Political Quotes

“I thank my colleague, the honorable Mr. Stauber, for his work on this measure. I rise today to speak about Alaska's Right to Produce Act and how I will be voting. This bill unintentionally pits two of Alaska's most important industries, energy and fisheries, against one another. Alaska faces an energy crisis, which is more than slightly ironic since our State has vast energy resources. Alaska pays some of the highest prices in the country for the petroleum we need to heat our homes through winter and the fuel that we need to transport ourselves and our goods. Everyone knows Alaska is rich in oil and gas, but we also have great wind energy potential in the Cook Inlet, geothermal exploration in the Aleutians, and expanding hydropower in the southeast. However, many Alaskans live in extremely rural areas that rely on diesel and biomass to heat our homes through harsh winters. Those fuels are more expensive and contribute to air pollution in regions like Fairbanks, which has some of the worst air quality in the Nation. While some would love to jump straight from diesel to wind, that is unrealistic in Alaska. What we can do is use natural gas as a bridge fuel to move more people to cleaner-burning energy and reduced air pollution. That is why I believe Alaskans should be able to develop and transport the natural gas we have available on our North Slope for our use throughout the State. I genuinely support an all-of-the-above approach on energy.…”