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Tim Barto: Recap of pro-life and pro- family gathering at Governor’s Mansion in Juneau

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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Tim Barto: Recap of pro-life and pro- family gathering at Governor’s Mansion in Juneau

By TIM BARTO

It’s nice to have allies, especially in today’s political climate, and it’s reassuring to know there are like-minded people who support positive things, such as life and family. Such a gathering took place this past Tuesday, as Alaska Family Council held a reception at the Governor’s Mansion in Juneau.

Mike Dunleavy couldn’t attend because of an important trip outside, but he was gracious to still allow his official residence to be the gathering spot for the event, outside of which flew two pro-life flags, right below the Alaska state flag – a bold display of support for the pre-born.

Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom and Attorney General Treg Taylor were in attendance representing the executive branch, and with the following members of the legislative branch:

Reps. Jeremy Bynum, Sarah Vance, Justin Ruffridge, Bill Elam, Julie Coulombe, Mia Costello, David Nelson, Jamie Allard, Delena Johnson, Cathy Tilton, Jubilee Underwood, Elexie Moore, George Rauscher, Kevin McCabe, Mike Prax, Frank Tomaszewski, and Rebecca Schwanke; Sens. James Kaufman, Shelley Hughes, Rob Yundt, and Rob Myers.

These elected officials (Republicans all) were joined by church leaders, pregnancy resource center volunteers other pro-life staff members, and some folks who simply support AFC’s work and wanted to hear what the group is focusing on.

Dahlstrom addressed the gathered, speaking of the need for maintaining faith-based principles, especially at a time of fierce political divisiveness and debate. Her calm but confident demeanor projected optimism for the future of the state.

AFC Vice President Tim Barto informed the crowd of some of the bills AFC is supporting, such as Sen. Shelley Hughes’ constitutional amendment (SJR1) stating there is nothing in our state’s constitution that may be construed to secure or protect a right to an abortion or require state funds to pay for an abortion. Hughes continues to be one of the most outspoken supporters of common sense and common decency. She knows this proposed amendment, as well as other conservative social causes she supports, will bring condemnation from the Left, but she maintains her integrity by continuing to stand up for traditional values.

As does Rep. Jamie Allard, who has once again introduced a bill (HB40) to save girls’ sports from intrusion and ruination by boys who think they’re girls. Rep. Allard has also introduced a bill (HB45) to disallow flags promoting political ideologies – to include race, gender, or sexual orientation – from being flown inside public schools.

Rep. Sarah Vance has two bills (HB46 & HB47) designed to prevent from minors from accessing online pornography, and stiffening penalties for people who make, distribute, or sell that most vile of sexual material.

Sen. Robert Myers has put forward a bill (SB9) to provide a safe way for parents who don’t want to, or feel they can’t, take care of their infant children to drop them off in a secure manner at hospitals, emergency rooms, and police and fire departments. Representative Tomaszewski introduced the same bill (HB64) in the House. While it’s unfathomable to many of us that a parent would give up their young child, these proposed infant safety devices provide an alternative to the horror stories we hear about infants being left in dumpsters, bathrooms, or snowbanks.

All the bills mentioned so far come from conservative stalwarts, the type of people with whom AFC most commonly aligns, but there are a few bills that the organization supports that come from less likely sources. AFC supports SB18 and HB57, bills introduced by Sen. Bill Wielechowski and Rep. Zack Fields, respectively, which call for prohibiting cell phones in the schools. 

Wielechowski also  introduced a financial literacy bill (SB22) that makes sense. Teaching students about money, investments, student aid applications, and how to balance a checkbook provides real-world knowledge they will all use. 

Even Sen. Gary Stevens has a bill (SB23) AFC likes – a mandatory Civics class for high schoolers. A couple of decades ago Social Studies replaced Civic, kicking the door open for lessons based on wokeism, critical race theory, and revisionist history. Civics calls for teaching the foundational principles and documents of the United States, federalism, and elections and campaigns. As with the financial literacy requirements, this is stuff every American student should know.

AFC President Jim Minnery also spoke at the event, giving an update on the state of AFC and announcing an effort to reduce abortions within the Native communities. Alaska Natives make up 15 percent of the state’s population but are the recipients of nearly 30 percent of the state’s abortions. This runs counter to what is actually a historically pro-life population. 

Minnery also let the assembled know that LifeWise Academy, the privately run and financed organization that takes public school children to Bible study during school hours is slated to begin such a program to Clark Middle School students this Fall. 

So, while it often feels as though Alaska’s conservatives are losing influence because the current “bipartisan” coalitions prevent conservative social bills from being heard, it is nice to know that there are people working to  advance good legislation and forward pro-family and pro-life principles.

Tim Barto is vice president of Alaska Family Council and a regular contributor to Must Read Alaska.

Tim Barto: This year’s education bills, from soup to nuts

Linda Boyle: More news about Covid vaccine side effects

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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Linda Boyle: More news about Covid vaccine side effects

By LINDA BOYLE

A professor of sociology and public affairs at Princeton University wrote a column for the New York Times entitled “We Were Badly Misled About the Event that Changed our Lives.”

Note that the word “Covid” was not mentioned in the New York Times‘ headline.

Tufekci wrote of how Americans were led to believe Covid-19 started in the Wuhan Huanan Seafood wholesale wet market in China.

So strong was this belief that when the EcoHealth Alliance lost its grant to study bat viruses in Wuhan, 77 Nobel laureates and 31 scientific societies lined up to defend the nonprofit. The Nobel laureates asked for an investigation into why the grant was cancelled.

Many people might say that this is all old news. Why still be talking about what happened five years ago? (Read Tufekci’s column at this link.)

We need to learn from these events. Hiding the truth from the public doesn’t give most of us comfort that the government is here to help. The Wuhan Institute of Virology is still doing dangerous research into making bat viruses that are even more lethal to humans.

Linda Boyle: New virus reported in Wuhan

I haven’t seen anything to tell me the Wuhan lab has dramatically increased its safety measures to mitigate the risks.  

Remember the research or lack thereof for the “vaccines” created to fight Covid-19? We were told the risks were minimal and without the jab, you would die.

Then-President Joe Biden stated, “Look, the only pandemic we have is among the unvaccinated.”

That also didn’t turn out to be true.

As we move into an era where so many people no longer believe in the safety of vaccines, we need more transparency and earlier reporting of what major side effects can occur. No vaccine is without side effects—some are fatal.  But we must be able to evaluate the risk versus the benefits without waiting years to find the truth.

A newly published peer-reviewed study in Science, Public Health Policy & the Law strengthens the link between the Covid-19 jab and a variety  of fatal adverse events.

Nicholas Hulscher, MPH, reviewed 325 autopsy cases from 44 published studies and found that “73.9% of deaths were adjudicated by independent physicians as being directly caused by, or significantly linked to, COVID-19 vaccination​.“

The leading causes of death included:

  • Sudden cardiac death (35%)
  • Pulmonary embolism (12.5%)
  • Myocardial infarction (heart attack) (12%)
  • Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT, 7.9%)
  • Myocarditis (7.1%)
  • Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (4.6%)
  • Cerebral hemorrhage (3.8%)

Most of these deaths occurred within the first two weeks after the jab—the highest concentration was in the first week.  

This peer review study was originally withdrawn from Science Direct by the editor-in-chief due to concerns raised over the research and its conclusions.

Not to be deterred, the authors republished the study following a successful peer-review in the journal Science, Public Health Policy, and the Law.

In her New York Times article, Tufekci stated that to give the appearance of agreement, some officials and scientists just hid or understated critical facts, “misled at least one reporter”, and created a coordinated campaign of “independent voices” to tell the same story.  These scientists even wrote notes to each other on how to hide communications so the public would not hear the truth.  

Data that contradict mainstream media perspectives should be made public, not suppressed.    

Unless Health and Social Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. can break up the deep state and begin to provide true scientific data concerning vaccine side effects, I don’t believe most people will be lining up for any of the new “vaccines” that are being developed. 

I believe it will take a long time, unfortunately, for people to believe they can trust what they hear from the government when it comes to vaccines.  

The current measles outbreak is a symptom of our mistrust in the government and Big Pharma.

It’s hard to trust someone or some agency again once you know they deliberately lied to hide their involvement in the creation of a pandemic.

Linda Boyle, RN, MSN, DM, was formerly the chief nurse for the 3rd Medical Group, JBER, and was the interim director of the Alaska VA. Most recently, she served as Director for Central Alabama VA Healthcare System. She is the director of the Alaska Covid Alliance/Alaskans 4 Personal Freedom.

Linda Boyle: DOGE puts stop to the fawning Fauci museum exhibit that taxpayers would have paid for
Linda Boyle: Will Fauci face justice?
18 state attorneys general ask Congress to investigate Fauci’s role in Covid-19 response

Which anti-homeschool judge did the Alaska Bar Association just recommend to the federal bench?

Suzanne Downing
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Which anti-homeschool judge did the Alaska Bar Association just recommend to the federal bench?

It’s showtime for getting two federal judgeships filled for Alaska. Currently, two positions on the three-member Alaska US District Court bench are vacant, and Judge Sharon Gleason has reached the age of retirement and may open up a vacancy if she moves to the “senior judge” status. That would mean three new federal judges for Alaska.

In the process used by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the list of applicants to the Alaska Bar Association for the two US District Court judgeships that are open included the following 12 names:

  • Jessica Moats Alloway
  • Joseph F. Busa
  • Robert W. Corbisier
  • Michael J. Heyman
  • Ronald W. Opsahl
  • Scott A. Oravec
  • Danée Lynn Pontious
  • Kyle Reardon
  • Ian Wheeles
  • Joan M. Wilson
  • Justin R. Works
  • Adolf V. Zeman

The Alaska Bar Association polled its members in February to see which of the judge applicants have the most support from Alaska attorneys to get a lifetime appointment to the federal bench.

Most of the names on the list received little support. Most of their qualifications were not known by the bar association attorney colleagues who took the poll.

Just one stood out: Activist Superior Court Judge Adolf Zeman was at the top of the attorneys’ internal poll.


Judge Zeman as the Bar Association’s favorite for promoting to the federal bench is an interesting pick and reveals much about the association process that Murkowski uses. The Alaska Bar Association is a liberal group and 24% of those who answered the poll said Zeman is extremely well qualified, while another 19% said he is well qualified and 12% said he is qualified. No other applicant even came close.

But Zeman may be Alaskans’ second-least favorite Adolf.

Last year, he decided that Alaska’s correspondence study students were second-class citizens and could not get state support for their education unless it came from a public institution — a government school. Typically people homeschool their students because they don’t want them in government schools.

An Alaska judge just destroyed correspondence education in Alaska. What else did Judge Adolf Zeman destroy?

Revealing about the judgment of the Alaska Bar Association members is that applicant Michael Heyman only received 1% support as “Extremely Well Qualified.” Heyman was appointed last month to run the Alaska office of the Department of Justice by US Attorney General Pam Bondi, who is a Trump appointment. Heyman is the current US District Attorney for Alaska. One 1% of the bar association members said Heyman is extremely well qualified.

The Alaska Bar Association poll is now in the hands of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, who relies on the association for recommendations that she will make to the president. Because of her poor standing with and dogged opposition to President Donald Trump, it’s unlikely that the names she forwards will be considered. She has already forwarded one name.

Breaking: Activist Superior Court judge rules against correspondence schools when it comes to state support

Sen. Dan Sullivan has developed a different process for recommending these judgeships, something Murkowski wants no part of because it cuts out the liberal bar association.

Sullivan set up the Alaska Federal Judiciary Council in 2023 to assist the senators in recommending candidates for federal judicial vacancies in Alaska. He sees it as an alternative to the bar association process, but Murkowski said it would only slow the process down.

Sullivan aimed to use this council to identify candidates with “character, experience, and an unflinching commitment to the rule of law,” reflecting his priorities for federal judgeships.

The council is chaired by attorney Sean Parnell, a former Alaska governor and current chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage.

The council consists of nine members including a mix of attorneys and non-attorneys with diverse professional experiences. Notable members include Jonathan Katchen, a former federal judicial nominee; Loren Leman, former lieutenant governor; Stephen Cox, a general counsel and former US Attorney in Texas; and Kim Reitmeier, president of the ANCSA Regional Association.

The council’s process involves soliciting applications, reviewing candidates, and providing Sullivan with advice on potential nominees. Applicants submitted a questionnaire available on Sullivan’s Senate website, and the council evaluated them before making recommendations.

Sullivan will forward his preferred candidates to the White House through the “blue slip” process by which senators have influence over the judge nomination process. Sullivan’s approach follows the pattern used in 25 other states.

While 12 attorneys are on the Alaska Bar Association poll, about double the number of attorneys applied to the Alaska Federal Judicial Council, which has yet to announce its recommendations to Sullivan. Here is the link to Sen. Sullivan’s web page for the AFJC.

The process continues with the senators’ recommendations to the president, who will pick his choices; those nominees are forwarded to the Senate Judiciary Committee, which then forwards its recommendations to the full Senate for the advice and consent process. Both senators are usually consulted in the “blue slip” process that goes along with advice and consent, which means they both must agree on the nominees before the Judiciary Committee chairman (Sen. Chuck Grassley) will take up the matter.

That could be tricky, with Murkowski increasingly moving to the left.

Sullivan’s judicial council receives 16 applications for federal judgeships
Two, even three federal judgeships for Alaska could be decided by Trump this year

Man accused of multiple bomb threats in Alaska is arrested in Arizona

Suzanne Downing
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Man accused of multiple bomb threats in Alaska is arrested in Arizona

A man accused of making multiple bomb threats in Alaska was arrested in Flagstaff, Ariz. on March 6, following a federal grand jury indictment that was announced in December 2024.

Christopher Gilbert, 33, allegedly made six bomb threats in 2023, targeting key locations in Alaska.

On Oct. 17, 2023, he is accused of calling in bomb threats to Ted Stevens International Airport, Fairview Elementary School in Anchorage, and Maniilaq Health Center in Kotzebue. Two months later, on December 8, he allegedly made additional threats to the same airport, as well as O’Malley Elementary School in Anchorage and Harborview Elementary School in Juneau.

Prosecutors claim that Gilbert called in the threats and demanded the evacuation of a hospital, as he claimed bombs were planted in a school, and even alleged that a pipe bomb was hidden on a plane. Investigators also believe that at least one of the threats was made in retaliation against a family member who refused to give him money.

Gilbert faces six counts of making bomb threats in interstate commerce. He appeared before a U.S. Magistrate Judge in the U.S. District Court for the District of Arizona and will be transported to Alaska for further legal proceedings. If convicted, he could face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

The arrest was announced by the FBI Anchorage Field Office and is being investigated by the FBI. The prosecution is led by Assistant US Attorney William Taylor, with assistance from the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.

House Republicans send letter of apology to Sen. Sullivan for House Democrats’ obnoxious behavior

Suzanne Downing
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House Republicans send letter of apology to Sen. Sullivan for House Democrats’ obnoxious behavior

House Republicans in Juneau were appalled at the behavior of the House Democrats in the question-and-answer portion of US Sen. Dan Sullivan’s speech to a joint session of the Legislature on Thursday.

Democrats rudely addressed the senator in a display that appeared to be coordinated attack with Speaker Bryce Edgmon. The Democrats did not treat Sen. Lisa Murkowski in the same way when she spoke to the body on Tuesday. They mainly gave her a pass, clapping softly, while Republicans sat quiet during Murkowski’s speech.

For Sullivan, the Democrats all took a card from the deck of ever-shrill US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, making wild claims filled with misinformation as they peppered Sullivan, who took it all in stride. They did not faze the senator, who was once the attorney general for Alaska and is a subject expert on every question they lobbed his way.

But so dismayed were the Republicans in the House about the attack on Sullivan that they quickly wrote a letter of apology to the senator for their colleagues’ misbehavior.

The letter started out by thanking Sullivan for coming to the Legislature and addressing the joint session.

“On behalf of the House Republican Caucus of the Alaska State Legislature, we wish to extend our heartfelt gratitude for your compelling and insightful speech delivered to our body today. Your address was both impactful and informative, shining a much-needed spotlight on the pressing issues facing Alaska. We deeply appreciate the dedication you and your staff have shown in tackling these challenges head-on—crashing through that proverbial brick wall, as it were. Thanks to your efforts, we are finally witnessing tangible progress for Alaska, and we join together in celebrating this momentum. It is nothing short of fantastic,” the letter stated.

Indeed, the speech Sullivan delivered got rave reviews. He brought ample good news for Alaska, from oil and gas production to military and national security improvements. But the Democrats came loaded for bear.

“Beyond our appreciation, however, we feel compelled to address a matter of significant concern and disappointment. It is with sincere regret that we write to apologize for the discourteous treatment you endured from some of our colleagues during the question-and-answer session following your remarks. The tone and manner of certain inquiries—preceded by what can only be described as unnecessary grilling and regrettable rhetoric — fell far short of the respect and decorum you deserve as a United States Senator who graciously accepted our invitation to speak. To say we were merely disappointed would understate the depth of our dismay. Alaska’s legislative body is better than this, and most of us recognize that such conduct does not reflect our values or the esteem in which we hold you,” the lawmakers said.

Some House members noted privately that when Rep. Mary Peltola spoke to the Legislature last year, the Republicans treated her with respect — unlike what happened on Thursday with the coordinated attack that Democrats staged, with the consent of the two Republicans who have joined the Democrat-led caucus, Rep. Louise Stutes and Rep. Chuck Kopp.

“Please accept our sincere apologies for this lapse. Know that we have the utmost respect for your leadership, your service, your Alaska centric focus, and the dignity you bring to your office. While we would fully understand if this experience left you hesitant to return, we earnestly hope it will not deter you from gracing us with your presence and wisdom in the future. We look forward to welcoming you back with the courtesy and appreciation you so richly merit,” the Republican lawmakers wrote.

Sullivan’s ‘We have a president who listens to us’ speech gets positive response from Legislature

The letter was signed by Republican Minority Leader Mia Costello, Republican Minority Whip Cathy Tilton, and Representatives Jamie Allard, Julie Coulombe, Jeremy Bynum, Bill Elam, DeLena Johnson, Kevin McCabe, Elexie Moore, David Nelson, Mike Prax, George Rauscher, Justin Ruffridge, Dan Saddler, Rebecca Schwanke, Will Stapp, Frank Tomaszewski, Jubilee Underwood, and Sarah Vance.

Here’s the letter:

Letter To Senator Dan SullivanDownload
Tough crowd: Murkowski gets tepid response in Legislature as she defends Venezuelan criminals

Breaking: Taiwan company signs letter of intent to invest in building and buying Alaska LNG

Suzanne Downing
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Breaking: Taiwan company signs letter of intent to invest in building and buying Alaska LNG

In front of Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, Taiwan’s state-owned oil and gas company CPC has signed a letter of intent to invest in the Alaska LNG export project and purchase liquefied natural gas from it.

The agreement reached on Thursday was signed by CPC and the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, the state agency in charge of getting a gasline built. The Taiwanese Ministry of Economic Affairs announced the deal in a statement.

“Alaska LNG offers our allies in Asia a unique energy opportunity with competitively priced, abundant LNG via short, secure shipping routes and unlocks the numerous benefits of North Slope natural gas for Alaskans. The Letter of Intent is the latest reflection of growing market interest in and an important commercial step forward for Alaska LNG. AGDC and CPC will now turn to negotiating binding procurement and investment agreements,” Dunleavy said.

Taiwan is a democratically governed island that China claims as its property, but which claims itself to be independent. The deal aligns with broader US efforts to enhance economic and strategic cooperation with its allies in Asia, particularly through energy partnerships and particularly not with China.

With strong support of the Trump Administration, Gov. Dunleavy and Sen. Dan Sullivan have been actively promoting investments in the Alaska LNG project. Dunleavy and Sullivan are also encouraging Japan and South Korea to increase their LNG imports as a means of balancing trade deficits with these nations.

Dunleavy and key AGDC officials are currently on a tour across Asia, seeking additional investors for the $44-billion Alaska LNG project. They are visiting non-communist countries, in contrast with former Gov. Bill Walker, who went to China four times to get communist China’s investment and purchase rights to Alaska LNG. That agreement was canceled by Dunleavy as soon as he took office in 2018.

Should the LNG project come to fruition, Alaska LNG would be Taiwan’s closest LNG supplier among US export facilities. Unlike shipments from the Gulf of America, LNG from Alaska would not require passage through the Panama Canal, and that significantly reduced shipping time is a big advantage.

The letter of intent comes directly after Sen. Dan Sullivan gave a rousing speech to the Alaska Legislature, saying that the project is moving forward apace.

Sullivan’s ‘We have a president who listens to us’ speech gets positive response from Legislature
Sen. Sullivan pushes bill to curb communist China’s ‘Steal and Scale’ tech weaponization

Umbrage taken: After Murkowski speaks to reporters about Musk, a Republican colleague pushes back

Suzanne Downing
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Umbrage taken: After Murkowski speaks to reporters about Musk, a Republican colleague pushes back

Sen. Mike Lee of Utah didn’t agree at all with Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s statement made this week to reporters in Alaska, when she said Republicans are afraid of Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency.

“I don’t know a single Republican senator who feels that way. Not even one,” Sen. Lee wrote on X.

Well, he does know one: Murkowski had told reporters that no one but her is speaking up because they’re all afraid of Musk.

“I get criticized for what I say, and then everybody else is like, ‘How come nobody else is saying anything?’ Well, figure it out, because they’re looking at how many things are being thrown at me, and it’s like, ‘maybe I should just duck and cover,’” Murkowski said. It’s why you’ve got everybody zip-lipped, not saying a word. Because they’re afraid they’re gonna be taken down, they’re gonna be primaried, they’re gonna be given names in the media. You know, we cannot be cowed into not speaking up,” she said.

Sen. Lee’s response to Murkowski’s statement was noticed by Elon Musk, who amplified the post by reposting it, and added two American flag emojis in his response to Lee, a signal that he aligned with Lee, not with Murkowski.

Animated Murkowski says Musk will probably go after her 2028 with his Starlink money
Tough crowd: Murkowski gets tepid response in Legislature as she defends Venezuelan criminals

The US Dept. of Education has failed America, Trump says. He orders it to be dismantled

Suzanne Downing
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The US Dept. of Education has failed America, Trump says. He orders it to be dismantled

President Donald Trump today signed an executive order that begins the reduction of the Department of Education, returning the authority over education to states and local communities.

The Department of Education was created by President Jimmy Carter. Since its creation, educational outcomes have plummeted across the country.

The order argues that the federal government’s control over education through the Department of Education has failed students, teachers, and families, despite significant federal spending on schools.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy applauded the move: “While the original intent of the US Department of Education was noble, it failed in its primary mission, to ensure that every child has access to a quality education.  Like all large, centralized departments and programs, it pilfered tax dollars to support a large bureaucracy, which became increasingly inefficient.  As it metastasized, the Department took billions of dollars out of state and local economies to create regulations and pay employees, and the financial resources that it provided to the states, was a fraction of what was taken.”

Key points of the executive order are:

  1. The Department of Education has not improved educational outcomes, with reading and math scores near historical lows.
  2. The department manages a $1.6 trillion student loan debt portfolio with insufficient staff, a function better suited for banks.
  3. Making the Department of Education much smaller will allow states and local communities to take control of education and improve program implementation.
  4. The Secretary of Education is being directed to take all necessary steps to facilitate the shrinkage of the department while ensuring uninterrupted delivery of services, programs, and benefits.
  5. Federal education funds must be allocated in compliance with federal law and Administration policy. This includes terminating any programs promoting illegal discrimination under the auspices of “diversity, equity, and inclusion” or gender ideology.

There is little doubt that the National Education Association will sue to stop the president from downsizing what is arguably the most failing agency in the federal government.

Opponents of the action say he cannot remove the department without the approval of Congress. The White House has already answered that by saying he is not going to make it go away entirely.

Education Secretary Linda McMahon has already taken steps to curtail the department’s authority and to reduce its workforce.

Breaking: Trump Administration unleashes Alaska energy potential, boosting jobs and US dominance
Trump signs order to increase American mining
Sullivan’s ‘We have a president who listens to us’ speech gets positive response from Legislature

Trump signs order to increase American mining

Suzanne Downing
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Trump signs order to increase American mining

It’s been a big day for the Alaska economy. Using wartime powers under the Defense Production Act, President Donald Trump’s latest executive order aims to bolster domestic mineral production to improve national and economic security by reducing reliance on foreign mineral supplies.

His order intends to boost domestic output of such minerals as cobalt and copper, reducing reliance on imports amid tensions with China.

“More great news coming out of the @WhiteHouse,” wrote Gov. Mike Dunleavy in response to the news. “Alaska stands ready to lead the way in revitalizing America’s mineral supply chain. We look forward to working with the administration to accelerate permitting, unleash investment, and make the United States the global leader in critical mineral production.”

Congressman Nick Begich wrote, “Today’s Executive Order to increase mineral production in the United States is yet another major victory for America’s energy and national security. The war on mining that we saw waged under the Biden Administration is over. I was proud to work with the Trump Administration to make domestic mineral production a priority, and this action is going to deliver results for hardworking Americans. By streamlining permitting, we are unleashing the vast mineral wealth of the United States and reducing our reliance on China for critical minerals while also strengthening our own supply chains.”

As Vice Chair of the House Subcommittee on Energy and Mineral Resources, Begich said he will continue the work to expand responsible resource development that fuels economic growth for Alaska and supports the American worker.

“This executive order is a win for America, a win for Alaska, and a win for every American who relies on affordable, reliable energy for every American,” he said.

Trump had directed the Secretary of the Interior to prioritize mineral-rich federal lands for mining, amending land use plans accordingly. The order eases restrictions that hamper private investment and public-private partnerships by leveraging federal land leases, waiving certain regulatory requirements under the Defense Production Act, and delegating authority to the Secretary of Defense and the CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation to expedite mineral projects.

It further encourages capital investment through various federal programs and seeks legislative recommendations to clarify mining waste management under the Mining Act of 1872, aiming to swiftly enhance the domestic mineral supply chain.

The order comes with a series of deadlines to ensure accountability:

Priority Projects (Sec. 3): By March 30, the heads of executive departments and agencies involved in permitting mineral production must submit lists of all mineral production projects with pending plans, permit applications, or approvals to the Chair of the National Energy Dominance Council. These agencies, in coordination with the NEDC, will then identify “priority projects” that can be immediately approved or permitted. The focus is on projects that can quickly enhance domestic mineral output, though specific examples aren’t named—criteria include readiness for approval and potential impact on supply chains.

Transparency Projects (Sec. 3(b)): By April 4, the NEDC Chairman Doug Burgum, in consultation with agency heads, will propose projects for the permitting dashboard under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act.

These “transparency projects” will be expedited for review.

Federal Land-Based Projects (Sec. 5): Secretary of the Interior Burgum must identify federal lands with known mineral deposits by March 30, prioritizing them for mining. By April 19, multiple secretaries (Defense, Interior, Agriculture, Energy) will pinpoint sites suitable for leasing or development for commercial mineral production.

These projects target rapid operational status and supply chain robustness, focusing on minerals like critical minerals, uranium, copper, potash, and gold.

Read the executive order at this link.

Earlier today Trump reversed the Biden lockdown of Alaska’s oil and gas reserves in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s 1002 coastal plain area.

Breaking: Trump Administration unleashes Alaska energy potential, boosting jobs and US dominance
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