AIDEA discovers reasons to keep $268,000 study secret

The “robust, independent analysis” of AIDEA, completed in early 2024, has been kept secret.

It was three weeks ago that Randy Ruaro, the executive director of the Alaska Industrial Development & Export Authority, told Alaska legislators that he knew of “no reason” why he would continue to keep a $250,000 state-funded study of AIDEA secret.

This was in response to questions by Sen. Cathy Giessel and Sen. Bill Wielechowski, who wanted to see the “independent” study of AIDEA by Northern Economics.

“I’ll take a look at all the reports and the back and forth. I don’t know there’s any reason we couldn’t, if there’s any, I guess, debate or discussion in between members of AIDEA. I’m not certain there’s any objection to providing that,” Ruaro testified to the Senate Resources Committee on March 2.

“I do think a report that is this extensive, that is something that we ought to be able to see,” said Sen. Matt Claman.

The real cost of the report is at least $268,000 because AIDEA paid Northern Economics $18,000 more last fall to make changes. Northern Economics was paid the contracted total of $250,000 more than two years ago.

On March 4, Rurao sent Sen. Cathy Giessel a copy of a public document on oil potential in ANWR, a study written for AIDEA by the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation.

“Additional documents requested by the committee shall follow,” Ruaro wrote on March 4.

But he did not release the Northern Economics study that was delivered to AIDEA in early 2024.

Ruaro’s testimony to legislators conflicted with his repeated claims to me that the $250,000 study should remain a secret.

Perhaps he thinks that if he stonewalls long enough, people will stop asking.

Whatever Northern Economics found in its study, AIDEA and the Dunleavy administration did not approve.

AIDEA required the Anchorage consulting company, which calls itself “Alaska’s trusted economics expert,” to revise the “independent” study to meet AIDEA’s demands.

The agency released this revised version of the report in January.

It’s remarkable that even the Alaska Legislature is being denied access to a public document created with public money.

The revised report from Northern Economics released in January claims that the Red Dog mine would not have been built without a state subsidy.

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