Trump unveils South Korean investment in pipeline in Alaska, site of a tight Senate race

September 30, 2026 / 6:55 PM EDT / CBS/AP

President Trump announced plans Wednesday for South Korea to invest in exporting natural gas from Alaska, a project long backed by Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan, who is in a competitive reelection contest there.

It marks the second time in three days that the president has sought to highlight planned foreign investments in states where Republican Senate candidates are in tight election campaigns. Mr. Trump made a similar Oval Office announcement on Monday for a massive steel plant in Iowa, another state where Republicans are defending a Senate seat.

The project consists of an 807-mile natural gas pipeline connecting Alaska's petroleum-rich North Slope to a liquefied natural gas export terminal in southern Alaska. It will eventually reduce energy costs for the state's residents by providing a reliable and secure supply, the White House said. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said liquefied natural gas could also be exported to Asia.

Officials said during the Oval Office event that building the pipeline will take three years and that exports of liquefied natural gas would begin two years after that — but that was dependent on financing coming through fully.

It was not clear how quickly…

Original source: https://www.cbsnews.com/world/