to meet demand while new proj- ects — which take years to develop — come online. But Murkowski said that what is now seen as a temporary solution could morph into a long- term plan once the state transitions its export terminal to an import ter- minal, and once contracts are signed with Canadian providers. “And then, what happens? We get comfortable. We get comfortable getting it from somebody else, in- stead of taking care of ourselves with our own resources. In my view, it’s the definition of aiming low,” Mur - kowski said. Murkowski also expressed out- rage at an expanded design of the Port of Alaska supported by An- chorage Mayor Dave Bronson, which could substantially increase the cost of the project. Murkowski worked to ensure federal funding for the port project would be available, and state matching funds were secured as part of last year’s budget process, but the new design could scramble the pro- cess. “When I read in the Anchorage Daily News that the proposed design modifications may cost $200 million
more with no understanding how to pay for it besides applying to addi- tional federal grants — I mean, re- ally?” Murkowski urged lawmakers to focus on workforce development, housing and child care amid state- wide shortages that are hampering the state’s economy. The senator said the lack of affordable child care is also impacting the military’s will- ingness to increase its presence in the state. “We cannot be a place where peo - ple spend part of their lives only to pack it up and leave because they don’t see a future for them and their family, or watch as the kids that we raised leave here and never come back. Alaska needs to be the place where people want to move to and want to stay because they have good jobs that support their families, they have a good place to live, they have good schools where their kids can excel, they have a quality of life that cannot be matched anywhere else,” Murkowski said.
MURKOWSKI, CONTINUED from PAGE 35
dwindling state revenue amid fall- ing oil prices and dropping demand for Alaska crude, leaving the state in an ongoing budget crisis with more needs than state revenue can meet. “If we give up, if we stop dream - ing, if we stop pushing the big things just because we know somebody is going to object or litigate, we’re go- ing to dry up and blow away. That’s not the Alaskan spirit,” said Mur- kowski. Among actions Murkowski urged the Legislature to take was to avoid importing natural gas from Canada to fill a looming shortfall in Cook In - let production. “As an Alaskan, I just cringe at that,” Murkowski said at the pros- pect of importing natural gas from British Columbia rather than devel- oping new natural gas projects in the state. “If we don’t own our own future, why would anybody invest in us?” Lawmakers have considered im- porting gas as a temporary solution
Daily News reporter Sean Maguire contributed to this story from Juneau
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