Gov. Mike Dunleavy is jumping on the carbon sequestration bandwagon, pitching it as the next best thing to free money, a cash cow that no one will oppose.
“The reason we landed on this is it doesn’t gore any ox,” Dunleavy said at a budget press conference when asked why he chose carbon sequestration as his single option for raising new revenue for the state.
Read MoreGov. Mike Dunleavy plans to reorganize the state law department to promote his political attacks on the Biden administration, hiring more contract lawyers and transferring 52 state employees into a new “Statehood Defense and Resource Development” office within the department.
Read MorePart of the DOT maintenance plan in Alaska is that “callers/complainers are directed back to their legislators to advocate for additional funding for maintenance.” The callers should be directed to Dunleavy, not to legislators.
Read MoreThe Fairbanks borough assembly, which had refused to certify the Two Rivers election creating a service area—after a crowd packed the room Thursday to complain—reversed itself and approved the election 5-3 Friday. The assembly would have lost this case in court, a certainty that the right-wing majority refused to accept.
Read MoreThe borough assembly set a terrible precedent Thursday by rejecting the results of a local election, claiming it was because an error appeared in a story in the Daily News-Miner regarding the effort to start a fire service area in Two Rivers. The newspaper error is a cover story. The assembly overturned the election because a crowd showed up to complain about the election results.
Read MoreMissing from the budget are key items such as an increase in the state education formula to deal with inflation, that would add hundreds of millions to the deficit. Dunleavy was more than a little irritated and defensive when public radio reporter Wesley Early asked him about why he didn’t propose an increase in education funding to offset inflation.
Read MoreI recommend the letter to the editor in the Daily News-Miner today by Assembly member Savannah Fletcher, who has been removed from a seat on the local transportation planning committee by right-winger Aaron Lojewski, the new presiding officer of the assembly.
Read MoreGov. Mike Dunleavy’s constant repetition of the claim about saving billions—which sounded like a chant to the gods that control oil prices—did not make it more true. It was all based on guesswork made last spring and summer when oil was selling for more than $100 a barrel, but he didn’t dare admit that even though there were clear signs in October that he was wrong.
Read MoreThe rain came last month and the weeping winter birch trees followed. Soon, perhaps even now, we will stop kidding ourselves about what is “seasonable” in Fairbanks, where no longer is the cold guaranteed.
Read MoreAbout 20 minutes into the 15-kilometer Frank Soos memorial ski race Saturday, I found myself abandoned.
That happens when you go a lot slower than everybody else.
Being alone for the next hour or so gave me the chance to think about Frank, who told me he sometimes used his time alone on skis to find the exact words or images he needed to improve whatever writing project was waiting at home.
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