Unalaska, AK – In response to the political unrest in the Middle East and North Africa, Gov. Sean Parnell called for energy development in Alaska while in Washington this week.

Parnell addressed to the National Press Club this morning, and he said that domestic oil production was both an economic issue and a matter of national security.

"Let's face it: We're dependent upon an open, free-flowing Suez Canal, a canal through an unstable region - the security of which has been purchased with our tax dollars for decades," said Parnell.

The governor also had harsh words for federal regulators, blaming them for America's dependence on foreign oil.

"They can force America to depend ever more heavily on foreign oil at an enormous cost of lives, tax dollars, and economic opportunity," says Parnell. "They do this by delaying leasing, delaying permitting, and by attempting sweeping lock-ups of lands without congressional approval or authority. The Department of the Interior has in the past few years acted like a shopaholic with a stolen credit card and a taste for empire-building."

The Department of the Interior was a major target for Parnell. While Interior Secretary Ken Salazar maintains no moratorium on drilling in the Arctic exists, Parnell again suggested that one was in place during his speech today. The governor also criticized the Obama administration for setting aside nearly 200,000 square miles of Alaska land as critical habitat for polar bears. He blasted the Environmental Protection Agency for air pollution permit delays. Parnell referenced Shell's recent decision to cancel its plans to drill in the Beaufort Sea as the product of EPA delay and overreach. The EPA stated earlier this month that it is not responsible for the hold up, and that an independent appeals board was slowing down the permitting process.

In his speech, Parnell also tried to respond to concerns that Alaska is running out of oil, focusing especially on offshore deposits.

"Alaska's oil patch is not dry - far from it. It contributes 11 percent of national oil production," says Parnell. "Prudhoe Bay has supplied oil to this nation for more than 40 years, and there is much more available if the federal government will allow us to access it."

While in Washington, Parnell is also attending the annual meeting of the National Governors Association and meeting with the Alaska delegation.