Tag: Gov. Walker

Gov. Walker One Alaska Update May 07, 2018

Gov. Walker One Alaska Update May 07, 2018

Fellow Alaskan –

One of the most difficult parts of my year was getting the news that Specialist Gabriel David Conde was killed in combat in Afghanistan last week. Specialist Conde was a member of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson’s 4th Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division, and has served in Alaska since 2016. My heart goes out to his family and friends, and the team he served with: Byron, Toni, Donna, and I have been keeping them in our prayers. His sacrifice for his country is worthy of our highest respect.

One of the most meaningful moments of my year was being surrounded by the students of Harborview Elementary last week to sign HB 287 into law. The bill provides two years of funding for Alaska’s schools, ending the pink slip panic that Alaska’s budget crisis has created the last few years. The bipartisan group of legislators from the House and Senate who were instrumental in passing the bill walked down to join, too, including sponsor Rep. Seaton.

Walking into the gymnasium, the Tlingit Language and Culture Class greeted us with drumming, dancing, and singing. I spoke a little, and leaders from the House and Senate spoke a little. Speaker Bryce Edgmon got the gift of two hundred students (and his colleagues) singing him happy birthday, first in English, and then seamlessly followed up in Tlingit. When it came time to actually sign the bill, students crowded around the table, and I handed out as many bill signing pens as I could manage.

It was a simple and proud moment for me, and for my colleagues in the Legislature. Forward funding our schools is an accomplishment for each of us, and something all Alaskans can see hope in. It’s a point of collaboration and compromise that all of us elected leaders have been looking to get to in the last few months.

As we come to the final days in session, with solutions on the table to fix the biggest fiscal crisis Alaska has faced, the warmth and good faith in the room was very welcome. Being surrounded by curious, happy, and hopeful young Alaskans was an excellent reminder of our state’s promise, which remains unchanged. We’re blessed by abundant resources, a fierce strength of spirit, and a culture of community that rivals even our strongest political differences.

I am proud and grateful to call this state home, and look forward to our shared future.

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One Alaska Update April 30, 2018

One Alaska Update: Keeping Up With Governor Bill Walker
Governor’s Note

Fellow Alaskan –

While April 30 marks the end of sexual assault awareness month, supporting survivors of sexual violence continues as a priority for our administration.

In Alaska, we have troublingly high rates of sexual abuse, domestic violence, and sexual assault – across the board. People from regions and communities that experience historical and intergenerational trauma have even higher rates of victimization. Most victims are very young: 14 years old.

A Juneau Empire article this week recounted the story of MacKenzie Howard, a 13-year-old girl who was murdered in Kake five years ago. Friends and relatives guarded her body while they waited for Alaska State Troopers to fly to the village. Dedicating more funding to trooper travel to rural areas is one of the specific items I requested in my budget this year: a proactive Trooper presence in rural communities can help communities like MacKenzie’s.

No one, let alone survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence, should have to wait years for justice. Last year, we ordered local law enforcement statewide to send their backlogged rape evidence kits to the Alaska Department of Public Safety. By improving technology and streamlining the work, we’ve reduced the backlog — and the wait-time to get sexual assault evidence DNA tested down from 300 days to 90 days.

90 days is still too long to wait, but progress is encouraging. We hired retired Alaska State Trooper Michael Burkmire to work as a sexual assault cold case investigator last week, thanks to a $1.1 million federal grant we worked to get from the U.S. Department of Justice. Last week’s arrest of the Golden State Killer in California, based on a DNA match, highlights the importance of testing every single kit, to bring closure to survivors and to ensure that perpetrators are held accountable.

Other elements of our Public Safety Action Plan to address sexual violence include changing regulations to ensure Alaska courts can enforce out-of-state protective orders. We’re working on building a statewide Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault hotline, and a comprehensive modernized statewide 911 system, to ensure that survivors always have somewhere to turn, for advice, or in emergencies.

If you have other ideas, or things you’d like to see our administration pursue, please reach out. Domestic violence and sexual assault are a nationwide issue, but the especially high rates here in Alaska make them personal: we must work hard to ensure that perpetrators are brought to justice and survivors have the support and care that they need.

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One Alaska Update: Keeping up with Gov. Bill Walker

A Note From Gov. Walker…

Fellow Alaskan –

Increasing hours of daylight, the start of the Iditarod, fresh snow across Alaska – it feels good to be home after attending the National Governors Association (NGA) in Washington D.C.

Each year at NGA, I connect with Governors from across the United States. We come together to tackle issues that face our constituents without the politics that can divide us. These connections, beyond party lines, led to the work I did with Governor Kasich (R-OH) and Governor Hickenlooper (D-CO) when we released the bipartisan health care blueprint. Through NGA and back home, I continue to work on solutions that benefit all Alaskans.

This week has been all about Alaska and the Iditarod, from attending the Mushers Banquet, the Ceremonial Start in Anchorage and traveling to Willow for the official start. Donna and I wish all the mushers safe and swift travels to Nome.

As we continue to move forward with progress on the Alaska LNG gasline, we recognize the demand for LNG worldwide. We acknowledge and are aware of the potential for LNG shortage by mid-2020’s and continue work on the project to have Alaska LNG to the market by that time.

Read complete newsletter -> One Alaska Update: Keeping up with Gov. Bill Walker

One Alaska Update: Keeping up with Gov. Bill Walker

Fellow Alaskan –

On Thursday, I had the great honor of addressing Alaskans and the Legislature about what makes me optimistic about the State of our State. I don’t have to tell you how richly blessed we all are to be Alaskans, to live in a land of unparalleled beauty with limitless potential. We have challenges—some more difficult than others—but my optimism comes directly from the state of our state, from the strength and resilience of our people, and from the steps we are taking to control our own destiny by building a safer, smarter, stronger Alaska.

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Alaska Governor Issues Order on Climate Change Strategy – GlacierHub

Alaska Governor Bill Walker has issued an order on climate change strategy and appointed members of a climate action leadership team to design the strategy.

Alaska has warmed more than twice as fast as the rest of the United States. On average, during the past 60 years, Alaska has warmed about 3 degrees Fahrenheit overall and 6 degrees Fahrenheit during winter. Alaska Governor Bill Walker has issued an order on climate change strategy with the intention to create “a flexible and long-lasting framework for Alaskans to build a strategic response to climate change,” according to the Office of the Governor. As a key part of the Alaska Climate Change Strategy, Walker has appointed members of a climate action leadership team that will design the strategy and work to investigate ways to reduce the impacts of climate change.

The Alaska Climate Change Strategy is not the first climate-focused policy effort by the state. Nikoosh Carlo, the governor’s senior advisor for climate policy, told GlacierHub that “The Strategy and Leadership Team builds on previous initiatives from former governors and the legislature, as well as the wealth of Arctic research conducted through the University of Alaska.” One such effort, for example, was the Climate Change Sub-Cabinet created by former Governor Sarah Palin’s Administrative Order 238 in 2007. The Sub-Cabinet was composed of two advisory groups for adaptation and mitigation as well as two working groups for immediate action and research needs. Each group prepared extensive reports with climate policy recommendations in each of the four areas.

Read more – Alaska Governor Issues Order on Climate Change Strategy – GlacierHub

One Alaska Update: Keeping up with Gov. Bill Walker

Fellow Alaskan –

We remember Martin Luther King Jr. as a symbolic leader of the African-American Civil Rights Movement, a pastor, an orator, Nobel Laureate, and a humanitarian who dedicated his life to ensure equality and justice for all. On this day, we reflect and honor his life and legacy and take the opportunity to recommit ourselves to the elimination of prejudice and intolerance.

We continue to move forward on the Alaska gasline/LNG Project. I was pleased to recently host a meeting and dinner here in Juneau with Bob Dudley, Chief Executive at BP, and his team, to discuss the Alaska LNG Project. Mr. Dudley also appeared to be pleased with the meeting as he explained in an interview after the Juneau meeting. We remain 100% committed to working with the producers to develop this Project: lowering energy costs for Alaskans, putting thousands of Alaskans to work and achieving energy dominance for our country.

Read more – One Alaska Update: Keeping up with Gov. Bill Walker

One Alaska Update: Keeping up with Gov. Bill Walker

Fellow Alaskan –

The Last Frontier celebrated its 59th ‘birthday’ last week! On January 3, 1959, President Eisenhower signed the proclamation that officially admitted the Last Frontier into the Union as the 49th state.

This week, The U.S. Department of Justice withdrew the Cole Memorandum a policy that respected states that opted to allow the commercial sale of marijuana, as Alaskans voted to do in 2014. I remain committed to upholding the will of Alaskans on this issue, and maintaining our State’s sovereign rights to manage our own affairs while protecting federal interests. I am disappointed in the announcement to withdraw the Cole Memorandum. I will continue to work with the Department of Justice and our Congressional Delegation to prevent federal overreach into Alaska.

On Wednesday, January 3, 2018, Governor Walker presented Loren Lounsbury with the Legion of Merit in the Governor’s Office in Anchorage, Alaska. Lounsbury received the Legion of Merit for his service with Alaska Military Force Advocacy and Structure Team (AMFAST).


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One Alaska Update: Keeping up with Gov. Bill Walker

Keeping up-to-date with Gov. Bill Walker December 18, 2017

Keeping up-to-date with Gov. Bill Walker

Fellow Alaskan –

This week Lt. Governor Mallott and I released our three-part budget plan that strengthens public safety, creates jobs for Alaskans, and restores accountability in the budget process.

Safer Alaska
We have cut spending in other areas to increase funding for public safety and created the Public Safety Action Plan, which calls for more resources to address the rise in crime and the opioid epidemic. The proposed $34 million increased investment includes hiring: a statewide drug prosecutor, a prosecutor in Bethel, a trooper investigator in Bethel, a prosecutor in Kotzebue, a statewide trooper investigator, two prosecutors in Anchorage as well as expansion of substance abuse treatment programs.

Stronger Alaska
The Alaska Economic Recovery Act takes control of our future by putting Alaskans back to work fixing and maintaining our existing infrastructure. A $1.4 billion economic investment, over the next three years, puts more than 1,000 Alaskans back to work. The 3-year, 1.5% payroll tax, with a cap, funds a deferred maintenance program. The payroll deduction tax will sunset 2021. Additionally, another part of the Alaska Economic Recovery Act proposes to pay off outstanding oil and gas exploration tax credits in fiscal year 2019 with bonds at no additional cost to the state.

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One Alaska Update: Keeping up with Gov. Bill Walker

2017 Howard Rock Alaska Native Leader Award

A hearty “congratulations!” to elder Poldine Carlo who received the 2017 Howard Rock Alaska Native Leader Award on Saturday. Originally from Nulato, Poldine was instrumental in the formation of the Fairbanks Native Association (FNA). She is an active in many organizations, including the Denakkanaaga Board of Directors, the University of Alaska Chancellor’s Advisory Committee, and the Alaska Native Education Advisory Board, She serves as an Elder mentor during the World Eskimo Indian Olympics. We are lucky to have her granddaughter, Dr. Nikoosh Carlo as our Sr. Advisor on Climate. Congratulations, Poldine on not only your decades of service, but also raising the next generation of Alaska leaders!

One Alaska Update: Keeping up with Gov. Bill Walker

One Alaska Update: Keeping up with Gov. Bill Walker

Fellow Alaskan –

This past week has been historic for our state. I was proud to be in China with President Trump as he and President Xi watched me sign a joint development agreement (JDA) for the Alaska LNG project. The JDA is the most significant step towards fully monetizing our natural gas resources, bringing the potential customer, lender, equity investor, and developer together with the goal of advancing this project to completion by 2024-2025. The Alaska Gasline Development Corporation and the state are working harder than ever to bring this project to fruition for the benefit of all Alaskans.

 

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