Alaska U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan repeated his claim that while Interior Secretary Deb Haaland has put a hold on expanded oil and gas drilling in his home state, she has a policy of “drill baby drill” in her home state of New Mexico.
In an interview Tuesday on Fox Business News, the Republican Senator complained of Haaland’s favoritism regarding her energy policies. He remained critical of the Biden administration’s recent decision to cancel seven Trump-era oil and gas leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and protect 13 million acres in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.
The Senator wondered why his allegations against Haaland were not reported and accused reporters of being afraid to high light the Interior Secretary’s different policies in the two states. He said while Haaland is critical of expanded oil and gas drilling in Alaska, she promotes more drilling in New Mexico.
Senator Sullivan first made the claims earlier in the year in a speech on the Senate floor.
“The Secretary of the Interior is from New Mexico. OK. That is interesting. Guess which State–my State can’t get barely a lease. We beg. We make speeches. We fly dozens of people into DC to get leases on the Federal lands in my State to move forward. Guess which State has gotten, in the first 2 years of the Biden administration, more than half of all Federal permits to drill on Federal lands? Do you think it is Alaska? No. Is it Texas? My friend from Texas is here. It is not Texas. It is not North Dakota. It is not any of those places. Guess which it is. Oh, my goodness. It is New Mexico–New Mexico. Isn’t that an interesting story for somebody? The Secretary of the Interior is from New Mexico. The senior Senator from New Mexico is from New Mexico, obviously, and they are getting all of the leases. They are getting all of the leases,” he alleged in the February Senate speech.
He took
Here is the thing. New Mexico is on a tear in terms of producing oil. Now, look, I have nothing against that. The country needs it. The country needs it. But look at these numbers. These are millions of barrels. Red is New Mexico. Gray is Alaska. We are kind of steady. We need more oil. New Mexico is in red. Look at that. Holy cow. It is through the roof–through the roof. And guess what is coming with all of that production. Greenhouse gas emissions through the roof in New Mexico. Where is the reporting on that topic?
U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) questioned why Interior Secretary Deb Haaland and her department are expressing concerns about the potential greenhouse gas emissions of Alaska’s pending Willow oil project, while showing no apparent concern about her home state of New Mexico increasing oil production exponentially in recent years—eclipsing what is produced in Alaska.
In his remarks, Sen. Sullivan reiterated the extensive, rigorous review process the Willow Project has been through, which culminated in a Final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) issued by career Bureau of Land Management (BLM) scientists and staff recommending the three-drilling-pad “Alternative E.” In a speech last week, Sullivan noted that it would be highly unusual for the Interior Department to select a different alternative in the final Record of Decision (ROD)—expected to be issued in early March.
Sullivan warned that if the White House succumbs to the immense pressure being exerted by far-left environmental groups to choose a different alternative and further narrow Willow’s scope—essentially killing the project—this decision would amount to politics subverting the scientific process.
Here is something else that is frustrating, in my view, even scandalous–even scandalous. Our media won’t ever report on this, but I am going to try again.
The Secretary of the Interior is from New Mexico. OK. That is interesting. Guess which State–my State can’t get barely a lease. We beg. We make speeches. We fly dozens of people into DC to get leases on the Federal lands in my State to move forward. Guess which State has gotten, in the first 2 years of the Biden administration, more than half of all Federal permits to drill on Federal lands? Do you think it is Alaska? No. Is it Texas? My friend from Texas is here. It is not Texas. It is not North Dakota. It is not any of those places. Guess which it is. Oh, my goodness. It is New Mexico–New Mexico. Isn’t that an interesting story for somebody? The Secretary of the Interior is from New Mexico. The senior Senator from New Mexico is from New Mexico, obviously, and they are getting all of the leases. They are getting all of the leases.
Here is the thing. New Mexico is on a tear in terms of producing oil. Now, look, I have nothing against that. The country needs it. The country needs it. But look at these numbers. These are millions of barrels. Red is New Mexico. Gray is Alaska. We are kind of steady. We need more oil. New Mexico is in red. Look at that. Holy cow. It is through the roof–through the roof. And guess what is coming with all of that production. Greenhouse gas emissions through the roof in New Mexico. Where is the reporting on that topic?
