolved with the times. Looks like I’ll be going back to the crossbuck saw and splitting maul. I can live with that. If y’all can’t, you’d better head back to sunny southern California where the environment is less brutal, because you’re losing this culture/ideology war.
Yes to Pebble?
Nick lost two years ago, and he’ll lose this November. He might not even win the primary. While Nancy was visiting the border, Nick was writing a campaign commercial. He’s just not up for the job.
Ha! Begich was meeting voters in Fairbanks and North Pole while Dahlstrom was filming her campaign commercial in Arizona. You may be a “reliable voter” but you don’t seem to be able to recognize a campaign stunt when it’s staring you in the face.
RA, how does it feel to be so wrong? Just curious.
Did you mean “RV?”
You are a winner, Nick. Thank you for running again. We all hope Dahlstrom gets out of your way so that you can beat Peltola.
Let’s adjust our perspective a bit. We aren’t looking for a “winner” per se. Rather, we are looking for an effective, humble, and loyal servant. If we hire Nick then we are the winners.
And the ambler road.
Listen to Nick and vote for him. He’s the most capable candidate we’ve had in ages
THK YOU NICK
YOU HAVE MY VOTE
Peltola is a mistake, and her quisling nature has shown itself.
I’ve voted Nick every time, and will again.
We need a Rep. who is Alaska First and not beholden to outside interests.
The following statement on its’ face is factual:
“But on his first day in office, President Joe Biden issued sweeping executive actions that suspended….”
And the problem is the shell of an old morally corrupted man, who is not cognitively able to function is accepted as a lawful “president”. The puppeteers who actually tell him what to say, drug his body up to try squeak through pressers, and sign the directives and laws they write themselves are given the authority by people in leadership positions pretending this isn’t happening. It has been obvious for decades that our entire system of governance is operated in this manner and the Republicans are as involved as the Democrats. There is just no way to hide the strings on Biden, but the public is too stupid to care. People in office, or wish to be, need to be honest and speak openly to the public that the chief executive office is being used fraudulently. The Republicans have played the game my whole life. Never could get ANWR open for drilling. A good example is how the GOP was never serious to end Obamacare. We voted in a GOP president, senate and house and in the end it was McCain who killed the repeal. No accident there. If Begich survives the ranked choice mail in system it means he was selected for the seat and will just make excuses why he can’t perform.
NB3……..
100%
Alaska needs Nick.
I’m not so sure. Does he lean left like his father and grandfather? Is he like a Kennedy that turned Republican? Is he socialist like the old country of Croatia? What say you Nicholi?
Finally, an article where N Begich shows his stance on an issue. Something to consider after seeing who all decides to run (June 1 deadline) and when voting.
Many that object to the development of ANWR believe it to be a pristine untrod wilderness that would be ruined for eternity when the first drill rig showed up. They are wrong on several counts. In the late 70’s and early 80’s the ANWR was very much alive with exploration activity during the winter months. Geophysical Services Inc. (GSI) was all over that country with a fleet of D7 cats pulling cat trains loaded with exploration equipment and crew. The “shot hole” technique was still very much in use where a normal survey would include 6 holes to the mile. Some areas in ANWR were so promising that they warranted a “detailed survey” with up to 48 holes to the mile. Each hole charged with 200 pounds of dynamite and the resultant vibrations upon detonation recorded to reveal substrata formation. I know this for a fact as I was hauling the dynamite and blasting caps in with airplanes. The footprint of the area of interest is about the size of the Dulles International Airport, and with modern directional drilling techniques a single drill pad has a lot of reach with minimal environmental impact. During construction of the Trans Alaska Pipeline there were some that objected. For them there was a commonly seen bumper sticker. “Let The Bastards Freeze In The Dark” Same applies here.