This legislative interim continues to be unusually busy! We have had community meetings about transportation, many conferences, local events, and trips within Alaska, not to mention a few committee hearings in the mix and all of the many conversations with constituents and stakeholders across our magnificent state.
A few highlights include having been among the fortunate few to participate in a legislative delegation that made a visit to Unalaska/Dutch Harbor. While there, we were able to hear from members of the community and see the many prospects and projects that are under way. They are doing great work out there in the incredible setting of the Aleutians!
Chugach Electric invited me to take a tour of their facilities to get a better understanding of what they are doing to improve the production and delivery of electrical power. It was a great tour, and I was truly impressed by the quality of the maintenance and improvement projects that they are doing.
Lastly, I was quite honored to be the only Alaska legislator to participate in the guided tour of the Port of Alaska during Transportation Secretary Buttigieg’s visit to Alaska. It was a great tour, and I believe that the Secretary and his team received a very useful download of information–almost say a masterclass presentation–on the reality of living and working in Alaska. It seemed to me that eyes were opened during his visit.
The main theme of all of this activity continues to be how we can maximize opportunity in our state via responsible resource development while exploring how we can leverage improved mobility along with emerging and developing energy technologies to continue to drive our economy into the future.
As many of you know, I am relentlessly optimistic that the future is bright for Alaska if we collectively get our priorities straight and work together to achieve them!
There’s much more below, so as always, please take a look, and let me know if you have any questions or comments!
Thank you for subscribing and taking the time to review our updates. Please remember that you can keep up with day-to-day things on our Facebook page. As always, feel free to reach out if there is anything I or my team can do for you!
Sharing the Importance of the Port of Alaska with our Federal Partners
In August, I joined Mayor Bronson, members of his team, and a few members of the Anchorage Assembly to meet with US Secretary of Transportation, Pete Buttigieg, and show him around the Port of Alaska.
As expected, the ongoing Port of Alaska Modernization Program was the focus of our conversation. Secretary Buttigieg received a very informative briefing from our combined delegation on the project’s work, how critically important the Port of Alaska is for food and goods security for our entire state, and the port’s strategic role in our national defense.
We stressed the failing condition of the existing port structure which is now necessitating the need for federal funding. We also emphasized the need for more streamlined federal permitting processes to ensure that critical infrastructure and development projects can more reliably move from the planning to construction phases.
I was very encouraged by Secretary Buttegieg’s closing comments at the press conference which I took to be very supportive of the ongoing port improvements. I look forward to seeing progress in Washington on these issues that are so important to Alaska.
If you are interested in learning more about the Port of Alaska and the ongoing project, I encourage you to check out this informative video >>
Help us Welcome Edison!
This year, I have the great pleasure of mentoring a student through Anchorage School District’s Gifted Mentorship Program. My team and I are excited to have Edison Wallace Moyer join us this winter to get a behind-the-scenes look at public service and the legislative process.
While her mentorship officially begins in November, look out for her at some of our upcoming events! Welcome to the team, Edison!
Chugach Electric Visit and Energy Topics
Chugach Electric invited me to tour their Southcentral Power plant facilities. I learned about their ongoing projects to improve reliability while also addressing cost and emissions. The grouping of white boxes in the background are brand new Tesla battery modules that will be used to improve grid reliability! Providing reliable and affordable energy to residents of Southcentral Alaska is critical to the economic development of our state.
I was impressed with the level of maturity of the organization’s project portfolio and management of that portfolio. I have had many conversations with departments, organizations, and other groups regarding project management and various ways that projects can be managed, sometimes organizations don’t have fully developed project management processes. With Chugach Electric, I was pleased with how knowledgeable the project teams were and my confidence in these energy projects only grew after these conversations.
On a similar topic, I have my final two energy conferences to attend this fall, one in Colorado in September, and the last in October in Washington DC. As promised in my last edition, I will give a much more detailed report later in the year, when I have fully processed what will be almost a month’s worth of lectures, workshops, and presentations!
Transportation Projects Coming to Anchorage in 2024
The Senate and House Transportation Committees held a joint hearing on August 22nd to discuss the Department of Transportation’s new 2024-2030 Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP). The STIP is prepared and released every four years and formalizes upcoming transportation projects around the state and finalizes a funding schedule for the next four years.
DOT has done good work this year to make the STIP easier to access and read. There are a number of Anchorage-specific projects planned and I encourage you to take a look to see if any of these projects affect you: Check out the STIP here >>
Go back and watch the committee meeting here >>
Look through the Presentation Slide Deck here >>
If you have questions or concerns about any of these projects, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
It Was Great to See You!
Earlier in August, Representative Coulombe and I hosted a Community Event at the Zoo. It was great to go into more depth about the issues that are on your mind. Ongoing road projects (the Seward Highway upgrades from O’Malley to Dimond in particular) and Firewise were top issues of the evening. The money we secured for fire mitigation and fuel reduction on the Hillside is en route—work on the project should begin in the next year. My office will continue to work on these issues and is always available to be a resource for you. Feel free to give me a call or send me an email anytime!
A big thank you to Rep Coulombe, HALO, Hillside Community Council, Huffman/O’Malley Community Council, and Abbott Loop Community Council. And thanks to the Alaska Department of Transportation, Dept. of Public Safety, Dept. of Natural Resources, Firewise, Fire Station 8, and the Anchorage Police Department for coming out to be a resource for our community!
Community Bulletin
Hillside Community Council, September Meeting
TODAY, September 6, 6:30-8:00PM
In-person at Shepherd of the Hills Church, 11600 Elmore Rd, Anchorage, AK 99516
Also available on Zoom: Zoom Link | Passcode: 372912
Agenda items include: Updates from elected officials, Department of Transportation & Public Facilities Projects discussion (presented by Sean Baski, P.E., Highway Design Chief
Central Region Highway Design Section), and more.
Full agenda available here >>
Hillside Home & Land Owners (HALO) Meeting
TOMORROW, Thursday, September 7, Begins 7:00PM
In-person at Shepherd of the Hills Church, 11600 Elmore Rd, Anchorage, AK 99516
Also available on Zoom: Meeting ID 455 419 5765, Passcode HALO
Agenda items include: Presentation by Dr. Jen Schmidt of UAA’s ISER office on her new program which shows wildfire behavior and movement throughout the Hillside.
Full agenda available here >>
Huffman/O’Malley Community Council Meeting
Thursday, September 21, Begins 7:00PM
In-person at Huffman Elementary School, 12000 Lorraine St, Anchorage, AK 99516
Also available on Zoom: Zoom Link | Meeting ID: 941 5287 1929 | Passcode: 320438
Full agenda will be available here >>
Abbott Loop Community Council Meeting
Thursday, September 28, 6:30-8:30PM
In-person at Trailside Elementary, 5151 Abbott Rd, Anchorage, AK 99507
Full agenda will be available here >>
