President Obama's plan to restrict drilling in the Arctic has hit a nerve in Alaska.

"Our fiscal situation is that we’re in a $3.5 billion deficit this year.

You know, over half the conservation land in America is in Alaska, so we have more set aside in Alaska than the entire rest of the country combined, and we’re trying to make a living here, we’re trying to live here, we’re trying to have an economy here, and we’re doing it environmentally responsibly.

"I’m not going to allow geopolitics to be resolved on the backs of Alaskans.

It’s an area that we certainly want to protect, we will protect, but my goodness, you know, the area we want to explore is equivalent to a quarter, a 25 cent piece, on a football field.

All the arguments that I’m hearing now are identical to arguments I heard then, it just hasn't proved out to be the case.