Trump admin invoking Defense Production Act for new Alaska power grid project touted by Vance

The Trump administration is using the Defense Production Act to put federal money into expanding Alaska's electricity grid, with Vice President JD Vance unveiling the effort on Monday alongside the Energy Department and the Alaska Energy Authority. The act is supplying $150 million, which joins $268 million already committed from non-federal sources. Officials say the work will cut power costs for 75% of Alaskans, according to Fox Business.

Vance described the effort as the Alaska Rail Belt Transmission Project and said it would put $400 million toward the state's grid and help build more than 200 miles of new transmission line. Officials identify the centerpiece as the Beluga-Healy Transmission Project, a second high-voltage tie between the south-central and interior parts of the state.

Energy Secretary Chris Wright credited Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan with helping bring the agreement together. In a statement, Wright said the line would back the military buildup under way in Alaska as well as mining and other resource development important to national security. The administration has leaned on the act across both Trump terms; earlier this year it directed an oil company to restart idled offshore operations in California, citing supply disruption risks and dependence on foreign crude.

Summarized by PolitiKool from Fox Business’s reporting. Read the full story at Fox Business →