OCTOBER 2, 2015

Representing District 17:
Midtown, University, and East Anchorage

I Answer to You!

Contact my office:
716 W 4th Ave, Room 412
Anchorage, AK 99501
(907) 269-0265
 
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Contact other elected officials

Governor Bill Walker
907-269-7450
EMAIL: Gov. Bill Walker

Senator Dan Sullivan
907-271-5915
EMAIL: Sen. Dan Sullivan

Senator Lisa Murkowski
907-271-3735
EMAIL: Sen. Lisa Murkowski

Congressman Don Young
907-271-5978
EMAIL: Rep. Don Young

Legislative Update
U-Med Road & the Special Session

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

It’s that time of year again! PFD’s have been deposited into Alaskan bank accounts; snow is starting to gather on the mountain, and the hum of studs on the road can be heard all through the town. As we get ready to transition into winter again I wanted to bring your attention to two important upcoming events. The first is a Municipal Planning and Zoning meeting on the proposed U-Med Road, while the other is about the Governor’s recent announcement that he would be calling the legislature into another special session.

U-Med Road Meeting

On Monday October 5th the Municipality of Anchorage Planning & Zoning Commission will be holding a hearing on the proposed U-Med road. The Planning and Zoning Commission is tasked by AMC 21.03.190B to “review the draft design study report or equivalent document, for all applicable street projects, and shall issue a decision.” A public hearing is not required but may be held at the commission's discretion. The Planning and Zoning commission will review and act to approve, approve with conditions, or return the application to the project management team for additional work. This could be one of the last opportunities to give your input on the project, so if you haven’t already I would stress that you go to this hearing

What: Planning and Zoning Hearing on U-Med Raod
When: October 5, 2015 at 6:30pm
Where: Loussac Library Assembly Chambers

Unless you are new to the district this issue will be very familiar to you. There are many passionate individuals on both sides of the issue. Some of those individuals, the Citizens for Responsible Development, are going to be holding a rally against the road before the meeting at 5:30pm. Anyone who is interested is invited to attend prior to the hearing.

Special Session

On Thursday September 24th Governor Walker called the Legislature into a third special session in Juneau to discuss two issues: a tax on unproduced natural gas and whether or not the State of Alaska will buy out TransCanada’s ownership stake in the pipeline. The session is scheduled to start October 24th and may last up to 30 days.

The first topic that was listed on the Governor’s call, a gas reserves tax, is a very controversial idea that was voted on and soundly defeated in a 2006 ballot measure. The idea behind a tax like this is to use it as a way to push the AKLNG pipeline project forward by placing a tax on unproduced natural gas in the ground on the North Slope.Think of it as “produce the gas or we will tax it!” Very little is known about the detail of the Governor’s tax plan at this time but I am sure we will be given information soon. This will be a very contentious issue and I image that it will take up the most time during the special session.

The second issue to address during this special session has to do with how much of the pipeline Alaska will own. Currently there are 5 partners in the AKLNG project (BP, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, the State of Alaska, and TransCanada), but the state can exercise the option to buy out TransCanada’s share. This will cost an estimated $80 million upfront, but it will also mean that Alaska will be required to put forth more capital should the pipeline project go forward. It will be very interesting to see the projections of revenue and whether or not Alaska should have a larger share of the project.

I will continue to send out these updates while at special session so be sure to check your inboxes!

As always, please call or email with any thoughts, ideas, or concerns.

I Answer to You!

Sincerely,

Representative Andy Josephson
Anchorage LIO Room 412
Phone: 907-269-0265