Dave Summers

Presidential contender Rick Perry’s plan projects 175,000 jobs in Alaska, nearly as many as the entire Gulf of Mexico region. He also expects the ANWR coastal plain to be opened to oil exploration.

Though there may be considerable oil reserves in Alaska that remain untapped at this time, their ability to significantly change the current and near-term global supply in a positive way is questionable.

Alaska has vast coal reserves, as much as 5 trillion tons -- or 40 percent more than all of the Lower 48. But most is in far-flung locations that make it costly to get to market.