NOVEMBER 2, 2015

Public Comment Needed TODAY and Third Special Session Update

Dear Friends, Neighbors, and Fellow Fairbanksans,

On October 24 the Legislature started the third special session of the year.  This session is dedicated to the AK LNG natural gas pipeline project.  Governor Walker has proposed buying out TransCanada's interest in this project.  Under the law passed under former Governor Parnell, TransCanada is contracted to manage Alaska's ownership in this project, but Governor Walker believes it would be better for Alaska to buyout this contract and represent itself.  I am inclined to agree, but I am committed to making sure this is the best decision to make sure a pipeline gets built and brings gas to Alaskans.  Building the pipeline is probably more important to Fairbanks than anywhere else in the state.  Although heating oil may be at a low price now it will surely be higher sometime in the future so a good reliable source of cheap natural gas is essential.  Fairbanks would also welcome a huge boost to the economy resulting from the construction of a megaproject like a gas pipeline.  I will work hard to make sure this happens.

Another item of interest from Juneau last week: Governor Walker introduced his "Sovereign Wealth Plan". In a nutshell, the plan attempts to delink state government funding from the volatility of the oil market. It would use monies from the Permanent Fund earnings reserve and a combination of other sources, including possible taxes, to fund our budget.  It's possible that this may affect our Permanent Fund Dividends.  You can watch the presentation my colleagues and I attended in Juneau last week here, and read a news article about the plan here.  We don't have all the details yet, but this plan has some merit and is worthy of further consideration.  I'm very interested to hear what you think about this – please feel free to email me or call my office to leave comments or ask questions.  You can email me at rep.adam.wool@akleg.gov or call my office at 907-452-6084.

​I'm having a constituent gathering on Sunday, December 6 from 2-4 PM at the Blue Loon, and I hope to see you there so we can talk about our budget, energy costs, our schools, and other issues facing Fairbanks.  Senator Click Bishop will also be joining me as he represents Senate District C, which includes the district I represent, House District 5.  This will be a great chance to engage both your state representative and senator, and I hope you can join us.

Here's an update on some other things happening in our community:

Public Comment Needed TODAY on AK LNG

The House Finance Committee is accepting public comment on HB 3001, the bill that provides money for the state to buy out TransCanada's portion of the AK LNG project and to keep working on logistics for the project.  Testimony will be accepted from 4:00-5:00 PM today (November 2, 2015). You can testify by calling into the teleconference line at 844-586-9085 or you can testify in person at the Fairbanks Legislative Information Office, 1292 Sadler Way Suite 308 (Alaska USA building next to Home Depot).  You can watch the hearing online at akl.tv.  

If you can't make it to testify this afternoon, you can email me your comments at rep.adam.wool@akleg.gov and I will pass them on to the committee members. 

Open House on Interior Energy Project

As it starts to get colder here in Fairbanks, the cost of energy is on all of our minds and progress is being made on the Interior Energy Project.  This session we passed HB 105 to revive the Interior Energy Project's effort to bring affordable natural gas to Fairbanks. There was resistance from some Anchorage legislators, but the Interior Delegation was united across party lines to pass this bill.  OnWednesday, November 4, at the Pioneer Park Civic Center, there will be a town hall meeting and presentations from the five bidding companies selected by the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) as to provide natural gas for the Interior Energy Project.  The meeting will begin with an open house from 5:30 PM-6:10 PM, then AIDEA will provide a project update and each company will have 20 minutes to present their plan, ending at 8:30 PM.  More information is available here. 

Representative Wool enjoying a tour of Usibelli Coal Mine in August.

Public Comment Period Open on Draft Marijuana Regulations

The Marijuana Control Board has released the full set of draft regulations on marijuana for public review and comment.  You can view the regulations here and additional information is also availablehere. There are several ways you can submit comments:

· By mail to
   John Calder, Marijuana Control Board, 550 W. 7th Ave Suite 1600, Anchorage, AK 99501
· By email to john.calder@alaska.gov
· Online here

The deadline for submitting all comments is 4:30 PM on Wednesday, November 11.

I work for you.  As always, please let me know your thoughts, ideas, or concerns. 

Sincerely,

Representative Adam Wool