Representative
David Guttenberg

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Ruddy Abam

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District 38:
Alakanuk; Anderson; Cantwell; Chevak; Clear; Denali Park; Emmonak; Ester; Ferry; Four Mile Road; Goldstream; Grayling; Healy; Hooper Bay; Kotlik; Lake Minchumina; Manley Hot Springs; Marshall; McGrath; Minto; Mountain Village; Nenana; Nikolai; Nunam Iqua; Pilot Station; Pitkas Point; Ruby; Scammon Bay; St. Mary’s; Takotna; Tanana

  March 25th, 2014

Friends and Neighbors,

The legislative session has picked up the pace as we near the home stretch. With less than a month left, the House is holding Floor sessions almost every day. Legislation has to be though committees soon and at least through one body to help ensure success.

The Senate Finance Committee has been retooling the Operating Budget that the House sent over and everyone is anxious to see what changes they make.

Still no word on the Capital Budget- but that is to be expected. As the biggest bargaining chip, we usually don’t see it until early April.

Alaska LNG Large Diameter Plan in the House

Last week, the Senate passed SB 138 “Gas Pipeline; AGDC; Oil & Gas Prod. Tax” out with 15 ‘yeas’ and 5 ‘nays’. The bill is now being heard in House Resources and we expect to have it before us in House Finance around April 5th.

This is a large complex bill, which for some does a lot and not enough for others. A large diameter gasline from the North Slope to tidewater has long been the golden standard. It’s a dream that we have been close to many times- probably fueling some of the speculation in this building.

This particular piece of legislation is considered the first step towards a project and contains many provisions, some worrisome. Here is the 30,000 foot view of what’s in it:

- Establishes a part of the Alaska Gas Development Corporation (AGDC) to pursue state equity interest in a gasline and facilities;

- Authorizes the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to participate in negotiations for contacts and project development;

- Authorize DNR to modify current lease terms on properties to work for gas instead of oil;

- Makes changes to oil and gas production taxes for gas produced through this project.

There is room for debate on many of the proposals. At the end of the day, we all want a gasline that can provide for the general fund and lower the cost of energy for Alaskans. Getting there will be expensive and involves a lot of moving parts.

This bill is not the end all; we will have many more regular and special sessions dedicated to this project. However, with this laying out a lot of the groundwork on the type of project and how we as Alaskans will be involved, it’s important that the Legislature do its due diligence and set up a firm footing before committing time and dollars.

As the bill moves through the House, I will continue to update you on the changes, the disagreements and the outcomes of this important piece of legislation.

Minority Leader Rep. Chris Tuck (D-Anchorage) and Rep. David Guttenberg go over Operating Budget Amendments during a House Floor Session.

Alaska Arctic Policy Commission: Security and Defense

I recently chaired a work session on the topic of security and defense in the Arctic. This is one of the remaining few subjects to be explored by the Commission. Members of the Department of Defense, Coast Guard, UAF and fellow Commissioners joined me to discuss how Alaska should address security, search and rescue missions of the expanding Arctic.

While Alaska has always had a strong strategic defense role within in the United States, we discussed the challenges of the Arctic mostly related to search and rescue and spill response rather than aggression related issues. The North American Arctic is extremely harsh, difficult to navigate and lacks infrastructure compared to the Asian or European Arctic. This adds to the need to make sure our state entities are ready and able to respond to all emergencies, as they will be the first on the scene.

The Commission will continue to gather input and participate in discussion on the topic.

Rep David Guttenberg chairing the Alaska Arctic Policy teleconference along with Rep Bob Herron (D-Bethel), Navy Lt. Commander Rich Halbig, and Jamie Robinson from US Coast Guard Arctic Coordination.

Alaska Arctic Policy Commission Public Comment Period

The Alaska Arctic Policy Commission, in releasing its Preliminary Report, seeks public input into the work that’s been done and still left to do. The Commission believes that while Arctic policy is important to all of Alaska and the entire United States, the immediate stakeholders are Arctic residents.

Alaskans are strongly encouraged to engage in this process by participating in the public comment period on the Preliminary Report, which will inform subsequent version of the final report that is due to the Alaska Legislature on January 30, 2015.

Visit www.akarctic.com to find the latest information about our three in-person meetings and any other outreach events for the year, as well as to download the executive summary and full Preliminary Report.

The Public Comment Period is open from February 1 to May 15, 2014. Please submit written comments to aapcgovernance@gmail.com with the email subject: AAPC P.R. comments – [individual or organization name]

When submitting comments please include the line number followed by the change and a justification for the change.

Thank you

90 days is not very long when it comes to the budget and policy decisions affecting 735,132 Alaskans. I would like to send a big thank you to the thousands of people who have testified, sent emails, letters, faxes and phone calls for program funding, confirmations and legislation. Your involvement is monumentally important.

It’s not over and in the last month it will become increasingly important that legislators and the Governor know where you stand. You can e-mail each Representative or Senator at:

Rep.firstname.lastname@akleg.gov

Sen.firstname.lastname@akleg.gov

For a listing and contact info for all Legislators visit: http://w3.legis.state.ak.us/index.php

Contact the Governor at: Sean.parnell@alaska.gov

Thank you for reading and please feel free to call my office and share your ideas.

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