'Homeland would've been stolen': AK Natives sound off on Biden energy bans as Trump officials tour tundra

Lampe voiced similar concerns to those Fox News Digital had been told in the past by Alaska officials, in that environmental activists in the Lower 48 and federal officials who ideologically align with them have tried speaking for them in opposition to developing ANWR and other sites where none of those same activists live.

"There's one thing that I want to bring up - we were under attack in Kaktovik by environmental groups," Lampe said.

"On Day 1, President Trump told the Fish and Wildlife Department to deny their requests. And that was such an amazing thing for us to be able to see. And we were so proud of our president then because he made sure that our ancestral homelands weren't going to be stolen - and [instead] protected," Lampe said, as many in the North Slope actually support the development of their Native homelands versus cordoning them off through regulation - as they bring jobs and resources.

"Trump had the heart and the wherewithal to be able to right this wrong."

He told Burgum to invite Trump to Kaktovik to see ANWR and its "Section 1002" - the oil and gas development sector - for himself.

Burgum said he believes Trump would be open to the opportunity - and that the president has already pleasantly surprised regional corporate stakeholders with his openness to questions that the oil companies felt loath to even consider asking a president.

"President Trump does care super deeply about this and at a deep level," Burgum said, adding the president shocked ConocoPhillips representatives in a recent meeting when he asked what they needed to improve their North Slope operations.

When the company noted improved roads would be helpful, Trump asked rhetorically why a road couldn't be built, according to Burgum. 

"[They] were kind of like, 'Wow, I didn't know we could ask that.'"

He added that with the "Big, Beautiful, Twin Natural Gas Pipeline" ultimately constructed, Alaska could be the key to global energy security by drawing buyers in Korea and Japan away from China.

"It's great to be part of history again here in the great North Slope oil fields of Alaska," Wright said.