President Obama, environmentalists, and climate change advocates have become increasingly fond of saying we need to adopt green energy policies 
because it is good for the economy or government budgets.
As Alaskans we are used to such justifications leading to the conclusion Alaska’s lands and waters have to be taken off table for resource development.
The Hill reports Gov. Bill Walker is turning the tables on environmentalists, however, saying Alaska faces significant challenges from climate change and in order to address those the state needs the revenues new oil development would provide.
One has to wonder if environmental advocates will be so concerned about addressing the horrible, horrible consequences of climate change if resource development is needs to be part of the solution.
Matt Acuña Buxton is a long-time political reporter who has written for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and The Midnight Sun political blog. He also authors the daily politics newsletter, The Alaska Memo, and can frequently be found live-tweeting public meetings on Twitter.
