A Democrat eyeing a return to Congress in a crucial battleground state has pitched a policy platform geared toward expanded oil production, but she once turned her back on the issue while in Washington, D.C. Mary Peltola is running to unseat Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, in a contest that could define the balance of power in the upper chamber.
National Democrats have Alaska in their sights as a viable pickup opportunity in their quest to flip the Senate, but Peltola is running away from some of their greener energy policies to push for expanded oil production. Earlier this month, she unveiled her "Making Energy Affordable for Alaskans" plan that zeros in on oil and gas development in her state, which is one of the top crude oil producers in the country. DAN SULLIVAN ACCUSES SAME-NAME CHALLENGER OF TRYING TO 'RIG' ALASKA SENATE RACE "Alaska has always been a leader in energy production, and as an independent voice for Alaskans, I will always stand up to anyone to invest in Alaska energy production so that we can create good-paying jobs and lower energy costs," Peltola said in a statement introducing the plan.
"As D.C. price hikes create an energy catastrophe for Alaskans, we can’t afford more delays, political gridlock, or one-size-fits-all rules from the Lower 48 that leave Alaskans without solutions," she continued. In 2023, she did have an opportunity to do just that. During her time in the House, Peltola and Rep.
Pete Stauber, R-Minn., introduced the Alaska’s Right to Produce Act, legislation that would have reversed several Biden-era rules and regulations that limited or canceled oil and gas leases in Alaska. When it came time to vote on the bill, which would have required the reinstatement of canceled drilling leases in the non-wilderness Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and overturned lease restrictions in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A), she urged her colleagues to vote against it. DEM SENATE NOMINEE CHANGES TUNE ON ICE AFTER VOWING NOT 'ONE MORE DIME' FOR AGENCY Peltola, in a letter sent to House Democrats first reported by the Alaska Story, called on her colleagues to vote against her own bill out of fear that it would go too far.
"I am the Democratic co-lead for this bill and voted for it in committee. However, this legislation has a significant unintended consequence that could adversely affect Indigenous communities and the Arctic Ocean environment," Peltola wrote. "The bill’s intent is to allow Alaska to maintain onshore oil and gas, but a provision within it would nullify the Northern Bering Sea Climate Resilience Area, potentially harming these communities and the environment," she continued.
"I support oil and gas development. Alaska needs energy, and we have a wealth of resources that could be developed. However, the unintended consequences of this bill are too significant to allow it to pass." SENATE REPUBLICAN PUSHES OVERHAUL TO CUT RED TAPE AND SPEED UP AMERICAN ENERGY PROJECTS A key reason that Peltola urged her colleagues to vote against the bill was because of a provision tucked away in the legislation that would have effectively pitted the oil and gas industry against the fishing industry in Alaska — two key economic drivers in the state.
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