Note from Rep. Gara: Unnecessary “Waste”: Alaska’s Fish and the Cruise Ship Dump Bill

Rep. Les Gara

Many of you know I have spent a lot of time on protecting Alaska’s great fishing stocks. And a lot of time fishing. The desire to protect Alaska’s fish is something that binds most Alaskans across party lines.

Unfortunately there is a worrisome bill running through the Legislature. Here’s what I can tell you about it. I hope you might share your opinion with the Senate, where this bill will be voted upon soon.

Read More →

Note from Rep. Gara: Governor’s New Bill Raises Concerns - and a Few Words on Hieroglyphics

Last night the Governor released his latest oil tax rollback bill. It maintains the worst part of last year’s bill, and makes it even more draconian. The largest part of the bill massively rolls back state revenue, and oil company taxes, with no commitment that companies spend that “reward” in Alaska. We’ve tried that before. Until 2006 our Production Tax was nearly 0% on almost every field on the North Slope, and what did we get for lower taxes that didn’t require Alaska investment and more Alaska production work? We got oil production that was declining between 5 - 8% a year, and 40% less investment in the North Slope than we have today. And a fraction of the new companies are exploring for new oil on the North Slope today.

Read More →
Page 20 of 25« First...10...1819202122...Last »