Politics1 min read

It’s closer to Beijing than Washington – and residents of this Alaskan outpost are reeling from Trump’s policies

By · Via The Guardian Business · Published by Everything Blog

In short

Unalaska, the top seafood port by volume in the country, is dealing with record fuel prices stemming from a war with Iran, heavily straining its diesel-dependent power grid and local maritime fleets. Disruptions and cancellations to federal funds have simultaneously hit vital civic institutions, including the town's public radio station, museum, and library. Port workers are also navigating trade barriers by loading empty shipping containers to evade tariffs. These intersecting financial pressures have made Republican Senator Dan Sullivan unexpectedly vulnerable against Democratic challenger Mary Peltola in the approaching midterms.

Key points

  • Disrupted federal funding and record fuel surcharges are creating widespread economic fri…: Disrupted federal funding and record fuel surcharges are creating widespread economic friction across local public services and private maritime businesses.
  • Increased regulatory catch quotas for snow, tanner, and red king crab are failing to offs…: Increased regulatory catch quotas for snow, tanner, and red king crab are failing to offset the rapidly rising operational expenses.
  • Growing local discontent has endangered Republican Senator Dan Sullivan's reelection bid…: Growing local discontent has endangered Republican Senator Dan Sullivan's reelection bid against Mary Peltola despite Alaska previously backing Donald Trump.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

It was less than 17 hours until the start of Alaska’s lucrative Bering Sea crab season, and Oystein Lone was standing on a dock in the city of Unalaska, preparing to embark in rough conditions.

The problem wasn’t the next day’s forecast of 60mph gusts, which would kick up white-capped swells and make crabbing, already one of the most dangerous jobs in the United States, even more hazardous. Nor was it the question of whether there’d be enough red king, tanner and snow crabs to go around – state regulators had, in fact, announced higher quotas for the season.

What was bothering Lone, as the sun sank lower in the sky that Wednesday evening, was the question of how to make the numbers work when diesel cost more than ever, thanks to the war with Iran.

“This is the most challenging time I’ve seen,” said Lone, who has been fishing since 1989. He had already spent $86,000 to put 12,000 gallons of the fuel in one of his two boats, but the price had climbed higher since then, and if…

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