My guess is, the gov, backed by liberals, don't want to mess up the last 'frontier' (besides the ocean floors, that's a different issue), or the newest frontier, until they can figure out a way to make money. That's it with the gov. It's all about generating income. As everyone says, follow the money.
That's exactly right. The business of gov't is business. Where Alaska business conflicts with Eastern business, Alaska loses every time. Alaska has coal for centuries. Timber going to waste. Even enough water to flood Nevada. It's not happening.