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August 2008
I’m pleased to report to Alaskans that in early August, our Alaska Legislature agreed to approve a one-time resource rebate that returns part of our resource wealth to Alaskans – the owners in common of these resources. The rebate will be a direct payment of $1,200 to each Alaskan eligible for the 2008 Permanent Fund Dividend. The resource rebate was part of a larger energy package that also includes a 50 percent increase in the maximum loan amount for bulk fuel bridge and bulk fuel revolving loan funds to communities and cooperatives. Additionally, it suspends the state’s eight-cent motor fuel tax on gasoline, marine fuel and aviation fuel for one year and strengthens the Power Cost Equalization Program.
Our lawmakers also included an additional $60 million for the Home Energy Rebate Program operated by the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation and $50 million in grant funds to the Renewable Energy Fund, bringing the total available for renewable energy projects in FY 2009 to $100 million.
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Legislators applaud Governor Palin and her staff for all their hard work on AGIA during an Aug. 1 press conference after the legislature awarded TC Alaska the AGIA license to move forward and build Alaska's natural gas pipeline.
LISTEN TO AUDIO: August 1, 2008 Press Conference
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The Legislature also authorized my administration to award the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act license to TransCanada Alaska to initiate development of a 1,715-mile natural gas pipeline from Prudhoe Bay on the North Slope to the Alberta Hub in Canada. Lawmakers also appropriated $35.5 million for gas pipeline expenditures, including reimbursements for allowable expenses under the AGIA license to get moving toward a gasline.
Our Legislature worked diligently to deal with these critical issues facing our state, and I thank them for their accomplishments. We estimate all three bills will be signed into law by the end of August.
Congratulations to the staff at the 294 Alaska public schools that made adequate yearly progress under the federal No Child Left Behind (NCLB) standards for the 2007-2008 school year. Our schools faced a higher bar in 2007-2008 for the percentages of students who score proficient in language arts and math assessments. Congratulations, also, to the many schools that continue to improve in student achievement but may have fallen short in one or two of the 31 categories schools are held accountable for in NCLB.
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We have some great news to share about a successful partnership involving the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development. This venture produced the Alaska Construction Academy, and now, more than 2,300 middle and high school students and 320 adults are learning new skills – such as carpentry, plumbing, electrical, welding and drywall finishing. The academy started as a pilot program in Anchorage to attract and train young people and adults to first jobs in the Alaska construction industry. This program has been so successful, academies are now in the Kenai Peninsula, Fairbanks, Juneau, Ketchikan and Mat-Su – and more will follow elsewhere statewide. Graduates will help fill the 1,000 construction jobs that are needed annually.
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The U.S. Department of Labor recently recognized the Alaska Department of Labor for excellence for its partnership efforts to create the Construction Academy concept. Your Alaska Department of Labor has partnered with Associated General Contractors of Alaska, Alaska Works Partnership, Alaska home building associations and local school districts.
Out of the first group of 113 Anchorage adult graduates, 77 percent were hired and increased their earnings 40 percent in the two quarters following their training. Adult classes are offered at various times, based on community employer needs, and will be expanded to include weatherization programs.
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Keeping Alaskans safe on our highways is a top priority of my administration. I’m pleased to report your state Department of Transportation and Public Facilities (DOT&PF) Highway Safety Office reports highway fatalities in Alaska are down this year. Since July 28, Alaska has recorded 34 fatalities for the entire year of 2008, and that number is below the decade-average of 46 at this point in the calendar year. Strict enforcement of laws regulating drunk driving, reckless driving and seatbelt use have contributed to this positive news.
TAKE THE CHALLENGE - state's online driver preparedness test
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VISIT ONLINE:
Alaska Highway Saftey Office
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On August 8, I was pleased to participate in an event honoring late Native leader Shirley Demientieff of Nenana. I joined with community members and leaders from around the state to dedicate the Shirley Demientieff Memorial Bridge, and then transitioned to a community potlatch at the Nenana Civic Center. Ms. Demientieff was remembered as a woman who was committed to helping others and building bridges between cultures and communities all across Alaska.
VISIT GOOGLE MAPS: Where is Nenana, Alaska?
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I spent several days in Fairbanks in mid-August, and was honored to participate in the Morris Thompson Cultural & Visitors Center dedication on August 12. I joined Alaska Native leaders from across the state, Alaska’s Congressional Delegation, and more than 1,000 local community members and leaders to honor Morris Thompson, the late Native leader who made a difference in the lives of so many.
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Also on August 12, I spoke to international leaders from Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Russia and Sweden at the 8th Annual Conference of Arctic Parliamentarians. With the focus on human health in the Arctic, climate change in the Arctic, and resource development in the Arctic, I shared Alaska’s encouraging news regarding development of non-renewable and renewable and alternative resources in Alaska. I was pleased to inform them of our gas pipeline progress and alternative energy projects we have underway.
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Until next time,
Governor Sarah Palin
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