Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola took over Alaska’s at-large congressional seat with promises of bipartisanship. But the needle-threading required to find consensus on major oil projects in the state could test her agility.
Peltola is the first Alaska Native to join Congress, and brings a history of advocating for the state’s Native communities and sustainability in fishing and resource management. She has seen how climate change is already impacting her constituents, she said in a recent House Natural Resources Committee hearing. Still, when it comes to oil and gas, she would rather it be drilled in the U.S.
She represents a state that in recent decades has benefited economically from the oil and gas industry — it accounts for about one-quarter of jobs in Alaska, according to the Alaska Resource Development Council. Revenue from the industry has funded up to 90 percent of the state’s unrestricted General Fund in most years.
