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Sullivan Explains Support For Donlin And Opposition To Pebble

Courtesy of Dan Sullivan

Incumbent Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan said that he’s been doing a good job for rural Alaska, and wants another term in the U.S. Senate. He pointed to his support of public safety funding, and to Attorney General William Barr’s allocation of federal money for rural policing as proof of his effectiveness.

In the area of mining, Sullivan said that he opposed the Pebble mine, but supports the Donlin mine project. He said that there is a crucial difference between the two: one has failed to pass federal environmental standards, and the other has met them.

“Federal agencies, under Pebble, said that high bar was not met. So I opposed that mine,” said Sullivan. “Under Donlin, the federal agencies say that high bar has been met. So I am supportive of the Donlin mine. But the difference is one passed the high bar of federal permitting to protect our environment in the area and the region; that was Donlin. The other did not pass it; that was Pebble.”

Sullivan is a colonel in the Marine Corps Reserve and supports funding for the military. He voted with the majority of the Republican senators to reinstate some of the money that the Obama administration cut out of the military budget, and pointed to a recent debate in the Senate when he took the floor against a Democratic effort to reduce military funding.

“I just had a debate on the Senate floor that was called, no kidding, it was called “Defund the Military Amendment”. I debated Sen. Sanders. Fortunately, we beat that amendment. So my whole career, not just as a senator, but as a U.S. Marine, has been focused on rebuilding our military.”

The entire interview with Sen. Dan Sullivan on “Coffee at KYUK” can be heard on KYUK’s website. 

 
 
 
 

 

Anna Rose MacArthur served as KYUK's News Director from 2015-2022.
Johanna Eurich's vivid broadcast productions have been widely heard on National Public Radio since 1978. She spent her childhood speaking Thai, then learned English as a teenager and was educated at a dance academy, boarding schools and with leading intellectuals at her grandparents' dinner table in Philadelphia.
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