Not even two weeks into his time as governor, Gov. Mike Dunleavy was representing the state on a national stage Thursday.
Along with 12 other newly elected state and territorial governors, Dunleavy sat down with President Donald Trump at the White House on Thursday morning. Dunleavy talked to Trump about a “wide range” of Alaska-related issues, according to a press release from the Dunleavy administration.
Dunleavy referred to Trump as a “strong partner” who has a solid knowledge of Alaska’s value to the nation.
“The President understands that Alaska is America’s natural resource warehouse,” Dunleavy said in the release. “Our state’s vast reserves of energy and minerals can power the nation’s economy, creating new jobs, prosperity for Alaskan families and, new revenue at the state and federal level.”
Earlier this week, Dunleavy told reporters he was hoping to meet with officials at the Department of Transportation and at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) about recovery efforts in the wake of a 7.0 earthquake that shook the Anchorage area Nov. 30. Thursday’s release didn’t mention a meeting with DOT or FEMA, but did state that Dunleavy met with U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke.
Dunleavy and Zinke spoke about opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) about oil drilling and transferring 5.4 million acres of federal land owed to the state under the Alaska Statehood Act.
This news article was written by Alex McCumbers for the Juneau Empire.
