Alaska senator on state’s natural resources and impact on the rest of the country
(CBS, KYMA/KECY) - Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK) spoke with Margaret Brennan on Face the Nation Sunday about his state's natural resources.
When asked if he's comfortable with President Donald Trump reportedly offering Russian President Vladimir Putin a "chance to invest in the natural resources off of Alaska's coast in the Bering Strait," Senator Sullivan said:
"We have plenty of American investors and our allies who want to invest in Alaska's natural resources. We're having a boom here. We don't need Russian investments. We don't need Russian money. They're a competitor of ours when it comes to energy and natural resources and critical minerals. So I doubt that's on the table."
During the interview, Brennan and Sullivan talked about Alaska's impact on the rest of the country's economy, military, and natural resources.
According to Brennan, the Arctic poses a "supreme concern from a national security perspective" as majority of scientists say the ice is melting due to global warming, but "the end result is there's a potential for an Arctic area for trade routes" and "also tapping into the natural resources there."
This prompted her to ask Sullivan how the U.S. will gain an edge in dominating that, to which Sullivan said:
"It's really important. You're mentioning trade routes that are opening up. We've already talked about natural resources, which are huge up in the Arctic. And what we need to do is recognize that we're an Arctic nation. We're an Arctic nation because of Alaska. And look, this has not always been a priority of previous administrations. When I first got to the Senate, I remember holding up the Biden- or, I'm sorry, the Obama administration Arctic strategy with the Secretary of Defense slamming it down on the dais and saying, 'Mr. Secretary, this is a joke.' We have a huge national interest in the Arctic that we need to protect. It's not some parochial issue for Alaska's senator. This is about national security up here."
To watch Brennan's full interview with Sullivan, click here.
