Hi there,
I don’t know about you, but I have been enjoying this sunshine! What a nice summer it has been. I thought I would drop a line on my blog and let everyone know that I will be out of the office tomorrow, Friday, and Monday of next week. I will be back in the office on Tuesday, so feel free to call or stop by and schedule an appointment.
The shocking news of Governor Palin resigning last week and now the questions of the line of succession for Lt. Gov. has created a haze of confusion. I read a legal opinion from Tam Cook from Legislation Affairs Agency (she works as the Legislature’s head attorney that provides non-partisan opinions and she heads the legal department that drafts legislation for us), which gave a variety of different options. However, the way I read her opinion says that the Legislature must confirm a new appointment for the Lt. Gov.’s position if the Governor resigns. The House Judiciary Committee is having a Confirmation Hearing on 20 July in Fairbanks, which is a venue for members of the Judiciary Committee (and any other members who wish to participate) to ask questions to the nominee. I plan on participating in the hearing. I’m sure that you can get all of this information from the newspaper, but if there are new developments within the day, I will do my best to keep you in the loop via my blog.
I understand that the work on the Swan-Tyee Hydro line is well on its way to be completed this fall. I’m appreciative of the weather we have been enjoying so that the workers out there can take advantage of the long days. My staff went on a jet boat ride to Neet’s Bay to see the helicopter, Elvis, set the towers. They said it was amazing to see the final steps of the project arrive. The residents of Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Wrangell have been waiting a long, long time to flip the switch on this project, and that point is almost here.
As I mentioned on my last blog post, the summer commercial crab fishery opening near Ketchikan and the east side of POW has caused much concern for sport fisherman in the area. I wrote a letter with Representative Bill Thomas (R-Haines) to the Department of Fish and Game about opening this fishery to commercial interests without having the proper science available. I received a response from the Commissioner of Fish and Game, Denby Lloyd, and he said that he understood my concerns and saw where we were coming from. However, due to a prior legal case, the Department was required by law to carry out decisions of the Board of Fish. The Commissioner committed to manage the fishery with a close eye and he recognized the importance of incorporating science when making management decisions about fisheries. I plan on watching this issue very closely and I will keep this issue in mind when returning to session next year.
I went to the shipyard earlier this week and took a tour of the M/V Susitna. I have watched the construction of this ship closely, and with the passenger compartment now attached, the ship is taking shape. It will be exciting to see this ship in its final stages. This is a prototype ship building project, and it is exciting that it is happening here in our hometown. Also, the Ketchikan Shipyard is working on a Marine Fueling Station for the Canadians. Since Canada is hosting the next Winter Olympics, they wanted to add a marine fueling station for the increased population. This project is also progressing along and it will be exciting to see a project constructed in Ketchikan present at the Winter Olympics.
My staff is planning on taking a tour of the OceansAlaska site tomorrow afternoon. John Sund spoke a Chamber Lunch a few weeks back, and it will be interesting to see this project develop. Mariculture is a developing industry that has the potential to provide many, many jobs. Here is a recent article published in the Ketchikan Daily News about the growing mariculture industry and the innovations that are occurring in our state already.
The House Energy Committee was planning on coming to Ketchikan to hold a hearing this fall, but it looks like plans have changed just slightly. They are going to hold a hearing in Haines in September in conjunction with Southeast Conference’s annual meeting. This was the best way to get as many people involved in the process as possible.
Last month I hosted a Labor Summit and invited the Deputy Commissioner of Labor, David Stone, and the Executive Director of the Alaska Workforce Investment Board, Greg Cashen, down to our neck of the woods. This was an opportunity for the folks from the Department of Labor to listen to the employers here in Ketchikan and understand what their needs were in the way of training programs. There is alot of money available for training programs, and having the Department of Labor in Ketchikan to hear and see what our needs are was a valuable opportunity. There were a series of different subjects covered and they even got to take a few tours of different worksites around town. I’ve been hearing great feedback from these meetings, and I look forward to the development of workforce training programs that take our special circumstances and needs into account.
I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July holiday. I enjoyed a great day with my family, and those fireworks were amazing!! I thank all of the people who have fought hard and served their country well to ensure our freedom. We can live our lives how we choose to because of them and their service.
As I mentioned before, please come by Tuesday or set up an appointment. I look forward to meeting with you.
Best,
