Sullivan blasts Biden’s moves to restrict drilling and mining in Alaska as ‘national security suicide’

Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) criticized the Biden administration’s decision to restrict drilling on millions of acres of federal land in Alaska, calling it a “lawless” move.

“That’s lawless. [President Biden] I don’t have the authority to do that,” Sullivan said Sunday on CBS News’ “Face the Nation.” “And we were able to go into all the laws that support that. As I say, this is national security suicide.”

The Biden administration announced last week that it would block oil and gas drilling on 13 million acres in Alaska’s Western Arctic, part of an area known as the National Petroleum Refuge.

The 23 million acre reserve, located on Alaska’s North Slope, was originally set aside by President Harding in 1923 as an emergency supply of oil to the Navy.

The administration also released documents suggesting it would deny approval to more than 300 miles of proposed industrial roads that include federal land, known as the Ambler Access Project.

The road would lead through the wilderness of northwest Alaska toward copper and zinc deposits, thwarting Ambler Metals’ efforts to mine there. The administration pointed to studies showing the road would significantly restrict the activities of more than 30 Alaska Native communities.

Sullivan argued Sunday that the move is not only harmful to voters, but should also be a concern on a national level.

“National resources, energy essential minerals, that’s America’s strength. This should concern Americans of all kinds,” he said.

Although the move was praised by many environmental and tribal advocates, Sullivan argued that some were not happy with the decision.

“This president on Friday [Interior Secretary Deb Haaland] “Alaska Natives, Alaska’s North Slope Indians, announced that they were doing it because they asked them to do it and wanted them to do it. Alaska’s North Slope leaders were unanimous in their opposition to this,” Professor Sullivan said.

He claimed that Alaska’s North Slope Indian tribes wanted to meet with Haaland, but Haaland did not respond.

The Hill has reached out to the Interior Department and the White House for comment.

The Biden administration has had a mixed record on energy and conservation issues in Alaska. Last year, the state approved the Willow project, giving ConocoPhillips the green light to drill in the state for about 30 years.