HJR 27: Supporting a comprehensive energy and economic strategy for the state; urging the federal government to disburse previously appropriated funds for energy and infrastructure projects; affirming the principle of energy equity and committing to a future-oriented energy strategy for the state; encouraging state agencies to aggressively pursue opportunities to develop and process critical minerals; directing state agencies to coordinate energy and economic planning; and championing a unified voice in support of the state's full development potential.
00 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 27 01 Supporting a comprehensive energy and economic strategy for the state; urging the 02 federal government to disburse previously appropriated funds for energy and 03 infrastructure projects; affirming the principle of energy equity and committing to a 04 future-oriented energy strategy for the state; encouraging state agencies to aggressively 05 pursue opportunities to develop and process critical minerals; directing state agencies to 06 coordinate energy and economic planning; and championing a unified voice in support 07 of the state's full development potential. 08 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 09 WHEREAS the state possesses vast natural wealth, including oil, gas, minerals, 10 renewable energy resources, and environmental assets, that has long underpinned the state's 11 economic prosperity and offers unmatched opportunities for future development; and 12 WHEREAS art. VIII, sec. 2, Constitution of the State of Alaska, mandates that the 13 state's natural resources be developed "for the maximum benefit of its people," creating an 14 imperative for both short- and long-term economic outcomes; and
01 WHEREAS the Alaska State Legislature has urged and continues to urge the United 02 States Congress to honor the terms of the Mineral Leasing Act and the Alaska Statehood Act 03 that provide for the state receiving a 90 percent share of all bonuses, royalties, and rentals 04 received by the federal government from oil and gas exploration, development, and 05 production in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the National Petroleum Reserve in 06 Alaska; and 07 WHEREAS President Trump's executive orders issued on January 20, 2025, and 08 March 20, 2025, direct federal agencies to unlock the state's development potential by 09 expediting permits, restoring access to resource lands, and prioritizing critical mineral 10 production and infrastructure investment for national energy and security resilience; and 11 WHEREAS the Southcentral region of the state will be importing, from a foreign 12 country, gas for heat and electricity as soon as 2027; and 13 WHEREAS federal action blocking grant-funded energy projects threatens energy 14 security and economic development; and 15 WHEREAS the 2022 - 2027 Alaska Statewide Comprehensive Economic 16 Development Strategy defines a shared framework for advancing the economic engines of the 17 state, including the oil and gas, mining, seafood, tourism, and air cargo industries, as well as 18 high-growth emerging sectors, including critical minerals processing, hydrogen fuel 19 production, sustainable energy production, mariculture, aerospace, and manufacturing, in 20 order to support a strong business climate and entrepreneurial ecosystem, develop a prepared 21 workforce, and build a resilient, future-ready economy; and 22 WHEREAS the Alaska Federation of Natives has affirmed that reliable and 23 affordable energy is foundational to the prosperity, resilience, and sustainability of Alaska 24 Native communities and has called on the state to ensure that any future energy transition, 25 whether from oil and gas or toward renewable and critical mineral development, proactively 26 includes rural and Indigenous communities in energy planning, infrastructure investment, and 27 local workforce development; and 28 WHEREAS North Slope oil projects in the state, including projects under 29 construction in Willow and Pikka, are projected to increase oil production to over 600,000 30 barrels a day; and 31 WHEREAS the state holds over 35,000,000,000,000 cubic feet of proven natural gas
01 reserves, which could supply domestic and Pacific markets for generations; and 02 WHEREAS the state's mineral resources, including copper, cobalt, graphite, rare 03 earth elements, and gold, are essential to energy systems, national defense, and advanced 04 manufacturing and are prioritized for immediate development under federal executive orders; 05 and 06 WHEREAS the current administration published projections estimating that 93 07 percent of new energy capacity in 2025 will come from renewable energy and storage 08 projects; and 09 WHEREAS the state's renewable energy potential is among the highest in the world, 10 including over 10,000 gigawatts of potential wind, hydro, geothermal, solar, wave, and tidal 11 energy; and 12 WHEREAS collocating energy-intensive industries, such as oil and gas refining, 13 mining and ore processing, data centers, fish processing, and clean hydrogen production, with 14 the state's hydroelectric and renewable energy systems could reduce energy costs statewide, 15 benefit statewide communities, position production for shipment to Pacific markets, and 16 generate long-term economic growth; and 17 WHEREAS rural regions of the state, which are home to over 200 isolated 18 microgrids, face some of the highest energy and food costs in the United States and will 19 benefit from the state's inclusive development strategy, proximity to resources and energy, 20 and investments in low-cost energy, infrastructure, and workforce pathways; 21 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature affirms its commitment to a 22 comprehensive energy and economic strategy that includes exploration, development, and 23 production of fossil fuels, renewables, and critical minerals and value-added manufacturing to 24 unleash a new era of state prosperity and opportunity for all regions and future generations; 25 and be it 26 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the federal 27 government to provide project and financial support and permitting coordination for the 28 development of the state's natural gas resources and to disburse previously appropriated funds 29 for critical energy and infrastructure projects that affect every state resident; and be it 30 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature endorses the goals of the 31 2022 - 2027 Alaska Statewide Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy to strengthen
01 the existing economic engines of the state while building new sectors and supports immediate 02 alignment between federal executive orders and the 2022 - 2027 Alaska Statewide 03 Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy to streamline permitting and infrastructure 04 for resource projects; modernize regulations; facilitate access to federal funding and project 05 financing; coordinate energy and economic development strategies across agencies; and align 06 investments, education, and workforce development to create career-oriented opportunities for 07 state residents and future generations; and be it 08 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature affirms the principle of 09 energy equity and commits to a future-oriented energy strategy that integrates rural and 10 Indigenous community priorities into state energy planning; ensures that energy investments 11 provide direct benefits to underserved regions, including affordable local power and heat; 12 builds regional energy plans that support resilience and lower costs through local and clean 13 energy sources; and advances workforce development and infrastructure investment to enable 14 local participation and leadership in emerging energy and resource industries; and be it 15 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature encourages state agencies 16 to aggressively pursue opportunities to develop and process critical and rare earth elements 17 using the state's clean energy to produce the world's lowest-carbon strategic minerals, which 18 are vital to national defense, the health of the national supply chain, and the secure production 19 of essential products for the nation; and be it 20 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature directs state agencies to 21 coordinate energy and economic planning to create, by 2035, 1,200 new scalable ventures and 22 associated jobs in energy and emerging sectors generating economic activity, with the goals 23 of retaining the next generation of state residents and attracting to the state more than 30,000 24 working-age people; lowering the cost of energy for households and industry to below 25 national averages; increasing the affordability of and access to housing and health care in the 26 state and increasing financial resilience in communities across the state; building the grid and 27 industrial base to support the state's role as an exporter of clean energy and value-added 28 critical mineral products; creating, by 2035, more than $5,000,000,000 of growth in the state's 29 economy and more than $400,000,000 in new public revenue; leveraging federal and state 30 investments in critical infrastructure, including roads, ports, railroads, pipelines, broadband, 31 and utilities, to align projects that would provide economic development opportunities; and be
01 it 02 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature champions a unified voice 03 in support of the state's full development potential, both domestically and internationally, to 04 ensure that all public and private sector efforts strengthen the communities and the economy 05 of the state while reflecting the dual imperatives of current national security needs and 06 sustainable prosperity into the future. 07 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President 08 of the United States; the Honorable Pete Hegseth, United States Secretary of Defense; the 09 Honorable Douglas Burgum, United States Secretary of the Interior; the Honorable Chris 10 Wright, United States Secretary of Energy; and the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the 11 Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Nicholas Begich, U.S. 12 Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.