In a presentation to Commonwealth North today, recently appointed Commissioner of Alaska's Department of Natural Resources, Dan Sullivan, said that the "number one issue" facing the State is the throughput decline in the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Sullivan stressed the importance of partnerships in resource development - with industry, communities, state and local governments and other stakeholders - but expressed frustration with federal government agencies that stand in the way.
Sullivan's other focus areas include providing more regulatory certainty and timely decisions, addressing the high cost of energy for many Alaskans, and reviewing concerns with access to state lands.
Sullivan asked DNR staff to assess Alaska's resources and found that in nearly every mineral and resource in the world, if Alaska were a country we would be in the top 10 for reserves. "The key is how we responsibly develop those resources," said Sullivan, who served under President George W. Bush as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and Business Affairs. In that position, he worked on large scale global energy projects, and said that the Alaska gasline project "looks like a piece of cake" compared to some of those.
Sullivan summed up his remarks with words of optimism - "Fundamentally, Alaska's economic opportunities far and away outweigh the challenges; we are in an enviable position relative to other states and countries."
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