Election 2026 · Public beta

Independent, source-first accountability

TheStatedRecordFind a race
Back to the race record

Checked against the record · Alaska Governor 2026

Did Treg Taylor defend the Willow oil project?

Matches stated record claim. As attorney general he had Alaska join the Willow suits on the federal side; permits were voided in 2021, and the 2023 approval was upheld, then partly reversed on appeal but left standing.

Treg Taylor

Defending the Willow oil project in court

Matches stated record claim

What they say

In the October 8 debate he said that as attorney general he defended the Willow project, which he said brought good-paying jobs to Alaskans.

What the record shows ·

In April 2021 the state asked to join a lawsuit against Willow on the federal government's side; that August a federal judge threw out the project's permits. In March 2023 the state did the same in the suits against the project's new approval. The district court upheld that approval in November 2023, and in June 2025 the appeals court partly reversed that ruling and sent the case back without canceling the approval.

Limit: The state was one of several parties defending the project, with the federal government and ConocoPhillips. The jobs were not checked.

Keep reading

More from this race

See something wrong or incomplete? Report it for review.

Sources6 source records

How we use sources

  1. Debate for the State, Alaska governor, October 8, 2026 (at 53:44)https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWhiyir9eoI&t=3224s

    Alaska Public Media · Published Oct 8, 2026 · Reviewed Oct 10, 2026

    The hosts' video of the live governor debate (Alaska Public Media, Alaska's News Source and KTOO). Taylor says he defended the Willow project. Described from YouTube's captions of the video, read on October 10, 2026; not quoted, because a second transcript to check the wording against was not available.

    candidate statement

    For: Did Treg Taylor defend the Willow oil project?

  2. State of Alaska intervenes in Willow Project lawsuithttps://gov.alaska.gov/state-of-alaska-intervenes-in-willow-project-lawsuit/

    Office of the Governor · Published Apr 15, 2021 · Reviewed Oct 10, 2026

    Dated April 15, 2021. The state asks the federal court in Anchorage to let it join a lawsuit to defend the Bureau of Land Management's approval of Willow.

    official office record

    For: Did Treg Taylor defend the Willow oil project?

  3. Governor issues statement on federal court's block of Alaska North Slope Willow Projecthttps://gov.alaska.gov/governor-issues-statement-on-federal-courts-block-of-alaska-north-slope-willow-project/

    Office of the Governor · Published Aug 18, 2021 · Reviewed Oct 10, 2026

    Dated August 18, 2021. Says Judge Sharon Gleason invalidated the Willow permits; the state had joined the case to defend them.

    official office record

    For: Did Treg Taylor defend the Willow oil project?

  4. The State intervenes in federal lawsuits that challenge Willow Project and opposes effort to stop constructionhttps://www.law.alaska.gov/press/releases/2023/032423-Willow.html

    Alaska Department of Law · Published Mar 24, 2023 · Reviewed Oct 10, 2026

    Dated March 24, 2023. The state files to join the suits against the 2023 approval, alongside ConocoPhillips and North Slope groups. Quotes Attorney General Taylor on defending the project.

    official office record

    For: Did Treg Taylor defend the Willow oil project?

  5. Governor Dunleavy welcomes district court decision dismissing challenges to the Willow Projecthttps://gov.alaska.gov/governor-dunleavy-welcomes-district-court-decision-dismissing-challenges-to-the-willow-project/

    Office of the Governor · Published Nov 9, 2023 · Reviewed Oct 10, 2026

    Dated November 9, 2023. The federal court in Alaska dismissed two lawsuits against the approval; the state had intervened to defend it.

    official office record

    For: Did Treg Taylor defend the Willow oil project?

  6. Center for Biological Diversity v. Bureau of Land Management, No. 23-3624 (9th Cir. June 13, 2025) (document)

    U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit · Published Jun 13, 2025 · Reviewed Oct 10, 2026

    Decides both appeals over the 2023 approval. Affirms the lower court in part and reverses in part, and sends the case back to the agency without canceling the approval. Lists Taylor as attorney general on the state's brief.

    official office record

    For: Did Treg Taylor defend the Willow oil project?