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In
Opposition of Ballot Measure 1
(Calling
of a Constitutional Convention to Rewrite
Alaska’s State
Constitution)
Resolution
2002/03- 04
WHEREAS
as required by Article XIII, section 3 of the Alaska
State Constitution, the question “Shall there be
a Constitutional Convention?” will appear on the
ballot in the general election on November 5, 2002;
and
WHEREAS
a constitutional convention, if called, would have
plenary power to rewrite the state constitution
entirely, or to amend or rewrite any portion or portions
of it, as a simple majority of the convention may
see fit — subject to ratification by a vote of the
people at the first general election held after the
convention; and
WHEREAS
under present law candidates seeking election as
delegates to a constitutional convention would
be nominated by petitions signed by 200 qualified
Alaskan voters, and all candidates would run on a
nonpartisan basis; and
WHEREAS
Alaska’s present election campaign laws would not
apply to the gathering of signatures for nominating
petitions of constitutional-delegate candidates, which
would open the door for special-interest groups to
field numerous candidates by gathering signatures
for their candidates’ nominating petitions
without having to disclose the identities of the
special interests behind those candidates; and
WHEREAS
the Alaska State Constitution does not require a constitutional
convention to submit its various proposed amendments
and revisions as separate matters to be voted on,
and it could instead “package” its changes as a
single proposition to be voted on — which could encourage
delegates to engage in “log rolling” to get
otherwise unpopular provisions included in a
“package” of constitutional changes expected,
on balance, to be popular with the voters; and
WHEREAS
Alaska
’s present laws
governing lobbying of the legislature would not apply
to the lobbying of delegates at a constitutional
convention; and
WHEREAS
the costs of holding a constitutional convention are
not known, but may reasonably be expected to run into
the millions of dollars; and
WHEREAS
there is no need to call a constitutional convention
at this time because, even though there may be
several important constitutional amendments that
should be proposed by the legislature, none of
them is so comprehensive as to constitute a revision
of the constitution that only a constitutional
convention could propose; in other words, the legislature
is fully empowered under the present constitution to
propose the necessary amendments to deal with the
major constitutional issues facing Alaska today;
NOW
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,
by the Board of Directors of the Anchorage Chamber of
Commerce that the Board opposes calling a state
constitutional convention this year and recommends
that Chamber members vote “no” on the proposition
“Shall there be a Constitutional Convention?”
appearing on the ballot for the general election on
November 5, 2002, and will inform the Chamber’s
membership of this Resolution, and of the Board’s
reasons for adopting it;
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that the Chamber will issue a press release and public
announcement of this Resolution, and send copies of
it to the other chambers of commerce in
Alaska
and the press.
Approved this 18th
day of October, 2002.
In Support of Programmatic Action to Initiate a Knik Arm Crossing Project
Resolution
02/03-03
WHEREAS
in the past two decades, Alaska’s population and
demand for services has grown by over 50%, with the
transportation and freight industries expanding at
least commensurately, but construction of
transportation infrastructure has lagged well behind;
and
WHEREAS
over 80% of the consumer goods and supplies for the
state are received through the Port of Anchorage and
construction of a Knik Arm Crossing could: (1) provide
a much needed alternative transportation route to
expedite and facilitate timely distribution of goods
and products throughout the state, (2) enhance the
efficiency and effectiveness of operations at the Port
of Anchorage and Port MacKenzie, and (3) reduce the
cost of goods by reducing product transportation
costs; and
WHEREAS
a
Knik Arm crossing could provide a valuable and much
needed link in the transportation infrastructure that
would directly serve not only southcentral Alaska and
the rail belt , but the entire state, and would
provide an intermodal link that would enhance the
ability of the state to serve and compete in both
domestic and international markets; and
WHEREAS
construction of this crucial link will provide
unparalleled economic stimulus and afford statewide
development opportunities that will benefit all
Alaskans; and
WHEREAS
the scope of this effort is so broad that the full
economic and development impact and the impact on the
tax base bases of many communities throughout the
state cannot be foreseen or forecasted at this time
but will unfold as various stages of the program are
undertaken;
NOW
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,
that the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce Board of
Directors supports action leading to possible
construction of a Knik Arm crossing that would begin
with completion of a broad and comprehensive security
and economic analysis as part of the environmental
impact study.
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that this body supports inclusion of Congressional
funding to pursue possible development of a
comprehensive study in the reauthorization of the
Transportation Equity Act for the 21st
Century.
Approved this 18th day of October, 2002.
In
Opposition to Shifting the Costs of Water
Deliverability for Fire Suppression
From
Taxpayers to AWWU Water Customers
Resolution
02/03-02
WHEREAS
the Mayor has submitted to the Anchorage Assembly a
proposed ordinance, A/O 2002-146, to allow the
Anchorage Water & Wastewater Utility (AWWU) to
seek regulatory approval from the Regulatory
Commission of Alaska (the RCA) to remove the Anchorage
Fire Department (AFD) from the categories of water
customers for AWWU, so that the costs for AWWU’s
capacity to supply ample water to fight fires would be
borne — not by taxpayers in the Fire Service Areas
as is currently the case — but by water customers of
AWWU, and in particular, those that currently
benefit through lowered insurance rates because of
the nearby availability of water from AWWU to fight
fires; and
WHEREAS
fighting fires is an essential governmental function
for the benefit and protection of the general public,
not just the customers of any particular utility; and
accordingly, the costs of fighting fires,
including the costs of supplying water to fight them,
should be borne by taxpayers in the entire service
area where AFD provides its fire-suppression service,
the same as taxpayers pay for the costs of public
schools even though not all taxpayers have children in
school; and
WHEREAS
all residential and commercial property owners within
1,000 feet of a public fire hydrant benefit from
lowered fire insurance costs as a result of their
proximity to that hydrant, whether they are water
customers of AWWU or not; but under the proposed
ordinance the only parties being so benefited who
would pay the costs for the water supply giving rise
to those benefits would be the AWWU water customers,
and not the other beneficiaries with similar proximity
to a public fire hydrant who have their own wells or
get the water they use from someone other than AWWU;
and
WHEREAS
the proposal is unlikely to increase AFD’s readiness
and fire-suppression capability, because none of
AFD’s budget savings from this proposal will be
earmarked to
increase the number of firefighters, equipment or
facilities beyond what they would already be without
this proposal; and
WHEREAS
the notion of making the customers of utility
companies bear the utility costs incurred for the
government, instead of having taxpayers bear those
costs, is poor public policy and unfairly shifts part
of the cost of public governance from the public at
large to those private parties who happen to be
customers of the utilities involved; and
WHEREAS
the public policies for providing tax-exemptions to
qualifying charitable and non-profit organizations and
institutions would be undercut by the proposal,
because a cost now being paid for by taxpaying
organizations and institutions would be shifted to
charities and non-profits if they are water customers
of AWWU;
NOW
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,
by the Board of Directors of the Anchorage Chamber of
Commerce that the Board opposes the ordinance
introduced by the Mayor and urges the Municipal
Assembly not to enact that ordinance or anything
substantially similar to it;
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that the Chamber will issue a press release and public
announcement of this Resolution, and will send
copies of it to Mayor Wuerch, to each member of the
Municipal Assembly, to Chief Fullenwider of the
Anchorage Fire Department, and to AWWU;
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that the Chair, or another Chamber representative
authorized by the Board for such purpose, will appear
before the Municipal Assembly to testify on behalf of
the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce against the proposed
ordinance during the period for public testimony on
it;
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that the Chamber will inform its membership of this
Resolution, of the Board’s reasons for adopting it,
and of the importance for individuals who are
concerned one way or the other about the proposal to
make their opinions known to the members of the
Assembly and to testify to the Assembly during the
period for public testimony on the proposed ordinance;
Approved
this 4th day of October, 2002.
In
Support of Exploration and Development of Natural Gas
Resources in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
Resolution 02/03-01
WHEREAS
the residents and business community of
Anchorage
— like residents on
the
Kenai Peninsula
and in the Rail belt — depend for their very lives
and livelihood on having sufficient supplies of
natural gas available at all times to heat their homes
and buildings and generate the electricity they
need; and
WHEREAS
Unocal (also known as Union Oil Company of California)
is proposing to develop the long undeveloped natural
gas field in the Birch Hills Unit and to explore for
and, if successful, develop satellite prospects for
new reserves of natural gas located to the east of the
Swanson River field and another satellite to the north
between the Swanson River field and the Birch Hills
Unit; and
WHEREAS
all the lands involved in Unocal’s proposed natural
gas exploration and development project lie within the
Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, and as part of the
process to obtain the necessary federal permits for
Unocal’s project to move forward, a draft
Environmental Impact Statement (DEIS) has been
prepared and the United States Fish and Wildlife
Service (USF&WS) is receiving written public
comments on the project and the DEIS for it until
October 1, 2002; and
WHEREAS
oil and gas
exploration and production operations have been
conducted successfully in the Kenai National Wildlife
Refuge since the mid-1950s without significant adverse
effects on the wildlife there; and
WHEREAS
the proven natural gas reserves in the Kenai Peninsula
/ Cook Inlet area have for years been, and still are
being, depleted at a faster rate than they are being
replaced by new discoveries and development, and as
a consequence it is likely that in just a few years
the productive capacity of the currently developed
fields could become inadequate to meet the peak demand
for natural gas by all residential, commercial and
industrial consumers; and
WHEREAS
projects like Unocal’s are vital for the continued
safety and well-being of Alaskans from Homer to
Anchorage
and up the Rail belt
all the way to
Fairbanks
, because of their
reliance on natural gas as fuel for their homes and
businesses and for electrical generation;
NOW
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,
by the Board of Directors of the Anchorage Chamber of
Commerce that the Board supports Unocal’s proposed
development of the Birch Hills Unit and its proposed
project to explore for and develop new natural gas
reserves to the east of the Swanson River field and
to the north between that field and Birch Hills;
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that the Chamber will issue a press release and public
announcement regarding the adoption of this
Resolution, will transmit a copy of it to the USF&WS
by October 1, 2002 for inclusion as part of the
public record in the USF&WS’s present public comment
period on the project and the DEIS for it, and will
send copies of it to the Mayors and Assemblies of
the Kenai Peninsula Borough, the Matanuska-Susitna
Borough and the Municipality of Anchorage, as well
as to the members of Alaska’s Congressional
Delegation, the State Chamber of Commerce, the Eagle
River Chamber of Commerce, and the local chambers of
commerce in the Kenai Peninsula and
Matanuska-Susitna Boroughs.
Approved
the 20th day of September, 2002.
Resolution In Support of Expedited Completion of the
East
Anchorage
Study
of Transportation
Resolution 01/02-19
WHEREAS
Anchorage
is a vital
transportation hub to the region, the state and the
nation; and
WHEREAS
Anchorage
’s street and road
network support the economic needs of a large civilian
and military population; and
WHEREAS
this population is highly dependent on the efficient
movement of goods and services; and
WHEREAS
Anchorage
has witnessed a
substantial increase in population, automobiles and
residential development which have adversely impacted
its transportation network; and
WHEREAS,
with the recent emphasis on homeland security,
Anchorage
’s transportation
system needs to be upgraded to keep pace with the
increased demand on our military personnel and their
installations; and
WHEREAS
the East Anchorage Study of Transportation, which will
analyze, identify and recommend long- and short-term
transportation solutions for a large portion of
Anchorage, is currently underway; and
WHEREAS
the completion of this study will expedite the start
of long-needed transportation projects that will
greatly improve
Anchorage
’s transportation
network;
NOW
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,
by the Board of Directors of the Anchorage Chamber of
Commerce that the East Anchorage Study of
Transportation be expedited and completed as soon as
possible.
Approved
this 5th day of April, 2002.
In
Support of a Constitutional Amendment to Make the
Permanent Fund an Endowment
Resolution 01/02-18
WHEREAS,
the Alaska Permanent Fund was established in the
Alaska Constitution as a means of preserving some of
the one-time wealth of Alaska’s petroleum resources
so that it will be available to the state in meeting
the needs of future generations of Alaskans as well as
those of the present generation; and
WHEREAS,
the Constitution provides that the “income” from
the Permanent Fund is to be deposited into the state
General Fund, but present statutory law defines the
Fund’s “income” in terms of realized earnings
and gains and losses from the investment of the Fund;
and
WHEREAS,
the present statutory definition of the Fund’s
“income” is deficient for at least two reasons —
one, market gains and losses on the Fund’s
investments are just as real for the Fund whether they
are “realized” (in the sense that the investments
are sold for a gain or loss) or “unrealized” (in
the sense that the Fund has not liquidated those
investments), and so it makes no sense to make a
distinction between them; and two, the “realized”
income standard could allow the Fund’s managers to
artificially manipulate and distort the Fund’s
income by liquidating investments that have a gain
while deferring the sale of those investments that
would show a loss; and
WHEREAS,
the Trustees of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation
have proposed an amendment to the Alaska
Constitution to make the Fund an endowment for the
state, by making a specified percentage of the
Fund’s market value available for the state to use
each year, instead of defining the available money
in terms of the Fund’s realized income; the Trustees
specifically propose that this percentage be five
percent of a rolling average of the Fund’s year-end
market value for the previous five years; and
WHEREAS,
in addition to foreclosing any possibility of
manipulating the amount of the Fund’s realized
income, the Trustees’ proposed amendment would
automatically protect the Fund from inflation since
they believe they can invest the Fund so as to realize
a 5% return over and above the rate of inflation
over the long term; and
WHEREAS,
amending the Alaska Constitution to make the Permanent
Fund an endowment as the Trustees have proposed would
not in itself affect how the money from the Fund could
be appropriated by the Legislature;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED
by the Board of Directors of the Anchorage Chamber of
Commerce that they support an amendment to the Alaska
Constitution making the Permanent Fund an endowment
for the state as proposed by the Permanent Fund
Trustees; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED
that the Board of Directors opposes any proposal to
expand the scope of the Trustees’ proposed
constitutional amendment so as to require the payment
of Permanent Fund Dividends or any similar specific
use of money from the Permanent Fund under the Alaska
Constitution; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that the Anchorage Chamber inform its membership of
the passage of this resolution and also inform the
Governor, the members of the Legislature, the news
media and the other chambers of commerce and similar
organizations in
Alaska
.
Approved this 15th day of March, 2002.
Calling for Action This
Legislative Session to Enact a Phased-in
Suite
Of Revenue Measures to Solve the State’s Fiscal Gap Permanently
Resolution
01/02-17
WHEREAS the latest forecast by the Alaska Department of
Revenue (DOR) predicts that state spending for the
current Fiscal Year (FY 2002), which ends this June
30, will exceed state revenues by $0.86 billion, and
that this deficit will exceed a billion dollars a year
next year and each year thereafter unless
something is done about it; and
WHEREAS the State can only solve its fiscal gap permanently
by taking action on the revenue side of the budget
equation, including the use of annual earnings of
the Permanent Fund and/or state taxes; this is because
—
(a)
actions to limit the spending side of the
equation, even if they are mandated by a
constitutional amendment, cannot and will not fill the
fiscal gap all by themselves because of obligations
(such as public education and the criminal justice
system) that the State must continue to fulfill
under federal law and under other provisions of the
Alaska Constitution; and
(b)
we cannot grow our way out of the fiscal gap:
under Alaska’s present fiscal system, the
government’s success in growing the economy
actually puts it deeper in the hole fiscally because
each new private-sector job that is created causes
demand for additional government services such as
public education, police and fire protection, etc.
which cost more than the additional taxes paid with
respect to that job, and this is true even in the
petroleum sector unless the new job is necessary for
additional oil and gas production; and
WHEREAS $2.8 billion remains in the Constitutional Budget
Reserve Fund (CBR), which represents (at a 5% return)
$140 million a year that would be available forever
to help balance the budget and reduce other actions
that will inevitably have to be taken on the revenue
side of the budget equation; but if the CBR continues
to be drawn down to fill the current and projected
deficits, DOR predicts that the CBR will be completely
depleted in the August – October 2004 timeframe,
and even sooner if oil prices end up being below
projections; and
WHEREAS legislative action this year on the revenue side of
the state budget equation could extend the CBR,
preserve its potential to contribute to a permanent
solution of the fiscal gap, and reduce the other
actions that will otherwise be needed on the revenue
side of the equation in order to get it balanced;
and
WHEREAS the economic impact on individual Alaskans and
businesses will be less severe if the State’s
actions on the revenue side of the budget are phased
in over several years, instead of taking no actions on
the revenue side until they become unavoidable and
have to be taken all at once;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED,
by the Board of Directors of the Anchorage Chamber
of Commerce, that the Legislature and Executive are
hereby urged — in addition to acting to reduce state
spending and to make government more effective and
efficient — to enact into law during this
Legislative Session a suite of revenue measures to be
phased in more or less equally this year and the
next year or two, so that the state budget will end up
being balanced and so that the adverse impacts of
those measures on the economy and on individual
Alaskans and businesses will be materially less
severe than they would be if there is no phase-in; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce calls upon the
other chambers of commerce in Alaska and similar
organizations to join it in seeking enactment this
year of such a phased-in suite of revenue measures to
balance the budget; and
BE
IT FURTHER RESOLVED,
that the Anchorage Chamber inform its membership of
the passage of this resolution and also inform the
Governor, the members of the Legislature, the news
media and the other chambers of commerce and similar
organizations in
Alaska
.
Approved this 15th
day of March, 2002
In Support of Long Term
Fiscal Stability
Resolution
01/02-9
WHEREAS
the health of Alaska’s economy is significantly tied
to the stability of the State of Alaska’s revenues
and spending; and
WHEREAS
all forecasts project, if nothing is done, that the
state is not expected to have sufficient revenues to
support a stable level of spending and that the
reserve fund that currently props up spending will be
exhausted in approximately one to two years;
NOW
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Anchorage
Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors urges the
Governor and Legislature to jointly develop and
implement a strategy that will provide fiscal
certainty for Alaska’s economy and future by
matching spending and recurring revenues; and
BE IT
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Anchorage Chamber of
Commerce Board of Directors encourages the Governor
and Legislature to incorporate the following elements
into the long-term strategy:
•
Continue to evaluate the effectiveness of state
services within a “results-based government”
framework and eliminate those that are inadequate,
ineffective, or inefficient.
•
Contract with the private sector for delivery
of appropriate state services in instances where
savings can be realized and/or increased productivity
achieved.
•
Implement structural process changes that can
result in financial savings and/or productivity
increases, such as a biennial budget.
•
After an appropriate level of effective state
services has been established, identify sufficient
revenues to support government services over the long
term. All potential revenues should be evaluated in
terms of their impact on Alaska’s long term growth.
New revenues and tools should be used in the following
order:
1.
Use a
portion of the current Permanent Fund earnings.
2.
Maintain
an appropriate balance in the Constitutional Budget
Reserve Fund and use it as a “shock absorber”
against oil price fluctuations.
3.
Use debt,
as appropriate to finance the state’s infrastructure
needs on a long-term, systematic basis.
4.
Implement
broad-based taxes and/or increase consumption taxes
that are fair, equitable, and encourage economic
development.
BE IT
FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this resolution be
sent to the Governor, members of the Legislature, the
Anchorage Mayor and Assembly, the Alaska State Chamber
of Commerce, and other local chambers of commerce.
Approved this 15th day of February
In
Support of Placing a Subsistence Constitutional
Amendment On the 2002
General Election Ballot
Resolution
01/02 - 7
WHEREAS, under Federal Law (ANILCA, Title VIII) a rural
subsistence priority on federal lands and waters in
Alaska
is already the law of the land; and
WHEREAS, because the Alaska State Constitution does not
allow the rural subsistence priority required for
full state management on federal lands and waters,
the federal government took over the management of
game on federal lands, resulting in a management
system that is inefficient and confusing; and
WHEREAS, the federal government, under court order, also
took over the management of fishery resources for
subsistence on federal lands and waters in
Alaska
on
October 1, 1999
;
and
WHEREAS, the impact of federal management on our important
sport and commercial fisheries is uncertain, but
potentially damaging because the Federal Government
may not strike the same balance between subsistence
and other uses as state management would; and
WHEREAS, federal actions aimed at protecting subsistence
fishing will eventually restrict commercial and
sport fishing; and
WHEREAS, the State of Alaska can prevent further federal
takeover of fishery resource management and undo the
federal takeover of game, by amending the State
Constitution and passing new statutes so as to allow
a rural subsistence priority consistent with Federal
law; and
WHEREAS, Congress should also enact important definitional
changes to ANILCA to help with interpretation and
enforcement of the Federal law; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that the Anchorage Chamber of
Commerce urges the Alaska Legislature to present to
the voters of Alaska a subsistence priority
constitutional amendment in the 2002 general
election, and subsequently enable implementation by
enacting appropriate state laws consistent with the
amendment and Federal law; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that Congress should enact
important definitional changes to the federal law,
including “rural”, “customary and
traditional”, “customary trade, and “barter”;
and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Anchorage Chamber of
Commerce calls on other Chambers of Commerce and
organizations to join with it in urging the Alaska
Legislature and the Congress to work constructively
toward resolving this rural subsistence priority issue
in 2002.
Approved this 4th day
of January, 2002.
In
Support of a Community-Wide Economic Development Plan
Resolution 01/02 – 6
WHEREAS, the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce and the Anchorage
Economic Development Corporation (AEDC) have worked
cooperatively to develop a process to create and
implement a new approach to economic development in
the Municipality; and
WHEREAS, the Mayor of Anchorage, at the request of the Anchorage
Chamber of Commerce and with the support of AEDC, has
created a committee to develop this new approach; and
WHEREAS, this committee is made up of virtually all parties
and agencies in Anchorage who have recently been
deliberating
on furthering economic development activities
for the benefit of the business community; and
WHEREAS, committee plans call for a major study of the
economic development environment in the community; and
WHEREAS, this study is to be funded by public and private
contributions; and
WHEREAS, the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce has contributed
$25,000 to this community-wide effort; and
WHEREAS, economic development is of great consequence to
the future success and health of the business
environment in the Municipality of Anchorage and said
success inures to the benefit of our members;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Anchorage Chamber of
Commerce:
1.
That all parties who worked to create this
community-wide effort are to be complimented.
2.
That this Chamber strongly supports the efforts
of the Anchorage Economic Development Committee.
3.
That this Chamber eagerly awaits the study results
and promulgation of a plan that
enhances economic development
activities in Anchorage.
4.
That this Chamber firmly believes that appropriate
measures of merit must be included in the economic
development plan to facilitate assessment of progress
toward plan objectives.
5.
That this Chamber encourages participation by our
members to include
contribution of time and money
to insure the success of the undertaking.
Approved this 4th day of January, 2002.
In
Support of a Stable Municipal Operating Budget Policy
Resolution 01/02-05
WHEREAS, more than 95% of the Municipality’s revenue is recurring
and reliable; and
WHEREAS, remaining revenues to support the general operating budget
often come from applied fund balances, a much less
reliable and consistent source of funds; and
WHEREAS, the amount of applied fund balance used to supplement
recurring revenue during the last ten years has varied
dramatically, ranging from $5.7 million to $20.2
million; and
WHEREAS, the Municipality’s bond rating depends, in large measure,
on the amount and demonstrated long-term stability of
available fund balances; and
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce
supports a transition to a more stable, mature,
predictable fiscal policy in developing the municipal
general operating budget; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that this body endorses a policy of using
applied fund balance primarily to support
non-recurring, one-time expenses; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the goal of future general operating
budgets should be to limit spending to a level that
that can be supported by recurring revenues.
Approved this 16th day of November, 2001
In
Support of Regional Energy Plan Development to Address
Future Southcentral Energy Needs
- Resolution
01/02-2
WHEREAS,
Anchorage Economic Development Corporation, inter alia,
have conducted a study and produced A Review of Cook
Inlet Natural Gas Supply and Demand; and
WHEREAS,
the aforementioned report indicates that
Cook Inlet
natural gas
supplies have a finite life and the end is in sight;
and
WHEREAS,
meeting peak demand for natural gas will become more
difficult near the middle of this decade; and
WHEREAS,
future natural gas discoveries in
Cook Inlet
are likely to be
from smaller fields; and
WHEREAS,
numerous alternative sources of energy are available
albeit at higher cost; and
WHEREAS,
curtailment of industrial usage of natural gas would
adversely affect the economy while resolving the near
term utility shortfall; and
WHEREAS,
statewide planning is underway for marketing North
Slope natural gas to the Lower 48;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, | 
Anchorage Chamber Resolutions