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The Trump administration and fellow Republicans are citing the Iran war as a pretext for oil drilling in Alaska, in an attempt to rapidly implement longstanding policy goals in the state.

In April, President Donald Trump declared that the Strait of Hormuz blockade could be a boon for U.S. oil production, including in Alaska. This narrative was celebrated by Alaska Republicans, like Governor Mike Dunleavy, who praised Trump for working to unleash “Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential.”

Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), one of the only Republican lawmakers who occasionally criticizes the president, also voiced support for this vision.

“The situation in Iran is not good,” Murkowski recently stated. “The situation, as it’s going to impact Alaskans in their homes, is not good, but could the state benefit because there is this increased focus on resource shortages and volatility?”

“We have seen what it means to be vulnerable from a resource perspective, and you have seen this president turn that around in a strong way,” she added.

Trump’s War With Iran Is a Boon for the US Gas Export Industry

On May 6, the Trump administration announced that it was transferring 1.4 million acres of national public lands in Alaska’s Dalton Utility Corridor to the state’s government, which has sought to expand industrial development in the region. The Interior Department noted in a statement that the corridor contains portions of the proposed route for a 211-mile road to the Ambler mining district and fully developing the Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas project.

“For far too long, we have been at a relative standstill on statehood entitlements because these critically important lands were off the table,” gushed Kevin Pendergast, state director for the Bureau of Land Management, in celebration of the news.

Ten environmental groups are suing over the move, which they say will harm local tribes and endanger wildlife. “The Interior Secretary broke the law when removing federal protections for over 2 million acres of public lands in February without hearings in local communities, without a public comment period, and without addressing that decision’s impacts on land, water, and subsistence users,” said Bridget Psarianos, an attorney representing the plaintiffs, in a statement.

The U.S. Interior Department announced it would streamline the permitting process for oil development in the Alaska National Petroleum Reserve.

The U.S. Interior Department announced it would streamline the permitting process for oil development in the Alaska National Petroleum Reserve.

On May 15, the U.S. Interior Department announced it would streamline the permitting process for oil development in the Alaska National Petroleum Reserve. Under the new rules, some drilling operations, like the controversial Willow Project, could be rubber-stamped for approval in just 30........

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