Republican Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy predicted the Biden administration will deny a drilling project on Alaska’s North Slope that could provide the state with thousands of jobs and Americans with more energy independence.

The governor expects President Joe Biden to deny the pending ConocoPhillips Willow Project, which is the largest pending proposal to drill for oil in the U.S. and requires his approval to move forward.

Dunleavy expects the president to not only deny his state jobs and the country affordable gas but to also plead for oil from foreign adversaries, such as Venezuela.

The governor joined Fox Business Network host Neil Cavuto on Tuesday to discuss the issue on “Cavuto: Coast to Coast.”

The Willow Project could produce hundreds of thousands of barrels a day while creating around 2,500 jobs.

Given the promise the project shows, and the fact it would be good for the country, it seems likely Biden will nix it without a second thought.

It often appears as though Biden assesses a situation, identifies a decision that would be most beneficial to Americans, and then go in the other direction.

Perhaps the White House will surprise us this time around.

Dunleavy expressed a similar sense of optimism about the drilling project with Cavuto.

"We're preparing for them to deny this," Dunleavy said. "And it's sad to say that, but their idea of a compromise, apparently, is to allow only two drilling pads for this oil play called Willow, about 180,000 barrels per day at peak, instead of the three or more that really the investors, ConocoPhillips, need to have to make this thing work for everybody.”

The governor said Biden and the environmental extremists he panders to are playing “an unfortunate game.”

"We're preparing, hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst,” he said of Biden's looming decision. “Alaska probably has more sanctions put against it by our own government than our government has against Venezuela.”

He concluded, "So, this is not the end of oil, it's just the end of oil in America."

One thing Democrats have not reconciled with the American people as they have forced us to rely on foreign drilling is that someone globally will always be drilling for oil.

That is true no matter how many cost-prohibitive electric cars are on the road in California, New York or Virginia.

Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela and others are not going to shut down their operations in response to the virtue signaling from the American far-left.

Meanwhile, Americans are going to continue to drive and buy fuel.

Only we will do so without the ability to depend on our vast reserves in places such as Alaska.

The oil will come from somewhere else -- meaning the likelihood of an environmental disaster is greater than if it had come from within the country and through a clean pipeline.

This article appeared originally on The Western Journal.