‘Independent’ Alaskan governor Bill Walker gets his first test over ANWR.

Who does he stand with? Alaskans, or the President?

The Obama administration will propose setting aside more than 12 million acres in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as wilderness, the White House announced Sunday, halting any chance of oil exploration for now in the refuge’s much-fought-over coastal plain and sparking a fierce battle with Republicans, including the new chair of the Senate Energy Committee.

Right now ‘independent’ Alaskan governor Bill Walker is making noises about increasing state land oil production to make up for any potential loss of revenue, which means that he’s still trying to avoid this fight. Regretfully for Walker, this is not actually an avoidable fight. The President hates cheap energy. Republicans hate being told that they should be cold and in the dark because a bunch of radical Greenies loathe modern Western society. Both sides are absolutely happy to pick this fight.  Walker will simply have to choose whether or not to fall into line behind President Obama like a good little minion. Continue reading ‘Independent’ Alaskan governor Bill Walker gets his first test over ANWR.

Will Gov-elect Bill Walker (“I”-Alaska) flunk his first test?

Or did Alaskans elect a stealth Democrat after all?  We may be about to find out:

Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s ascent to the top of the Energy and Natural Resources Committee is likely to reignite the decades-old debate over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).

Alaskans have been fighting for the right to drill in wilderness on their state’s northern shore since 1977, when the government first punted on the question of whether to allow oil exploration.

Continue reading Will Gov-elect Bill Walker (“I”-Alaska) flunk his first test?