ICYMI: Energy Secretary Wright, EPA Administrator Zeldin, and Interior Secretary Burgum Visit Alaska to Advance Unleashing American Energy

Secretary of Energy Chris Wright, Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lee Zeldin, met to advance President Trump’s bold agenda to unleash Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential.

Energy.gov

June 6, 2025
minute read time

In Case You Missed It— U.S. Secretary of Energy Chris Wright traveled to Alaska earlier this week, where he joined U.S. Department of the Interior Secretary Doug Burgum and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Administrator Lee Zeldin to advance President Trump’s bold agenda to unleash Alaska’s extraordinary resource potential. In Anchorage and on the North Slope, Secretary Wright met with state, local and tribal leaders as well as Alaskan energy workers, held bilateral meetings with foreign energy ministers to advance American energy projects like Alaska LNG, and participated in a keynote fireside chat at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference.

“I was proud to join my colleagues, Doug Burgum and Lee Zeldin, in Alaska to help fulfill President Trump’s mission of unleashing Alaska to create a safe, prosperous, and opportunity-filled future,” said Secretary Wright. “Alaska has always been a big bold place, a big bold idea, full of big bold people. Unfortunately, the last administration especially and many before them sought to shut down Alaska in the name of climate nonsense. Those days are over. The Trump Administration is fully committed to restoring the rights and liberties of Alaskans, because when Alaska is unleashed, the entire country and world benefits.”

Click here to watch a highlight video of the trip and here to download and view photos from the visit.

Roundtable in Anchorage

On Sunday, Secretaries Wright and Burgum and Administrator Zeldin joined Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and Senator Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska) for a roundtable discussion in Anchorage with leaders from across Alaska’s resource development industry.

 

WATCH: Alaska Resources Roundtable with Secretary Burgum, Secretary Wright and Administrator Zeldin

 

Town hall in Utqiagvik (Barrow), Alaska

The delegation then traveled to the capital of Alaska’s North Slope Borough, Utqiagvik, Alaska, for a town hall with the predominantly Alaska-Native community. The cabinet members heard from a variety of community leaders and residents from villages across the North Slope who described how President Trump’s agenda has positively impacted their future.

“The people of Kaktovik have been prisoners in our own ancestral homelands because the refuge was placed on top of us, restricting not just oil and gas development, but our movements. . . I’m so proud of our President because he made sure that our ancestral homelands weren’t going to be stolen... if the other guy would have won, there's no doubt in my mind that our homeland would have been stolen and there's nothing we could have done about it. But on day one, Trump had the heart and the wherewithal to be able to right this wrong and I'm extremely grateful for that. . . In the words of our commander in chief, President, Donald J. Trump, drill baby drill.” —Charles Lampe, resident of Kaktovik, Alaska, the only village in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)

 

WATCH: Townhall in Utqiagvik, Alaska

 

Tour of Trans-Alaska Pipeline System and meetings with industry leaders and international energy ministers in Prudhoe Bay

On Monday, the delegation visited Prudhoe Bay. They began at Pump Station 1 of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS) they met with energy workers and delivered remarks. Upon arrival, Secretary Wright and his colleagues greeted international dignitaries from South Korea, Taiwan, Japan, the Philippines, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) who joined for the day’s events.

“Today, oil is the largest source of energy on the planet and the fastest source of energy on the planet is natural gas. You have the big two right here: let’s double oil production, build the big, beautiful twin pipeline, and we will help energize the world, strengthen our country and strengthen our families.”Secretary Wright

 

WATCH: Secretary Wright delivers remarks at TAPS

 

The delegation also held a roundtable discussion with foreign energy representatives and U.S. industry executives, focused on international investment, LNG demand, and energy security partnerships. They also toured the Hilcorp Central Gas Facility and visited the Prudhoe Bay Discovery Well—highlighting Alaska’s legacy and future as a cornerstone of American energy production.

Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference and bilateral energy meetings

At the 2025 Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference, Secretaries Wright and Burgum and Administrator Zeldin joined Governor Dunleavy for a keynote discussion on the Administration’s progress and future plans for expanding resource development in Alaska.

“The main thing we’re looking to get is people that want to buy Alaskan natural gas, and I think we’ve seen tremendous interest in that.” –Secretary Wright at the Alaska Sustainable Energy Conference

Secretary Wright also held bilateral meetings with the energy ministers from the Philippines and Taiwan.

Advancing President Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’

Throughout the visit, Secretary Wright and the delegation also discussed the enormous potential of President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill, which includes provisions to mandate lease sales in the Cook Inlet and ANWR with an increased cost-share for Alaska, initiate a de-risking program for LNG projects, enact energy permitting reforms, and deliver higher wages and lower energy costs for American families.

Making headlines across the country

3 GAIN Vouchers Awarded to Companies Advancing Nuclear Fuel, Materials, and Sensors

Media Inquiries:

(202) 586-4940 or DOENews@hq.doe.gov

Read more at the
energy.gov Newsroom