I’m back in the Capitol again after a trip home this weekend. I’d like to thank those that came down to SteamDot’s O’Malley location on Saturday morning. It was great to spend time talking about the issues that matter to you. While I was home, I was also able to catch up on some of the chores around the house that have been building up since I came to Juneau in early January. I love being your District F Senator, and I happily throw myself into the daily tasks of being a legislator, but I must admit that being back in my own bed for a couple of nights was a nice break!
It’s not easy to stay in touch with your legislators, so I think that it’s important to be as accessible as possible. I’ll be coming back for more constituent coffee mornings and other events throughout the rest of session so stay tuned for future announcements.
These newsletters are an opportunity to keep you updated on what we have been working on, while at the same time giving you the opportunity to share your feedback. It is follow up on your comments that helps us to learn how to serve you better. Please feel free to drop us a line if you have questions, comments, or just want to say hello!
Session Kicks Off
The Willow oil and gas prospect is located in the Bear Tooth Unit of the National Petroleum Reserve and would be the farthest-west producing field on the North Slope. The Willow project would tap into reserves of an estimated 600,000,000 barrels of oil and, at peak production, produce 180,000 barrels a day.
The Department of the Interior released its Final Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement on February 1st confirming that the project is legally sufficient and environmentally sound. All that remains now is final approval by the Administration.
On Friday in the Senate Resources Committee, I supported Senate Joint Resolution 7 urging the Department of the Interior, the Bureau of Land Management, and the Biden Administration to grant that final approve and allow Alaska to do what we have a long history of doing well: safely and responsibly developing our natural resources for the betterment of not only Alaska, but the United States as a whole.
For Peace Officers & Renewable Energy
My bills creating commemorative license plates for fallen peace officers & extending authorization of the Renewable Energy Grant Fund were moved out of their first committee last week and the House companion bill for my Spending Cap (SB 20/SJR 4) got its second hearing.
Renewable Energy Grants are allowing many remote communities around Alaska to dramatically reduce their energy costs by offsetting high-cost diesel with hydro, wind, solar, and other renewable technologies. As we work to develop our oil and gas resources on the North Slope, innovations in renewable energy technology are helping to diversify Alaska’s economy. I will continue to advocate an all-of-the-above energy approach for Alaska.
For Peace Officers & Renewable Energy
On Tuesday, February 14, we heard from DOT about how they use data to make strategic investment decisions and plan new transportation infrastructure projects. We learned about what data the department currently collects and how they report data on pavement conditions, bridge conditions, and overall safety. You can check out the Dashboard here.
This was a great presentation that answered many of the questions I had about DOT’s decision-making processes. Learn more here.
Read this blog post to catch up on what Senate Transportation has been up to since session began.
This week in Committee: Tuesday, February 21, 2023 | 1:30-3pm
A Presentation on Roads, Highways & Highways by the Department of Transportation.
Watch the committee | Flip through the slide pack
Quick Update on Projects for the District
We finalized the list of capital projects for our district and submitted them to our finance committees today. Together with Rep. Coulombe (HD 11), Rep Schrage (HD 12), and the Abbott Loop, Huffman/O’Malley, Hillside, and HALO Community Councils, we put together a good list of priorities focused on fire prevention/mitigation, pedestrian safety, parks, and a few additional projects.
I am already seeing that the budget is going to be more constrained this year. It looks unlikely that there will be much discretionary funding available in the state budget for capital projects. That being said, the Muni has their AMATS program and there are some federal grant programs that don’t require state match that I encourage local groups to pursue for projects that I can’t get into the budget this year. Also, we’ll be continuing to develop our priority projects with the community for future inclusion as well as working on grant initiatives for the community.
Stay tuned, our reps and I will be advocating for our district throughout this session and I will keep you updated.
Bond Reimbursement & Grant Review Committee
I have been appointed to serve on the state Bond Reimbursement & Grant Review Committee (BRGR), or as we have taken to calling it, the Burger Committee.
This committee is in charge of reviewing the Department of Education’s Capital Improvement Project priorities, developing a criteria for cost-effective school construction, establishing a method of ranking grant projects, making recommendations concerning any grant or bond reimbursement requests, and more. Learn more about this board and our responsibilities.
Our first meeting is tomorrow, 2/23/23, from 1pm -3:30pm and you can call into that meeting with using the zoom link below or by going to the website linked above.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88504785442
I look forward to doing my part to improve the way construction and deferred maintenance are prioritized effectively so our children have safe and welcoming environments to continue learning in.
Hope you savor the rest of your evening!
-James
