revenue-sharing and state support for payment on local school bonds. The Legislature, municipalities, health care providers and educators pushed back strongly, and the debate continued in a special session into early summer and then into a second special ses- sion in early July. Much of the discussion centered on the governor’s proposal for the PFD because it would be paid for either with funds taken from state programs or additional withdrawals from the Permanent Fund’s earnings reserve account. Through all of the heated budget discussion, Dunleavy kept his word that state programs im- portant to economic activity and jobs, particular- ly those supporting natural resource industries like mining, would be treated carefully. The departments of Natural Resources, En- vironmental Conservation and Fish & Game, all important to mining, received cuts in state fund- EDITOR’S NOTE: As this issue of The Alaska Miner goes to press, the Alaska Legislature remains in Special Session debating the State’s budget and Governor Dunleavy’s budget vetoes. This story was a current as possible at press time.
ing but much less than other agencies. In Fish & Game, the habitat division is important because of its stream-crossing permits. Companies engaged in Alaska minerals explo- ration and development, as well as oil and gas, had told the governor and legislators that state agencies’ capacity to issue permits and imple- ment state laws must be maintained because without these companies could not do their work. In many cases, companies are billed by the State for the exact cost it takes to regulate proj- ects. If permits were not prepared properly, with LOP\`L_P^_LʯYR_ST]O[L]_dR]Z`[^Z[[Z^PO_Z OPaPWZ[XPY_bZ`WOʭWPWLb^`T_^LYO^_Z[LN_Ta - ity. With most of the Legislature engaged in the budget debate, and the state House also getting Zʬ_ZLWL_P^_L]_O`P_ZOPWLd^TYT_^Z]RLYTeL - tion and leadership selection, it was no surprise lawmakers had less time to focus on bills of more direct concern to business and industry. One proposal that did receive attention was Anchorage Sen. Chris Birch’s Senate Bill 80, which aims to solve a problem presented by the CONTINUED on PAGE 10
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July 2019
The Alaska Miner
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