Rick Whitbeck: New Alaska group says ending oil and gas is the goal

By RICK WHITBECK | POWER THE FUTURE

Sun Tzu once said, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”

Last week, I was sent a link to a new organization that recently reared its (ugly) head into the Alaska energy scene. It’s clear they are an enemy to prosperity and our bright future, so we should get to know them. Spoiler alert: they are just another fanatical eco-group.

Calling themselves “We Are Alaskans” (we’ll call them WAA for short), the group’s website touts their organization as being “resilient, innovative and intelligent”, while demanding an end to traditional energy development being the economic driver for the state. If that doesn’t check all the boxes for another cliché environmental movement, I don’t know what does.

You’d think an organization with “resilient, innovative and intelligent” members would be proud of who they are. In fact, WAA operates in complete anonymity. There is no “About” section on the website, no staff, board of directors or organizational structure disclosed, and no contact information is available for the group. 

Although WAA has decided that secrecy of the organization is paramount, what isn’t hard to find are who they see as ideological partners.  Perhaps a more accurate name for them would be “We Are Alaskan Haters” or WAAH for short. After all, “WAAH” is the dominant cry of the eco-left.

WAA(H)’s website highlights how to transition to a regenerative (translation: traditional-energy-free) state by a partnership between the “Alaska Just Transition Collective” and the “Green New Deal Network.” They emphasize the latest efforts of the “Alaska Climate Alliance” and its Regenerative Economies Working Group, along with featuring a document providing “pathways to a regenerative economy,” including a full transition to renewable energy and a demand for “green” tourism.

Any organization championing the Green New Deal should immediately be viewed as extreme. After all, the Green New Deal was filled with energy, economic and social-justice goals so excessive, not a single U.S. senator would go on record as officially supporting it when it came up for a vote in 2019.  

Alarms should immediately sound when any group demands we throw away decades of Alaska’s leadership on developing and enhancing the U.S.’s national and energy security.  

Furthermore, groups like WAA(H) dismiss the fact that petroleum and mined materials are woven into every fabric of daily life. Calling for an end to extractive efforts – especially when the alternative to domestic sourcing, processing, and manufacturing of essential items only empowers countries at odds with the U.S., such as China and Russia – is ignorant. You can see the clear miss between WAA(H)’s talk and their walk, as their website, video, clothing and even protest signs are made up of the very materials they claim to hate. 

Let’s be clear: WAA(H) is the latest tired iteration of a pathetic movement. They will join activists and ideologues located throughout Alaska who have fought our resource industries since well before we became a state. Much like how cockroaches scatter when bathed in light, groups like WAA(H) need to be identified and scrutinized before they can grab footholds and do damage to Alaska.  

It should be the goal of every rational Alaskan – those of us who believe in a balanced approach between environmental stewardship of our amazing and beautiful state and safe, technically-proficient, and responsible development – to challenge those who look to dim our bright future.  

Rick Whitbeck is the Alaska State Director for Power The Future, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for American energy jobs. Email him at [email protected], and follow him on Twitter @PTFAlaska.