and comment. However, many in industry have supported an indepen- dent analysis of regulatory changes. While the governor has taken steps to protect agencies important to economic growth, like mining, other insti- _`_TZY^ TY _SP ^_L_P bTWW QPPW _SP PʬPN_^ ZQ WL]RP M`ORP_ cuts. Large reductions in funding for schools, the univer- sity and health and social services are proposed in the governor’s budget but there was major pushback in the Legislature with many of these. The mining industry will TYOT]PN_Wd QPPW _SP PʬPN_^ ZQ _SP^P SZbPaP] LWZYR bT_S other industries and businesses. University programs that train young Alaskans as pro- fessionals and scientists, including geologists and mining PYRTYPP]^bTWWLʬPN_TYO`^_]dɪ^LMTWT_d_ZPX[WZd\`LWTʭPO Alaskans. It won’t be easy but Dunleavy’s overall objective is to get the state budget in overall alignment with reve- Y`P^?SL_RZLWL^T_bL^ʭ]^_[]Z[Z^PObZ`WO]P\`T]PL $1.6 billion cut, or about a third of the spending of state dollars. That will be painful in the short run. However, there is a longer-term gain, the governor argues.
Senator Click Bishop, himself a miner, has been a VWURQJSURSRQHQWWRNHHSVWDWHUHFRUGLQJRIÀFHVRSHQ throughout Alaska.
Tim Bradner is copublisher of the Alaska Economic Report and the Legislative Digest.
April 2019
The Alaska Miner
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