(SitNews) Fairbanks, Alaska – In a speech before hundreds attending the Rotary Club of Fairbanks, Governor Sean Parnell today focused on how recent federal restrictions have crippled resource development and blocked jobs for Alaskans. From the offshore drilling moratorium, to ocean zoning, to the effort to lock up the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, the governor outlined numerous ways Washington is encroaching on Alaska’s sovereignty in developing its natural resources.

“What the federal government owns, it regulates. And, what it doesn’t own, it seeks to control – by regulatory mandate,” Governor Parnell said. “For our economy, it’s death by a thousand cuts.”

The governor said job creators in Alaska and across the country face a tough battle. He called on Alaskans to stand together, build alliances outside the state, and fight to force the federal government back into its constitutional limits.

“Rather than managing public resources for public benefit, a number of federal agencies act more like the night watchman of a locked warehouse,” Governor Parnell added. “Well, we have a message for Washington. We want our state back.”

During his visit to Fairbanks, Governor Parnell also met Mayor Jerry Cleworth, city officials, and with members of the Interior delegation.