Comparing Platforms: Harris vs Trump
The Biden-Harris administration has set a new standard for climate leadership, pushing forward bold policies that are driving down carbon emissions and putting us on track toward a sustainable future. Their historic climate legislation is a game-changer in the fight against the climate crisis. On the other hand, former President Trump has not only denied the reality of climate change but doubled down on a pro-fossil fuel agenda.
This election offers a clear path: Harris and Walz are committed to accelerating the clean energy transition, improving air and water quality, and creating resilient, safer communities. In contrast, Trump and Vance’s MAGA platform would hand Big Oil a blank check to pollute, price-gouge, and keep us locked into a future of climate chaos. The stakes couldn’t be higher, and our planet needs leaders who will protect our winters, our wild places, and our way of life.
Explore below to see how the policies of these administrations could shape Alaska’s future.
Project 2025, or America The Beautiful 2030
Trump-aligned Project 2025 threatens to roll back years of climate action and public land protections that the Biden-Harris administration has fought hard to achieve. We know our nation needs to think long-term if we want future generations to enjoy a livable climate and the same opportunities to fish, hunt, recreate, and pass down traditions on public lands. That’s why looking ahead to 2030 is so important, when the America the Beautiful initiative’s “30×30” goals come due—to protect 30% of U.S. lands and waters.
Project 2025 directly opposes these goals, risking the wild places and ecosystems we depend on to meet international conservation standards and protect our planet’s future. Now is not the time to undo progress. Protecting 30% of our lands and waters by 2030 is just one goal among a much larger effort to protect the places we love and ensure a sustainable future for generations to come. We can’t let short-term agendas derail that vision.
Climate Action, NOT Conoco Profits
Former President Trump set ConocoPhillips’ Willow project into motion, fast-tracking oil development in one of Alaska’s most sensitive regions. With ConocoPhillips executives by his side, Trump pledged to unlock Alaska’s oil reserves, prioritizing corporate profits in exchange for $1 billion in campaign donations. But Willow is just the beginning—2.6 million acres of the Western Arctic are already leased to extractive industries. The next administration must act swiftly to halt Conoco’s plans to exploit this vital landscape.
The Trump-aligned Project 2025 would take us even further in the wrong direction. It’s already laid out a blueprint to expand the Willow project from three to five drilling pads, while also reviving a 2020 plan that would open almost the entire Western Arctic—the largest public landholding in the U.S.—to oil and gas development. These reckless policies could lead to irreversible damage to the climate and ecosystems that thrive there.
Right now, the Biden-Harris administration is actively working on a once-in-a-decade Special Areas review that could lock in long-term protections for the Western Arctic, as required by law. This process is essential to securing the kind of durable safeguards that will keep one of our most wild and critical landscapes safe from industrial development. These efforts are exactly what give us hope for the future, and what we’re excited to continue pushing for under a Harris administration—because protecting the Arctic is a crucial step in protecting our planet.
Trump on the other hand is willing to sell out our wildest places to Big Oil, putting short-term profits ahead of our communities, wildlife, and a livable future. We need leaders who will stand up for the Arctic, our wild places, and the planet we depend on.
Lands For People, NOT Polluters
Vice President Kamala Harris has consistently fought back against Big Oil, taking decisive action as California’s Attorney General and, as a senator, casting the critical vote that paved the way for over 300,000 new clean energy jobs. Governor Tim Walz is following suit, spearheading investments in clean air, water, and clean energy, creating thousands of new jobs in Minnesota and setting a powerful example for the nation.
Research shows that a Harris-Walz administration could slash climate pollution by an impressive 24% by 2030, while Trump’s Project 2025 would push emissions up by 19%. Harris and Walz are committed to environmental justice, building resilience in communities hit hardest by climate disasters, and driving down energy costs. Their bold approach could save Americans $7.7 billion annually on energy bills, delivering both a cleaner and more affordable future for everyone.
Just look at how frontline communities are already being impacted: The Biden-Harris administration didn’t just reverse Trump’s assault on Alaska’s lands and waters—they set a new standard for conservation, one that puts the future of the environment and Alaska’s communities at the forefront. With the launch of the Southeast Alaska Sustainability Strategy, they balanced sustainable economic growth with protecting critical old-growth forests, ensuring that the region’s natural beauty and resources are preserved for generations to come.
The administration also made key decisions like selecting the no-action alternatives in the D1 withdrawals programmatic EIS and the Ambler Road EIS, stopping harmful industrial projects that would have threatened some of Alaska’s most pristine wilderness areas. And perhaps most importantly, the EPA’s veto of the Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay was a powerful stand against the destruction of one of the world’s most important fisheries, driven by the voices of Western Alaska’s tribes and communities.
These actions show what happens when we listen to local communities, honor subsistence traditions, and put the health of our lands, waters, and winters first. The Biden-Harris administration is proving that conservation isn’t just about protecting the environment—it’s about protecting the future of all Alaskans.
A second term under Trump would undo the hard-fought victories we’ve achieved for Alaska’s lands, waters, and communities, putting polluting industries first, while putting our people, wildlife, and way of life in jeopardy. Trump’s agenda would strip away the protections that keep our wild places intact and open the door to reckless industrial development, pushing short-term profits over long-term sustainability. This kind of leadership threatens not just our environment, but the future of the communities that depend on these lands for their traditions and livelihoods. We can’t afford to let Big Oil call the shots at the expense of our planet.
Legacies NOT Logging
President Trump made a concerted effort to dismantle vital logging protections for millions of acres of the Tongass National Forest, one of the last remaining intact temperate rainforests in North America. His rollback threatened to open these pristine lands to industrial logging, putting at risk the delicate ecosystems and wildlife that rely on the forest. In contrast, the Biden-Harris administration has restored these crucial protections, and is actively working to create a sustainable economic future for the region that prioritizes conservation, responsible development, and the health of the lands, waters, and wildlife that call the Tongass home.
The choice is clear: preserving 800-year-old trees and the rich biodiversity of this irreplaceable forest or succumbing to the destructive consequences of clear-cutting that would forever alter this critical ecosystem. We must choose a future that honors the balance between economic prosperity and environmental stewardship, ensuring that the Tongass remains a thriving wilderness for generations to come.