By RICK WHITBECK | POWER THE FUTURE
There are clear ideological differences between Alaska’s and Minnesota’s governors.
Michael J. Dunleavy of Alaska is a conservative Republican and Tim Walz of Minnesota, a liberal Democrat. They seem to disagree on everything, but especially energy.
Perhaps the most glaring example of those differences is their respective responses to the Biden/Harris Administration shutting down the two largest copper mine prospects in the U.S.
Situated on state land that Congress specifically designated for development as part of the lead-up to granting Alaska statehood in 1959, the Pebble prospect in Southwest Alaska is nearly a trillion-dollar cache of copper, gold, molybdenum and rhenium.
Pebble’s operation would employ approximately 700 full-time workers, most with six-figure salaries, for an estimated 20 years. Even by Alaska standards, this area is very rural. Gas prices exceed $8.00 per gallon, and a gallon of milk costs over three times that amount in local stores.
An ugly, 15 -year fight has been waged between Pebble’s owners and a collection of Native, environmental and commercial fishing organizations, with tens of millions of dollars spent to falsely claim Pebble’s development would harm the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon fishery.
That narrative was overcome by science, however. When the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released their Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) in July, 2020, it was clear that the Corps believed the mine and fishery could co-exist with little to no risk to the wildlife. In fact, it says it no less than 53 times in their report.
That didn’t stop a massive blitz of misinformation, which was used to justify a denied approval of the a key permit by the Corps, and later, a pre-emptive veto of its clean water permit by the eco-zealots leading team Biden’s Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
Governor Dunleavy was justifiably outraged, and filed a lawsuit in March 2024 over the decision, calling for the federal government to pay $700 billion in lost revenues and royalties. That case is pending, but the fact he stood up for Pebble has gone a long way in the Alaska resource community. Michael Dunleavy is clearly an energy hero for his state.
Contrast that with how Tim Walz handled the rejection of the Twin Metals mine in Northeast Minnesota. Twin Metals is a copper, nickel and cobalt deposit, located in an area that has been designated for mining, logging and other commercial activities. It’s one of the largest undeveloped deposits of these minerals in the world, with more than 4.4 billion tons of ore containing copper, nickel and other strategic minerals. Developing Twin Metals would help the ‘green’ energy movement source key resources domestically.
The mine plan developed by Twin Metals’ owners outlines full-time employment of approximately 750 direct workers, in an area of Minnesota sustained by mining for over a century. The spin-off jobs would be double that, for a total of more than 2,500 paychecks from the prospect.
But, in caving to their extreme environmental base, the Biden/Harris U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) cancelled Twin Metal’s leases in January, 2022, drawing ire from many in the state.
One would think Governor Walz would have fought for his state’s jobs, and for domestic production of components necessary for the energy transition he champions.
Walz did exactly the opposite, ordering the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources to follow Interior’s lead and withdraw support for Twin Metals in February, 2022.
In short, Walz put a small minority of extremists ahead of domestic energy security. He declared the jobs less important than following the federal government’s overreach. He established that he’s an energy zero to many Minnesotans.
As Tim Walz tries to appear moderate in his politics, a champion for Minnesota’s place in workforce and energy development, and a candidate for Vice President, remember how he reacted to Twin Metals. Contrast it with Michael Dunleavy and his response to Pebble.
These two examples show only a fraction of the tens of thousands of U.S. families impacted by the disastrous policies of the Biden/Harris administration. Realize that a Harris/Walz White House would only lead to more attacks, decreased mining jobs, enhanced overseas reliance for critical and strategic mineral supplies, and a weakening of U.S. energy security.
Energy is on the ballot on November 5th. Vote as if America’s future depends on it.
Rick Whitbeck is the Alaska State Director for Power The Future, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for American energy jobs and fights back against economy-killing and family-destroying environmental extremism. Contact him at [email protected] and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @PTFAlaska. This column first appeared in RealClearEnergy.com.
China leads the world in copper smelting and refining. China also owns, or has interests in many of the major copper deposits/mines. China hires front groups to pretend like any mine that China can’t control is going to destroy the environment. China does this to protect prices, and its attempt at monopolistic control of these, and other resources.
Tim Walz has been to China dozens and dozens of times. Walz, the guy who got caught driving drunk at 100 miles per hour, does not care about anyone but himself. Walz will do what China wants.
Walz has been throughly compromised by Chinese intelligence.
Not only has Tim Walz spent a lot of time in China but “China Joe” brags about spending more time in China than He spent in the US as VP under King Obama’s reign.
Is there a glaring similarity to their zero mining policy for the US while supporting China’s ability to supply all the crucial minerals needed for the new “green deal” energy policy?
The Chinese seem to have their way with our politicians who spend time in their country.
Even Donna Walker was given the red carpet treatment and sent home with a large fistful of cash to pay for her invitation.
We almost had a Chinese owned and controlled gas pipeline running through the heart of our state thanks to Willy Walker and his “go fund me” pipeline idea.
Andy, China would never have been in control of any gas pipeline built by Americans, in the USA. FERC, EPA, PHMSA, DOT exert federal authority over pipelines.
What would have happened is we would have sold gas, made money, AND lowered the massive trade deficit with China.
If we are going to trade with China, can we at least agree the trade deficit should be in our favor????
So- “gas prices are over 8 dollars a gallon and milk prices are 3 times the cost in local stores”- no argument there Mr. Power the future. Just wondering if you feel Ben Carpenters 2% sales tax plan is fair to the residents of that area?
The Pebble mine could have been in production now if not for Donald Trump and his son, DT Jr. They played decisive roles in rescinding the Corps of Engineers’ prior approval of the project. See the report at this link, ‘https://www.latimes.com/world-nation/story/2020-08-24/pebble-mine-trump-army-corps.
Look it up, Rick: the Trump administration played a pivotal role in killing the Pebble Mine prospect. Of course, they had good reason to do so, but that’s certainly an inconvenient truth to the premise of this piece, and why no one should take your words seriously
How about you make it easy for everyone on MRAK. Provide something to back that statement up.
from North of 60 Mining news Last updated Sep 26, 2020 3:27pm :U.S. President Donald Trump assured Alaskans that politics will not play a role in the federal permitting decision for the Pebble copper-gold-molybdenum-rhenium mine in Southwest Alaska.
“Don’t worry, wonderful & beautiful Alaska, there will be NO POLITICS in the Pebble Mine Review Process. I will do what is right for Alaska and our great Country!!!,” Trump said in a late Wednesday tweet.
Updated: 11/25/2020 02:47 PM EST
from Politico but can be verified by other sources
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied a permit for the Pebble Mine in Alaska on Wednesday, effectively killing plans to build the massive copper and gold project that opponents had warned could wipe out the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery.
The decision from the Trump administration, which had reversed course several times on the issue, comes just weeks before President-elect Joe Biden takes office. Biden has said he opposed the project.
Seriously if Dunleavy could get Alaska 700 billion for a mine most of the residents do not want and no mining company wants to develop than maybe he could be called a hero.
He is not only an “energy zero”.
Anyone who thinks it is necessary to install tampon dispensers in boys bathrooms most definitely needs to be incarcerated for further evaluation…..He was once a teacher….no wonder so many kids are gender confused.
Oh by the way that is a perfect photo… cant wait to see him after the election.
The Cowardly Lion is many things. Hero is not among them.
Bloomberg reports that Alaska is in play for Harris using Alaska Survey Research findings. The Swifties are mobilizing! Oil companies actually don’t want oil to go back to $20/barrel!
Sebatian. Alaska is not now, nor will it ever be, in play for Harris.
Are you new here?
Sebastian has been around for ages.
And, has been totally clueless and completely wrong for about the same amount of time. In sebastian’s world, leftists are always correct, and anyone even remotely to the right of his positions is a “right wing extremist.”
The more people like Sebastian speak, the more inclined I am to vote Democrat. Maybe the sooner we destroy this country together and all the good it stands for, the sooner we can all laugh at the leftists as they stand over a pile of rubble they so deeply desire.
While the leftists have been busy filling their head with garbage and hate for anything outside their ideals, the rest of us have been improving our skills and strengths. While the leftists struggle to tie their own shoes, or grab their own ankles, the rest of us will be rebuilding from the destruction, without them.
Vote D for Destruction. Hurry up with it already!
To the author: You are a little too late on people and places and things. Your suport for anything is so weak and really without merit.
The longer that we keep listening to these so-called environmentalists the more we move backward in development and time. Once upon a time we had true conservationists who knew how to manage our resources and yet provide means to mine those resources for our benefit. Now we have extremists who want to view this planet as a closed system, reduce the population, and push the remaining people back into the horse and buggy age. Time to wake up and back those people who are really fighting for us. And it isn’t the woke party!
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