Dear Friends and Neighbors,

We are in the final stretch and things will start to move at whirlwind speeds. The Legislature is dealing with some intense topics and these last six days will not be dull. Once we have transitioned back home, be on the lookout for more in-depth analysis of this session and constituent meeting opportunities.

Public Testimony on FY 16 Capital Budget

The House Finance Committee will be taking statewide public testimony on the FY 2016 Capital Budget tomorrow, Tuesday, April 14th. This will be the last opportunity to testify on the Capital Budget.

Date: Tomorrow, Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Time: 6:00pm to 8:30pm
Location: Fairbanks Legislative Information Office, 1292 Sadler Way, 3rd floor of the Alaska USA Federal Credit Union across from Home Depot.

Testimony will be limited to two minutes. Please arrive 30 minutes prior to the end of the time period as testimony may close early.

For more information on testifying, please call the LIO at 907-452-4448. If you can’t make it to the LIO, please call 907-465-4648 to obtain a call in number or send your written testimony to the House Finance Committee via lhscfin@akleg.gov 

Representatives wearing blue on the House Floor in support of ending child abuse

Interior Energy Project- Gas Trucking

House Bill 105 “Aidea: Bonds;Programs;Loans;LNG Project” is the revamped Interior Energy Project. After North Slope gas was found to be outside of the price parameters for the project, AIDEA (the state entity in charge of the project) took action to look for alternative sources of gas. One of those sources is Cook Inlet. In one of his first official acts, the governor directed AIDEA to purchase Pentex, a natural gas company, to aid in bringing low cost energy around the state. A part of HB 105 increases the bonding authority to make this sale possible. The bill also eliminated some bonding authority on projects that AIDEA has not used or needed.

AIDEA will continue to look for the best possible option for bringing low-cost natural gas to the Interior. In the meantime, Interior Gas Utility and Fairbanks Natural Gas continue to move forward with distribution in their service areas.

I fully support this bill and have been pushing back against its use as a political bargaining chip. Fairbanks has waited too long for affordable energy. It is my priority to find a way to get this bill through in the remaining days.

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