The top federal safety regulator for offshore oil and gas drilling in Alaska publicly warned agency counterparts last fall that his office lacked the staffing to oversee existing operations in the state — let alone the massive expansion being pushed by the Trump administration, according to a document obtained by POLITICO.
Justin Miller, a longtime Interior Department employee who oversees inspection and enforcement of regulations on the oil rigs operating in federal waters off the Alaska coast, said the Trump administration’s voluntary separation programs spearheaded by Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency, along with declining industry interest in drilling in Alaska, have resulted in the “loss of many decades worth of experience” that are not easily replaced.
The missive from Miller, which the Interior Department told POLITICO was not authorized, raises new questions about the Trump administration’s plans to hold potentially dozens of new oil sales in the federal waters off Alaska, the first of which is scheduled for next Wednesday.
President Donald Trump has painted Alaska as a key piece of his “energy dominance” agenda, but the state’s often-treacherous weather conditions and sensitive natural ecosystems require particularly stringent oversight for oil companies operating there. Miller’s warning message shows how the administration’s DOGE-driven cuts to the federal workforce last year could cause unforeseen problems for Trump’s policy objectives.
