One of those enacted is my House Bill 30, which re-institutes the state agency performance review program that was ended in the 1980s. We made some changes to the old program and added some teeth.

Here’s the release our Majority Press put out. We’ll pass along a photo soon.

The Governor signed one of my friend Kurt Olson’s business bills, and one for ...]]> Thank you to Governor Parnell for taking a trip down to the Kenai today, speaking to the Chamber and signing Peninsula delegation bills into law.

One of those enacted is my House Bill 30, which re-institutes the state agency performance review program that was ended in the 1980s. We made some changes to the old program and added some teeth.

Here’s the release our Majority Press put out. We’ll pass along a photo soon.

The Governor signed one of my friend Kurt Olson’s business bills, and one for our Senator Giessel.

I hope you had a safe and happy Memorial Day weekend, and got a chance to enjoy some of this fine summer weather.

Mike

Wednesday, May 22 Weekly Update

No work Friday, May 24 through Monday, May 27 in observance of the Memorial Day holiday. Expect daily 24-hour LANE RESTRICTIONS, gravel surfaces, and flagging operations from north of Trail River Bridge to Falls Creek, between 7:00am and 7:00pm, through June. Be alert to heavy equipment and construction workers on the shoulder.

Find out more about construction occurring on our roadways this summer at http://alaskanavigator.org/.

# # #

Alaska Road Builders have the contract to repave portions of the K-Beach Road:

From the Soldotna Ball fields to the Bridge Access Road, ARB will be milling (grinding) 1” (inch) of the driving lanes (Only) in both directions, starting Monday, May 13th, at 0800 hours.

“Weather permitting”, the milling operations will be continuous in one direction from the Soldotna Ball fields to Bridge Access, taking 1-2 days, with paving operations close behind.  Milling will then begin from Bridge Access to the Soldotna Ball Fields ...]]> ROAD CONSTRUCTION UPDATE:

Alaska Road Builders have the contract to repave portions of the K-Beach Road:

From the Soldotna Ball fields to the Bridge Access Road, ARB will be milling (grinding) 1” (inch) of the driving lanes (Only) in both directions, starting Monday, May 13^th, at 0800 hours.

“Weather permitting”, the milling operations will be continuous in one direction from the Soldotna Ball fields to Bridge Access, taking 1-2 days, with paving operations close behind.  Milling will then begin from Bridge Access to the Soldotna Ball Fields as soon as possible.

The mill operation will affect only the driving lanes and NOT the middle turn lane or the shoulders.  ARB hopes to have the entire operation completed within 7 days (weather permitting)

ARB will be notifying agencies shortly, with additional information to follow.

IMPORTANT:  Alaska Road Builders is planning on having 2-way traffic at all times, with reduced speed limits.

The snow is melting and we are already into the administrative start of the Alaska fire season. Division of Forestry burn permits were required starting April 1 (http://forestry.alaska.gov/burn). Our goal at the Division of Forestry is to be proactive and responsive in providing you with the fire information that you and your constituents need, without inundating you with too many ...]]> The information below is from the Department of Resources Division of Forestry. A copy of the Wildland Fire Guide can be found as a PDF here.

The snow is melting and we are already into the administrative start of the Alaska fire season. Division of Forestry burn permits were required starting April 1 (http://forestry.alaska.gov/burn). Our goal at the Division of Forestry is to be proactive and responsive in providing you with the fire information that you and your constituents need, without inundating you with too many emails.

AICC Website Overview

For general fire information updates, please visit the Alaska Interagency Coordination Center (AICC) website at http://fire.ak.blm.gov. Some of the more helpful information available on that site includes (in order that it appears on left-hand side of the webpage):

Interagency Newsroom http://fire.ak.blm.gov/newsroom.php

• Morning Highlights: AICC product that directs people to additional fire information sources (based on AICC Situation Report) and provides a brief update of the statewide situation.
• Current News Releases: Fire specific.

Inciweb http://www.inciweb.org/ (Some incidents will have specific webpages created for them on Inciweb.)

Intelligence/Reports http://fire.ak.blm.gov/predsvcs/intel.php

• Situation Reports (Alaska and National)

Maps/Imagery/Geospatial http://fire.ak.blm.gov/predsvcs/maps.php 

• Near-real time lightning information
• Statewide fires

Fire Weather http://fire.ak.blm.gov/predsvcs/weather.php

• Briefings/Forecasts

Outlooks http://fire.ak.blm.gov/predsvcs/outlooks.php

• 7-day potential

AWFCG (Alaska Wildland Fire Coordinating Group) http://fire.ak.blm.gov/administration/awfcg.php

• Sect. D – Brochures/ Educational Materials (Alaska FireWise brochure etc.)

Fire Information Gathering

News releases for individual fires are posted to the AICC website as soon as they become available. However, if you are interested in a particular incident and would like to be added to the news release distribution list, please let me know which email address to use for you and/or your staff and I will make sure that happens.

Forestry is also on Facebook, Twitter and Youtube. If you have an account, please Like or Follow us. While these accounts will not be used for time-sensitive “play by play” fire information sharing, they will be used to direct the public/media to key fire information sources and program-related information.

Youtube (AlaskaDNRDOF): http://www.youtube.com/user/AlaskaDNRDOF

Facebook (Alaska DNR – Division of Forestry (DOF)): http://www.facebook.com/AK.Forestry

Twitter (@AK_Forestry): http://twitter.com/#!/ak_forestry

Thank you for your support and for helping us get the word out! Public safety is our priority and part of that effort includes keeping people well informed of wildland fire information and incidents. The best thing we can do is encourage the public to prevent human-caused fires and to create defensible space around their home and property.

Sincerely,

Maggie Rogers

HJR 12 tells Lower 48 gun and firearm accessory manufacturers two things:

1) Alaska is open for business and will welcome any who choose to follow through on statements on relocation.

2) We value and protect the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and have a cultural heritage that aligns well with their businesses.

Here’s a release from our Majority Press Office on passage.

And, we’re working on another ...]]> The other body saw fit to pass House Joint Resolution 12 tonight. Thanks to Senator Fred Dyson for carrying my resolution.

HJR 12 tells Lower 48 gun and firearm accessory manufacturers two things:

1) Alaska is open for business and will welcome any who choose to follow through on statements on relocation.

2) We value and protect the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and have a cultural heritage that aligns well with their businesses.

Here’s a release from our Majority Press Office on passage.

And, we’re working on another letter to a manufacturer, this time PTR Industries of Bristol, Connecticut.

http://www.housemajority.org/2013/04/10/legislature-to-gun-makers-come-on-up-were-open/

The important thing to remember is this: we acted to prioritize gas for Alaskans first, and move forward on the only project currently within our control that can help Alaskans heat their homes and businesses. 30 members of the House voted to keep the process moving.

As ...]]> I’m sure in the coming days we’ll have more to say on House Bill 4, my and Representative Mike Hawker’s instate gasline bill, but for now we’ll just pass along the release the Majority Press Office sent out earlier tonight.

The important thing to remember is this: we acted to prioritize gas for Alaskans first, and move forward on the only project currently within our control that can help Alaskans heat their homes and businesses. 30 members of the House voted to keep the process moving.

As we prepare to progress the bill through the Senate we’ll take into account the comments of our colleagues on the floor and input from senators, and I’m confident we’ll see a bill by the end of session to allow the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation to get to Open Season with its ASAP project.

You can read the release at http://www.housemajority.org/2013/04/01/house-passes-historic-in-state-gasline-enabling-bill/

The City of Valdez is running an unprecedented ad campaign against a bill currently before the Legislature – House Bill 4, which would give the state-created Alaska Gasline Development Corporation the tools necessary to keep its Alaska Stand Alone Pipeline project on schedule for an Open Season next summer.

Representative Mike Hawker and I sponsored the bill to continue the good work being accomplished by the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation. We need to do everything within the State’s power to ...]]> The True Facts About House Bill 4

The City of Valdez is running an unprecedented ad campaign against a bill currently before the Legislature – House Bill 4, which would give the state-created Alaska Gasline Development Corporation the tools necessary to keep its Alaska Stand Alone Pipeline project on schedule for an Open Season next summer.

Representative Mike Hawker and I sponsored the bill to continue the good work being accomplished by the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation. We need to do everything within the State’s power to ensure their Alaska Stand Alone Pipeline project gets to a go or no-go decision and finally deliver Alaska’s gas to Alaskan homes and businesses.

To that end, we are going to address the form letter they’re asking Alaskans to send to their legislators line by line, issue by issue. Our goal is to separate fact from fiction.

CLAIM:
HB 4 fails as a project, so vote no

FACT:
House Bill 4 is exactly the opposite – it is the only project currently before the Legislature. AGPA/MVP/Valdez doesn’t have a project. TransCanada and the producers have a working idea they’ve all coalesced around, but nothing with meat or anywhere close to being ready for permitting or discussion.

We won’t know success or failure until the completion of an Open Season. But unless we try to move a project forward we won’t know the outcome.

AGDC’s project – the Alaska Stand Alone Pipeline – is the only project going. They have their Final Environmental Impact Statement in-hand, state Right of Way leases with a federal lease pending and have a project plan with clear milestones and timelines, all of which they’ve met.

Dan Fauske and his team at AGDC have answered the bell rung by passage of House Bill 369 in the prior Legislature and are diligently working towards supplying Alaskans with desperately-needed, reasonably-priced, clean-burning, and secure energy.

We’ve seen the continued failures or fade-outs of major export projects, and AGDC is looking to feed Alaskans’ needs first, not overseas markets.

CLAIM:
The ASAP project being promoted through HB 4 will leave approximately 50 percent of our residents in the dark.

FACT:
No pipeline itself will serve more than the people along the route. Here the authors are being unreasonable. The ASAP line would feed communities along the Railbelt; Fairbanks, with the greatest need on the road system, would be connected, lowering residents energy bills. The line would run south from the North Slope through Southcentral, tapping into markets without a unified, secure and stable supply. The plan also allows for expansions, including the Kenai Peninsula, where high concentrations of Alaskans don’t have access either.

AGDC doesn’t stop with ASAP. Once the line is in place, other regions of the state could benefit. Opportunities abound for considering additional pipelines connecting other hubs and communities across the state.

The possibilities of barging propane on the Yukon or establishing a barged CNG/LNG system for coastal Alaska are just two of the exciting possibilities once we unlock the gas and put the in-state spine or core in place.

The line, regardless of whether it ends up being the AGIA or AGDC project, must include off-take points for Alaskans and serve Alaska’s needs first, not primarily market our gas to Asian markets. Valdez seems to want another TAPS line with only one off-take point (the Flint Hills refinery in North Pole) and an emphasis on export. This is not the best plan for an Alaska gasline.

CLAIM:
The so-called “ASAP” line will take upward of 10 years to build under ideal conditions. This project is not a short-term solution and will do nothing to solve our immediate energy woes.

FACT:
Under AGDC’s current project timeline gas would flow by 2019. That’s six years from now. That date is contingent on passage of HB 4 and adequate funding from the Legislature this session, to keep the project on track. The longer we wait to start, the longer it takes to get gas, while the costs keep escalating.

The truth is any mega-project is going to take years to plan, permit, litigate, and build. Even with only a carrying capacity planned at a quarter of that allowed by AGIA, the ASAP line will still be one of the largest projects in North America. It’s of the scale of Valdez’s own TAPS, which took years as well. Would they say that TAPS wasn’t worth it because it would take too long to build today? No. The AGPA/MVP/Valdez fictional project would take just as long, if not longer to construct.

AGDC also has a leg up on any other project, real or imagined, because it already has many of the necessary permits, and the State’s right-of-way in hand. The fact is, AGDC’s line is the best positioned for success. The ASAP line would get gas to Alaskans faster than any project being talked about today, and it hasn’t even reached the go or no go stage yet.

Finally, it’s characteristically false to call ASAP a short-term solution – patently untrue and unfair. ASAP is a long-term solution that would bring a long-term, stable, secure supply of energy to Alaskan homes and businesses. House Bill 4 DOES NOT BLOCK any other project from moving forward.

CLAIM:
According to the ASAP project plan, energy costs for residents of Southcentral Alaska will increase significantly under the small-volume gas line being promoted through HB 4.

FACT:
In a cost comparison between current natural gas prices in Southcentral and the ASAP plan, in today’s dollars, ASAP is competitive. Natural gas rates are in the $9 range today, and ASAP projects a $15 range in 2019, which is $9-11 in today’s dollars. A reasonable person would conclude that ASAP is fair, yet the AGPA/MVP/Valdez contingent would rather not deal in facts.

It’s also important to note that the ASAP prices would come in absolutely lower than import prices, should no line advance, exploration in the Cook Inlet continue to stagnate, and the Railbelt utilities have to bring in foreign or Lower 48 LNG. What type of message would that send? We have 35 trillion cubic feet of known natural gas reserves on the North Slope, but AGPA/MVP/Valdez would rather tear down the legitimate project and compel Alaskans to have to import gas. That’s unacceptable. Railbelt mayors, assemblies, councils, and consumers should be angered at the gall of the group behind these blatant distortions.

AGDC’s ASAP is economic and adds a critical level of energy and economic security to Southcentral communities.

CLAIM:
The ASAP project will not generate a single dime in new revenue for Alaska.

FACT:
Let’s flip that back at AGPA/MVP/Valdez – they publish that their non-project will result in $419 billion in revenues to the State. No impartial projection in the world would have natural gas prices anywhere near the astronomical prices they would have to attain to reach even a quarter of that stated target. You would have to push all the known and anticipated gas in Alaska through that line and hope – hope – the market didn’t saturate to the point that readily-available tidewater supplies didn’t undercut the market. That’s also if you beat the Russians, Chinese, Australians, Canadians, and states in the Lower 48 to project completion.

Now, back to their claim on revenues – AGDC’s ASAP is about serving Alaskans first. This pipeline isn’t about exports that serve some unknown foreign country’s purposes or energy needs. ASAP is about gas for Alaskans – clean, secure, reasonably-priced, and stable – for use in our homes and businesses. We in the Legislature and executive branch swear an oath to protect and serve the people of Alaska, not foreigners.

Also note that we would still have the ability to tax any gas not used in-state, which is why, ideally, the ASAP line would include an export component that would return revenue to the State.

AGPA/MVP/Valdez also fails to grasp the important perspective that revenue to the state treasury is not the panacea they’d lead you to believe. Money to the state is money not to Alaskans’ pockets; it’s not going to the direct economic survival of Alaskan families and businesses, but instead, under their plan, it goes to the State, meaning more bureaucrats and union middle managers would be employed, propping up government. ASAP takes care of Alaskans, and would provide private sector jobs while diversifying our state’s economy through construction and those industries it could spur.

No one knows what revenue to Alaska will be until we set a gas tax – FOR ANY PROJECT.

CLAIM:
HB 4 will exempt the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) from public records laws and remove the checks and balances that should be provided by the people, the governor and the Legislature.

FACT:
HB 4 does not exempt AGDC from public records laws; HB 4 simply allows that some information of a commercial nature or that is an ‘asset of the state’ may be kept confidential. Commercial projects of this nature require certain aspects of negotiations and information be kept confidential to protect the competitive integrity of bids and other aspects. No megaproject in the world could be constructed in any other way, especially with the complicated financing and planning involved.

HB 4 also doesn’t remove checks or balances within government oversight. Instead, AGDC must keep the governor, the Legislature and Alaskans informed of its progress and must be annually accountable for state funds it invests in the project. The bill has many checks and balances, and does so without allowing politics to inject into or disrupt the process. It’s a clear and direct vehicle to get the market to move and deliver gas to Alaskans, which is in direct opposition to the politicized nature of the lobbying and public relations campaign MVP is spending Valdez tax payer money on.

We have learned, over and over in the reasons cited in the opening of this blog, that removing politics from the process and letting the market decide is critical to project success.

Also, Bill Walker, the spokesman for AGPA and the City of Valdez, told the Legislature last year he couldn’t answer some of the questions he was asked because the information was confidential.

CLAIM:
The ASAP project being promoted through HB 4 will leave the valuable gas liquids (propane, butane, etc) stranded on the North Slope. These liquids are a much-needed source of jobs and new economic development for our state.

FACT:
The piece of fiction stated immediately above is a perfect example to pass along a pretty cool part of ASAP’s design: the ability to ship a stream of propane along with the ‘lean’ gas. It’s a dual-purpose line. The plan calls for the ability to ship the propane provided there is a market for it. That would be determined during its Open Season, the process where shippers and buyers make their commitments to the project.

The complicating factor here is the recent trend of falling prices for gas liquids, so the current interest in them doesn’t justify the higher construction costs required to ship the liquids, and would add a punitive cost to Alaskans who need the gas. If the market changes between today and the Open Season, however, AGDC is able to adjust its plan accordingly.

In conclusion, the plan outlined in HB 4 and being pursued by AGDC is not an immediate solution and never has been presented that way.

There are a number of viable short term alternatives for Alaskans to consider as we continue to eat the gasline elephant one bite at a time: importing LNG and financing a gas trucking project from the North Slope to Fairbanks, the latter of which has broad legislative support from the governor and legislators, including me and HB 4 sponsor Representative Mike Hawker.

The trucking plan can be put into place at a lower cost and quicker timeframe than ASAP, but it’s not the long term solution. It’s a bridge to a gasline future. Trucking or importing also buys us time and provides flexibility to continue work on the line and ensure Alaskans get the best project and product without worrying about the clock ticking to zero or window for getting gas closes; it means the correct project gets built – a large-volume gasline from the North Slope to tidewater, one which provides cheap energy for all Alaskans and a steady stream of income to help offset our declining oil revenues.

The decades of benefit HB 4 would provide makes the six-year lead time worth it for Alaskans. ASAP offers opportunity for expansion, diversified delivery options, and could lead to more development across the state. Mining companies could use the gas to power their operations, making many projects more viable, while still lowering the cost of energy for consumers and businesses throughout the state.

Competition won’t come from HB 4 and ASAP. The plan doesn’t interfere with the Fairbanks LNG trucking plan before the Legislature. Proponents of the LNG trucking plan even agree with us that their project is a bridge to a gasline – they want the cheap, consistent supply of gas to the Interior a dedicated line would provide.

Alaskans need to understand that AGPA/MVP/Valdez’s whole premise is a pipe dream, not a pipeline. Haven’t we had enough regional factions and over-zealous political brow-beating? Alaskans deserve an honest debate and discussion. Alaskans deserve a fair analysis of the ASAP plan.

We hope Alaskans can see past the slick million-dollar PR campaign being unleashed by the City of Valdez and understand we take our duty to protect and serve Alaskans seriously here in the Capitol.

Our recent Alaska House Majority Caucus survey found a clear and decisive majority of Alaskans do agree with us, which is why it is critically important to re-enforce our message that ASAP/HB 4 is in the State’s best interest and offers Alaskans the best opportunity for gas.

Alaskans need to take care of Alaskans and in-state energy needs first, not foreign markets.

Maybe it’s time you write the City of Valdez leaders and express your opinions to them. And make sure you write a letter of support to your legislator and the governor for HB 4 as well.

Please do the right thing for Alaska and support House Bill 4.

Finally, we won’t spend $900,000 of public money on a PR campaign, but if we did advertise, it would be something like this: http://video.housemajority.org/28th_Legislature/Audio/mvp.mp3

Thank you for taking the time to get informed.

Respectfully,

HB 4 sponsors:
Representative Mike Hawker
Representative Mike Chenault

Mike

HOUSE APPROVES PRO-GUN, PRO-BUSINESS RESOLUTION

HJR 12 encourages firearm and accessories manufacturers to move to Alaska 

Thursday, March 28, 2013, Juneau, Alaska – The Alaska House of Representatives today passed a resolution encourage firearms and firearm accessories manufacturers in ...]]> The House passed my House Joint Resolution 12 yesterday. The release from the House Majority Press Office is below, along with a link to the letter I wrote to a manufacturer  in Colorado who is looking to move following that state’s passage of restrictive new gun laws.

Mike

HOUSE APPROVES PRO-GUN, PRO-BUSINESS RESOLUTION

HJR 12 encourages firearm and accessories manufacturers to move to Alaska 

Thursday, March 28, 2013, Juneau, Alaska – The Alaska House of Representatives today passed a resolution encourage firearms and firearm accessories manufacturers in the Lower 48 to move their businesses to Alaska, if they feel threatened by restrictive anti-gun legislation at the state and federal level.

House Joint Resolution 12, sponsored by Alaska Speaker of the House Mike Chenault, also urges the Governor promote the state’s business-friendly climate and actively seek out companies and help with relocation efforts.

“We’ve got plenty of land and a citizenry that appreciates and fully supports our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms, unlike others in the Lower 48,” Chenault, R-Nikiski, said. “In a time in Washington, D.C., and in states across America where gun laws are being more exclusive we’re sending an inclusive message to manufacturers: come to Alaska, where we won’t punish you or mandate how or to whom you can make and sell your products.”

Speaker Chenault recently wrote a letter to Magpul Industries Corp Founder and CEO Rick Fitzgerald of Boulder, Colo., who in press accounts said he will seriously consider moving his ammunition magazine manufacturing plant out of the state following the Colorado Legislature’s passage of restrictive gun laws.

Representative Tammie Wilson, R-North Pole, also contacted Fitzgerald, and her office has created a Facebook page, “Magpul Industries – Alaska Wants You,” after learning people in other states were taking to the popular social media platform in an effort to get Magpul to relocate.

Copies of HJR 12 will be sent to 92 of the nation’s manufacturers, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and the Governor.

HJR 12, which passed by a vote of 35-1, now moves to the Alaska Senate for consideration.

- – - – - – - – - -

Dear Mr. Fitzpatrick,

I read with both shock and disdain the recent news that the Colorado Legislature has passed – and your Governor has signed – new laws restricting a citizen’s Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

Though many feel the actions taken by your state government were appropriate, we in Alaska do not.

You recently announced plans to move your gun magazine manufacturing operations out of Colorado, and I would encourage you to consider Alaska as a place to relocate. Our state is blessed with mountains higher than the Rockies, waters cooler and clearer than the mighty Colorado, Arkansas or Rio Grande, and unrivaled outdoor heritage and hunting opportunities.

More importantly for you and your company, Alaskans staunchly support the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution, especially we in the Legislature. To that end, we’ve passed bills and resolutions this session re-asserting our Second Amendment rights and striking back at the campaign of fear being perpetuated by well-connected liberals from Washington, D.C. all the way to California.

In fact, I and many others in the Alaska House of Representatives have worked together to sponsor and promote House Joint Resolution 12, which specifically addresses businesses like yours and other who are feeling persecuted or are in danger of losing your ability to operate due to these oppressive, ill-thought-out and punitive laws.

I invite you to take a look at the resolution at http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_bill.asp?bill=HJR%2012&session=28.

Alaska is the Great Land, and you are a great man for standing up for your business and doing what’s right for yourself and your workers. Our state is open for business, so come on up and look around; we have a feeling you’d like what you see.

There are more reasons to consider Alaska, including our lack of personal state income tax, low corporate taxes, a talented and skilled work force, our strategic location relating to the global supply chain, and wealth of military installations. All of these reasons and others make Alaska an amazing place to live and work, and I sincerely hope you and your company consider relocating some of your operations north.

Finally, it has come to my attention that you’ve been in contact with Representative Tammie Wilson of North Pole, Alaska. Her staff has created a Facebook page, called “Magpul Industries – Alaska Wants You” that I hope you’ll look over, as it seems there is a push on social media for other states with similar philosophies lining up to welcome you, one of which is Texas. Just remember: they say everything is bigger in Texas, until they come to Alaska, where we have more than twice the area, and less big hair.

Respectfully,

Mike

I’ve got Town Hall meetings set up for this weekend.

Kenai – KPB Assembly Chambers – Saturday, March 23, 10am-1pm

Seward – Seward Community Library – Saturday, March 23, 4pm-6pm.

Come on out if you’ve got the time. I’d like to hear your thoughts on issues and bills before the legislature, or those from back in the district.

Here’s the op-ed:

Legislative Update – thoughts on session and local news

By Representative Mike Chenault

The ...]]> Thank you to the Peninsula Clarion and Seward Phoenix Log for publishing my op-ed over the past week.

I’ve got Town Hall meetings set up for this weekend.

Kenai – KPB Assembly Chambers – Saturday, March 23, 10am-1pm

Seward – Seward Community Library – Saturday, March 23, 4pm-6pm.

Come on out if you’ve got the time. I’d like to hear your thoughts on issues and bills before the legislature, or those from back in the district.

Here’s the op-ed:

Legislative Update – thoughts on session and local news

By Representative Mike Chenault

The First Session of the 28th Alaska Legislature is more than halfway finished, but there are still miles to go. The House has almost satisfied its constitutional goal of passing a state operating budget, moving it to the Senate on Thursday. Now, we’ll see what changes the Senate makes and then name a conference committee to work out the differences.

Session has so far been focused primarily on moving bills through the system and getting new members on course. We’ve already passed substantial bills to better the state: the cruise ship bill, the water primacy bill, bills auditing state departments, a gun rights bill (both of which I sponsored,) numerous resolutions supporting state’s rights and honoring Alaskans, and now we are in the thick of things, examining the governor’s proposed oil tax revision. We also hope to soon have another robust K-12 education package to consider.

Time will tell how much we can finish up before adjournment in less than a month, but I am hopeful we’ll be able to, at the least, position ourselves for quick action in the Second.

On the home front, I look forward to returning to the Peninsula for town hall meetings in Soldotna and Seward on the 23rd, but I’ll do so with a heavy heart. News broke earlier this week that ConocoPhillips was not going to seek an extension of the export license – the only one in the nation – for its Nikiski LNG facility.

I wish I could tell you I was shocked or surprised by the decision. I wish I could tell you that all the activity in the Inlet would backstop the facility until a North Slope gasline could be built. I wish I could tell you any number of things that would help us keep this career-giving, family-sustaining, job providing facility in our community. But I can’t. And that’s a tough pill to swallow. We’ve passed legislation to stimulate production and exploration in the Inlet, working with former Senator Tom Wagoner and Anchorage Representative Mike Hawker. We’ve provided tax incentives and credits. We’ve even expanded the allowable area for exploration, and created a natural gas storage facility.

There simply isn’t enough available gas to make the operation pencil out. And that’s where an in-state gas pipeline comes in. I sponsored the bill that created the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation in 2010, directing them to take all the steps necessary to facilitate an in-state gasline – all facets, from design to financing, and leveraging existing state resources to streamline the process.

They’ve made tremendous headway, and as we learned this week, they’re well on their way to making a case to prospective builders and shippers. To that end, I’m working with Rep. Hawker on enabling legislation, House Bill 4, to help them keep the momentum going and finish their job.

It is absolutely critical that all parties now support the only group with a working project – the Alaska Stand Alone Pipeline. Let’s do what’s best for Alaskans and quit dividing critical time and resources. Alaskans need the gas, not just on the Railbelt, to help revitalize the state’s economy, and provide safe and affordable energy for our homes and businesses.

The Alaska Gasline Port Authority was dealt another blow March 7, when the U.S. Department of Energy denied their application for an export license, because they simply have no project, no gas, no plant, and no financing. How much longer will we allow regional factions to impede progress? This makes AGDC’s plan all the more important – IT’S THE ONLY IN-STATE LINE MOVING TOWARDS PERMITTING.

House Bill 4 takes politics – statewide and local – out of the process and allows the experts to decide where to put the spigot. We in Nikiski just lost ours; let’s hope that the rest of the state doesn’t lose out as well. A gasline is within reach and within reason. If ASAP becomes a spur from a larger line, great. But we must keep pushing forward in the unlikely event the large line continues to be more pipedream than pipeline.

###

I released an official statement earlier today, and it mentioned the age remark.

Here it is:

“Congratulations to Mitch, his family, kennel, volunteers, and dogs on this truly amazing accomplishment. The Iditarod is the toughest athletic competition I’ve ...]]> I’ve always said we do things better on the Peninsula. Veteran Iditarod musher Mitch Seavey just proved me right last night. He won the 41st Iditarod, his second win. He mentioned last night that the win was for gentlemen of a certain age, because he’s the oldest winner, at 53.

I released an official statement earlier today, and it mentioned the age remark.

Here it is:

“Congratulations to Mitch, his family, kennel, volunteers, and dogs on this truly amazing accomplishment. The Iditarod is the toughest athletic competition I’ve ever seen. For him to win twice in a decade is a testament to his hard work, dedication and love for his dogs. From one gentleman of a certain age to another – I agree: the back half of a hundred is pretty sweet. Tanna and I are thrilled at your win, and for representing the Peninsula so well. You’re an inspiration.”

I’ve never had the pleasure of meeting Mitch in person, but I’d welcome the chance. We’re going to recognize him with a citation from the House soon.

Congratulations as well to all the mushers, the Iditarod Trail Committee, and the volunteers who are making this event another success. It’s Alaska’s Super Bowl, if you will, and a rich part of our cultural heritage.

-Mike