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Greg Adler: Property tax fairness bill is needed to prevent wacky property assessments

By GREG ADLER

It is time to voice support for property tax fairness by encouraging passage of Senate Bill 242, a bill introduced by Sen. Jesse Kiehl. This bill aims to restore public trust in Alaska’s property assessment process. Bipartisan support for Kiehl’s bill is demonstrated by Rep. Julie Coulumbe, who introduced House Bill 347, a bill that is identical to Kiehl’s.

These bills maintain local flexibility and control while requiring baseline standards to establish transparency and a fair property assessment process. Make sure your senator and representative are aware of the Property Tax Fairness bills and ask for their support.

State law requires property to be assessed at its full and true value. 

Unfortunately, a property owner’s right to just and fair hearings with impartial decisions is not protected by laws as they stand. Local assessors are not required to maintain professional credentials or follow published standards. Current law also allows assessment increases upon appeal, which has the chilling effect of discouraging taxpayers from exercising their rights out of fear of retaliation.

A property I appealed was assessed at more than double what I paid for it one month after closing escrow due to a combination of failures in the current law. The City and Borough of Juneau assessor justified the wacky assessed value by using a wacky software model that cherry picked the data.  

The CBJ assessor written report also plagiarized data from a property that was not comparable to argue our property was not a market sale because it took 60 days to market and should have taken 9 months. Clearly, low sales prices lower the whacky software model and the CBJ assessor is hot on the tail of such properties in the backroom tinkering with such sales and slipping them into the outlier category when in fact they are the market.  

Licensed appraisers and certified assessors know two things: 1) Use good comps and 2) Presenting the Board of Equalization with inaccurate statements not only taints the board in your favor, is unfair to Appellants but is patently against professional ethics. 

There is no denying our sale was an arms-length transaction at its full and true market value, and our MAI appraisals honestly represented the full and true value of our properties.  We conclude the CBJ assessor is entrenched in pursuing inflated assessed property values.

In advance of this year’s assessment, I supplied Juneau’s assessor’s office with six MAI (Member, Appraisal Institute) appraisals. They were provided to help value our property and similar properties in Juneau’s downtown district. The  assessor told me he was familiar with the appraisals and the work of the appraiser and agreed they accurately reflect the value of the properties. He stated that he is also familiar with sales in the downtown district. 

When I asked if we could expect our assessed values to follow the appraisals and sales, the assessor said “No.” I was astounded by this response, considering that appraisals and sales are full and true value. The Juneau assessor explained that he has wacky old software assessment models on which he relies, and the value he sets will be based on his these models.  He said to expect a 7% decline, but not full and true value.
 
The problem is that assessed value by local and state law is based on full and true value, not a wacky software model that has proven to inflate property values. If the assessor has full knowledge that his software model results in wacky assessments, he should utilize market sales and appraisals in good faith to inform his model and modify assessed values.

Supporting wacky software models may be rational to someone who has no requirement to follow standards, but not to the homeowner, business owner, or investor.

My experience tells me the Juneau Assembly, city manager, and finance director have no interest in changing the present system. I submit that public trust in the assessor office must be restored. Moreover, these bad actors should reconsider their actions and take positive steps in support of good governance for the best interest of the community. 

These issues are also occurring in other communities throughout the state. It is time to voice your support for openness and impartial hearings when it comes to property assessments.

Act now by contacting your legislators to encourage them to support SB 242 and HB 347 to establish property tax fairness in Alaska’s statutes.

Greg Adler is a principal at Goldstein Improvement Co. His family has owned property and conducted business in Juneau since the 1880s. Adler and his family own a home on Pioneer Avenue in West Juneau.

Alex Gimarc: A subsistence opportunity gift from Deb Haaland

By ALEX GIMARC

The latest iteration of the race-baiting Dementia Hitler administration attempt to foment a subsistence race war here in Alaska comes courtesy of Secretary Deb Haaland’s Department of the Interior. The vehicle is the announcement of racial quotas for tribal representation on the Federal Subsistence Board.

The subsistence board falls out of the lie that is the notion that the rural preference for subsistence isn’t actually a racial preference. The only surprise in this is that the racialists in the Dementia Hitler administration forgot they still needed to continue lie about what they are doing, pretending to protect and defend a rural preference rather than a racial one.

We have been tolerating (demanding?) the lie on subsistence since ANILCA was written and passed in 1980. Congress at the time didn’t have the cojones to write an actual racial preference into federal law, likely because it would have been quickly and easily tossed like yesterday’s garbage by federal courts at the time. 

They went for the next best thing instead, creating the notion of a rural preference for subsistence out of thin air.  Of course, the notion of disparate impact on all things racial swung by the Obama regime like a broadsword against their enemies has not yet been applied to this little fantasy (lie). With the announcement of racial preferences for leadership and membership of the federal Subsistence Board, perhaps that time has come.

In making this recommendation, Haaland gave Alaska a gift, a vehicle to rid the state of the unwelcome racialist federal Subsistence Board for all time. 

Here’s how we get from here to there. The AK Supreme Court interpreted the Alaska Constitution found that the rural preference was unconstitutional in 1989, essentially boxing the federal Subsistence Board into management on federal lands only.

The Alaska Constitution prohibits discrimination on race, color, creed, sex or national origin. Once you manage fish and game on this basis, you violate this provision.

Solution?

Take advantage of this opening.  This will require actions by the commissioner of the Alaska Department of Fish & Game to reject the federal Subsistence Board and kick them out of the state for being racists. The attorney general needs to back him up, as does the governor.

Force the feds and like-minded racialists to take the state to court and prove they aren’t racists while demanding racial preferences for subsistence take of fish and game. 

Shove this noodle through the federal courts until the courts either tell us that racism is a new, positive family value in America, or slap them down like the David Duke / Al Sharpton wannabees they so desperately want to be.

It is time to stop asking permission and do the right thing, daring the Bad Guys to prove their case in court, not unlike what governors in Texas and Florida have been doing for years.  Deb Haaland just gave us an opening.  Let’s drive an Alaska-sized 18-wheeler through it.  

Alex Gimarc lives in Anchorage since retiring from the military in 1997. His interests include science and technology, environment, energy, economics, military affairs, fishing and disabilities policies. His weekly column “Interesting Items” is a summary of news stories with substantive Alaska-themed topics. He was a small business owner and Information Technology professional.

Trump wins South Carolina in landslide

Former President Donald Trump walked to an easy win in South Carolina’s Republican primary on Saturday. Polls closed at 7 pm, and the Associated Press called the race shortly thereafter.

“I have never seen the Republican Party so unified as it is right now,” Trump said to supporters on Saturday night. “This is really something. This was a little sooner than we anticipated and an even bigger win than we anticipated. And I was just informed that we got double the number of votes that has ever been received in the great state of South Carolina.” 

With 7% of the vote counted, Trump was at 59%, to gain 29 more delegates to the Republican Nominating Convention in July. Haley was at 40%.

With 24% of the vote counted, Trump rose to 60% and Haley was at 39%.

With 82% reporting, Trump is at 60.51% and Haley is at 38.85%, at 9:47 p.m. Eastern time.

With 100% reporting, Trump is at 59.79% and Haley is at 39.52%.

Although all registered voters of any party were allowed to vote in the Republican primary, if a voter already cast a ballot in the Feb. 3 South Carolina Democrat primary, he or she would not be eligible to vote in the Republican primary.

Haley has said she will not drop out, even though she has not won a single primary or caucus yet. 

Next up in primaries is Michigan on Feb. 27. Then come two caucuses on March 2 in Idaho and Missouri, followed by the District of Columbia primary on March 3, and the North Dakota caucus on March 4.

Michigan has a Democrat primary on Tuesday, and some are sounding the alarm that President Joe Biden may lose the Arab-American vote in that state, as well as the votes from younger registrants.

On March 5, Super Tuesday, 16 states hold Republican primaries or caucuses, including Alaska.

This story will be updated as vote counting continues. Or you can check the South Carolina Election website here.

Ravn cuts workforce two years after pilots unionize

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Ravn Alaska has just cut 130 jobs, about one-quarter of its workforce. The Anchorage-based regional airlines that flies between Anchorage and western Alaska towns and cities announced the layoffs to workers Friday.

The airline flies Beechcraft and DeHavilland Dash 8s. Late last year, Ravn stopped serving two of its 12 destinations — Kenai and Aniak.

The airlines had declared bankruptcy in 2020, sold off some of its aircraft, and reorganized. Its parent company is FLOAT Alaska.

Ravn is suffering from a labor shortage, competition, and inflation, it reported. But in 2022, its pilots joined a union — Airline Pilots Association. Two years later, their company is evidently struggling to stay alive.

“In late 2022, the pilots’ Negotiating Committee began preparing for negotiations and surveyed the pilot group with the goal of securing a first collective bargaining agreement. Bargaining began in early 2023 and is ongoing,” reported the pilots union.

Ravn’s CEO is Rob McKinney, also CEO of what launched as Northern Pacific Airways last summer and then changed its named last year to New Pacific Airlines. That company has also struggled. First it planned to fly to Asia through Alaska. Then it inaugurated its service from Ontario, Calif. to Las Vegas, Nevada. It appears to be operating now to Nashville, Tenn. and Reno, Nevada airports from Ontario.

Must Read Alaska sources say Ravn raised pay by about 30% in the fall of 2022 to remain competitive. But the market has been strong for pilots, that a regional airline operating turboprops is not competitive in the labor market, although turboprops used to be a stepping stone for jets. Now, it is an unnecessary diversion for the careers of many pilots.

“Apart from being home every night Ravn has nothing to attract new pilots or retain the ones it had,” a pilot said. “If (when) they cease operations, I seriously doubt that they will be replaced by a similar carrier. The Operational Overhead for a Part 121 carrier in a very seasonal market like ours makes it almost impossible to be profitable.”

Some believe that the future for aviation in Alaska is going to be newer, faster single and twin-engine turboprop aircraft like the Pilates PC-12, Cessna 408, and maybe some legacy Beech 1900’s. Ryan Air, Bering Air, ACE, and Kenai Aviation could see some tremendous market growth if they choose, sources said.

Minimum wage hike petition has enough signatures to be on fall ballot in Alaska

A ballot initiative to increase Alaska’s minimum wage has enough signatures to be included on the November ballot.

As seen at the Division of Elections, the group needed 26,705, and submitted 31,719 qualified signatures. The signatures were spread out between a majority of House districts, as required. The exceptions were House Districts 37-40 and House District 7, which underperformed.

The group behind the ballot initiative is Better Jobs for Alaska, a project of the Outside dark-money group the Sixteen-Thirty Fund, which has been written about extensively on this website. The group’s chair is Ed Flanagan, of alaskans for a Fair Minimum Wage. Other financial supporters are the Fairness Project in Washington, D.C., and SEI’u 776 Alaska PAC of Anchorage. The AFL-CIO is also involved in the effort to raise the minimum wage.

Supporters of the ballot initiative filed their signed petitions on Jan. 10 with the Division of Elections. For the past six weeks, the division has been verifying signatures. 

Alaska’s minimum wage on Jan. 1 went from $10.85 to $11.73 an hour, as part of a ballot initiative passed by voters in 2014.

The proposed bill language for the new minimum wage is:

“An Act increasing the Alaska minimum wage to $13.00 per hour effective July 1, 2025, to $14.00 per hour effective July 1, 2026, to $15.00 per hour July 1, 2027 and to thereafter be adjusted annually for inflation; providing employees the ability to accrue up to 56 hours of paid sick leave per year if their employers have 15 employees or more; providing employees the ability to accrue up to 40 hours of paid sick leave if their employers have under 15 employees; and to prohibit employers from compelling employees to attend meetings regarding religious or political matters that are unrelated to their work.” 

Supporters say that the cost of living in Alaska is high and necessitates higher wages.

The entire bill language can be read at this link.

The Division of Elections and Better Jobs for Alaskans have not yet made an announcement about the signature threshold having been met.

Meanwhile, the ballot initiative to get rid of ranked-choice voting in Alaska has not been updated at the Division of Elections since Thursday, but Phil Izon, who is with Alaskans for Honest Elections, has notified supporters around the state that the signature threshold has been met. An announcement is expected next week.

Scott Ogan: Rural sexual assault and the politics of good intentions

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By SCOTT OGAN

There are those who posture and talk about societal ills, and then there are those who do something about them. 

When it comes to rural physical and sexual assault and human trafficking, Rep. Sarah Vance  of District 6 Homer is among those trying to affect real change. 

Vance recently apologized for making the following statement in the State House Tribal Affairs Committee following testimony from Alaska Native justice advocates:

“What I hear in this committee is that Alaska Native women feel that it’s exclusive to your experience. Because it sounds exactly like what I have heard of white women in my community, it’s the same thing.” She went on to add, “But what I continue to hear in this committee over and over again as if you’re the only one. And I know that’s not your heart.” 

It’s clear Rep. Vance cares passionately about this issue and is an ally in the fight against every form of physical and sexual abuse and human trafficking. What is equally revealing is the relentless effort by the extreme left, inspired by their prophet Rahm Emanuel, to “never let a serious crisis go to waste.” 

Their criticism of Rep. Vance’s comments speaks to the larger issue of Alaska’s dismal progress on this issue and the need to come together with focus on solutions.  

Rep. Vance has been a stalwart defender against human trafficking and against violence, particularly in rural Alaska. She spearheaded getting stickers made that are placed in public restrooms across the state to give trafficked women a phone number to call for help.  She has also sponsored several bills on this subject.

Looking for Solutions

I suggest Vance should leverage her Judiciary Committee chair position and appoint a subcommittee on missing and murdered indigenous women, as well as human trafficking, to focus on the root causes of how Native women in Alaska fall victim at such high rates.

There are a few elephants in this “rural sexual assault” room, the largest of which is accountability for progress.

A few days after Rep. Vance made her comment, Department  of Public Safety Commissioner James Cockerell stated it is shameful rural Alaska had received disproportionately less law enforcement resources since statehood  

“We’ve closed our eyes and allowed rural Alaska to be seriously victimized,” Cockerell said.

This is a curious confession from the head of Public Safety, who has been in a position to implement policy decisions on the topic of rural law enforcement, serving as the head of the Alaska State Troopers and the Alaska Department of Public Safety under more than one governor. I respect the commissioner, but who is the “we” he refers to? Who does he believe is accountable for this current state of crisis?  

Alaska has a long  history of violence against women and children. In 2020, Alaska was ranked the 21st worst state in terms of homicides. That rose 67% by 2022, from 6.7 per 100,000 to 10.3 per 100,000, placing Alaska in 5th place. 

Compare that to the national average of 6.5 per 100,000.  These are statewide statistics that do not take into account the higher percentage of “missing” women who were likely murdered. 

The Bureau of Justice Statistics reports that recidivism among Alaska Natives and American Indians is four times higher for men compared to the national average and six times higher for women. Think of what this means about the rates of crime in rural Alaska and the cycle of despair. 

An FBI report in 2016 paints an even bleaker image of sexual violence across the United States and highlights a very concerning data point: If a child suffers sexual abuse, he or she is  23% more likely to commit sexual violence against another person. If a child suffers physical abuse, he or she is 24% more likely to commit sexual violence against another person. 

When we discuss the rates of sexual violence in our communities, we need to understand that physical violence is a root cause. Imagine what this does to a child who is the victim of both sexual and physical abuse.

Violence is violence, regardless of who the victims or perpetrators are. However, violence among the Alaska Native and American Indian populations is occurring at far higher rates per capita than among other populations. Our politicians need to focus less on discrediting their opponents and take more time to inform and collaborate. We need to have a sense of urgency to handle this problem now, but we can’t lose our patience, dignity, and respect. 

Most Native Alaskans understand Rep. Vance is not the problem in this fight, but rather a staunch ally. The need to break the chain of violence is undeniable, but partisan attacks against Vance are not helpful.

Vance’s debacle calls to mind the phrase, “No good deed goes unpunished.” What is in our heart matters, but it’s what we actually do that changes the world. Vance’s work is helping our brothers and sisters in rural Alaska to find their voice by speaking out about sexual predation and physical abuse, both of which contribute to the highest rates of suicide in the nation. 

Choose Respect

Gov. Sean Parnell started a “Choose Respect” campaign with great promise and intentions. It produced regular marches and rallies across Alaska. The Choose Respect movement was mainly a public awareness effort with few systemic changes or actions. In fact, during this time, thousands of sexual assault kits from across Alaska went unprocessed for years.

In 2013, activists showed up at one such Choose Respect rally to bring attention to the high number of indigenous women who were victims. The rallygoers interrupted Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell’s speech and received significant media attention. The interruptions took on the appearance of partisanship, but their main point — that little progress was being made — resonated. Alaskans need to refrain from political grandstanding and find ways to solve this problem together.

Choose Respect rallies are a thing of the past, and there has been little statistical progress made on the issues of missing murdered indigenous women or sexual assaults in rural Alaska. However, it brought people together on the issue from across the political aisle for a short time. Ten years later, Alaska is still among the worst states in national statistics measuring crimes where violence against women and children are present, and more alarming is that statistics that isolate Alaska’s indigenous population are much higher.

The Need for Results

In 2018, Sen. Mike Shower’s office proposed to dramatically reform Alaska’s rural policing model from top to bottom by creating a full-time, rural police force comprised of officers policing the villages where they live. We worked with a broad-based group of rural legislators, regional Alaska Native organizations, Village Public Safety Officers, and law enforcement experts to design a comprehensive model to change the face of how we protect the people of rural Alaska. Sen. Shower held a Native Alaska tribal summit to listen to the concerns of rural residents. The plan was later considered by a legislative working group led by then-Senate President Cathy Giessel and then-Speaker of the House Representative Bryce Edgmon.

The idea was summarily dismissed by the Department of Public Safety. Why?  One aspect of Shower’s plan challenged the status quo, the current “hub and spoke” model of rural State Trooper law enforcement, claiming that it is ineffective. This current model pays to house mostly non-native Troopers in a hub community and deploy them into communities only when an incident occurs.  

Imagine if the Anchorage Police Department worked like this: When a Hillside resident calls 911, it rings a dispatcher in Seattle who takes your information and informs you that they will send an officer as quickly as possible once they can secure a flight to Anchorage, depending on the weather.  This is an unacceptable policing model and needs to be re-examined in light of our current statistics. 

One highlight of Shower’s plan proposed to utilize the high number of fully funded but perennially vacant Trooper positions statewide as a permanent, culturally relevant and localized rural police force who already live in Alaska’s villages. Sen. Shower believes his plan is fiscally more sound.  

In contrast, the Department of Public Safety bristles at the suggestion that it uses the funding otherwise assigned to the many unfilled Trooper positions as a rural duty “overtime” slush fund. Is our Legislature smart enough to run these numbers and expose the fiscal truth of the matter? The health and welfare of rural Alaska demands that we do just this. 

Let’s take a close look at the net savings of funding a model that activates a competent, culturally integrated, full-time, entirely local, rural police department into our villages to disrupt the status quo.  

Recommendation: The Legislative Budget and Audit Committee should conduct an audit of DPS funding available for rural law enforcement. It should conduct a fiscal impact analysis comparing the status quo to Sen. Shower’s proposed re-structure. At the same time, the committee should inquire of the DPS commissioner: “Who is the ‘we’ you refer to and exactly who is accountable for the current situation?” 

In conclusion, it is time to move beyond the status quo, beyond the politics of good intentions and do something about this tragedy. When we focus on the victims and those suffering, we cease vilifying champions of change, like Rep. Vance, and work toward solutions. Every opportunity lost for bipartisan reconciliation is a life lost.

Scott Ogan served as a legislator in the Alaska House and Senate and writes for Must Read Alaska.

Michael Tavoliero: Your tax dollars get spent in ways unaligned with your values

By MICHAEL TAVOLIERO

Taxes being redistributed contrary to taxpayer intent is a concern within the context of environmental funding.

While taxpayers may expect their tax dollars to be used to directly address environmental issues, the actual distribution and use of these funds often diverge from their intended purpose into political and ideological intentions.

Government funding earmarked for environmental protection is subject to allocation decisions made by policymakers, bureaucrats, and special interest groups. As a result, taxpayer dollars end up supporting initiatives and organizations that are not aligned with priorities or values of those paying the taxes.

While China (1.412 billion people) and India (1.408 billion people), countries with populations significantly larger than the United States population (331.9 million people), produce greenhouse gas emissions that greatly surpass the United States, there is little evidence of environmental groups gaining traction in those countries, due to lack of funds as well as lack of political influence.

In the United States, however, the labyrinth of the federal and state government bureaucracies and the lack of transparency in the allocation process make it difficult for taxpayers to track how their tax dollars are being spent, as well as comment their agreement or dissent. The lack of accountability leads to inefficiencies, waste, and even corruption within the environmental funding system.

Lobbyists and special interest groups distort the allocation of funds, as they advocate for initiatives that serve their own interests rather than the broader goals of environmental protection. 

Alaska entities like Chugach Electric Association and Matanuska Electric Association are examples.

The boards of both Alaska energy entities are influenced by special-interest groups whose prime intent is to affect the policy direction of intermittent renewable energy resources like wind and solar, over firm renewable energy resources like hydro, thereby impacting the economy of Southcentral Alaska. 

The phenomenon of “mission drift” is also a concern. Organizations originally established to address specific environmental issues gradually expand their scope or shift their focus to attract more funding as well as drive more policy influence. This results in resources being diverted away from critical environmental priorities towards less urgent or tangential activities.

Taxpayers have a right to know how their money is being spent and to have a voice in shaping environmental policies and priorities. Without safeguards, there is a risk that environmental funding will continue to be influenced by factors other than genuine environmental stewardship, undermining the effectiveness and legitimacy of environmental protection efforts.

While we elect our representatives to champion our welfare and the success of our progeny, there is a genuine lack of direct oversight. Taxpayer dollars allocated for environmental protection flow through governmental agencies, non-profit organizations, research institutions, and regulatory bodies.

One issue is the overabundance of influence of special interest groups. The environmental sector attracts stakeholders, including environmental advocacy groups, industry associations, and lobbyists. These entities exert influence on the allocation of environmental funding to advance their own agendas or priorities.

As a result, taxpayer dollars are directed toward initiatives that serve the interests of powerful stakeholders, rather than addressing pressing environmental issues and taxpayer concerns. Environmental targets of these influences are directed at vaporous concepts which cannot be influenced by human beings.

Governmental bureaucracies responsible for managing environmental funding are prone to inefficiencies, red tape, bias and administrative bottlenecks. The complex processes involved in allocating, disbursing, and monitoring funds hinders the timely and effective implementation of environmental programs, resulting in suboptimal environmental outcomes.

Private environmental organizations and initiatives funded by taxpayer dollars experience mission drift over time. Originally established to address specific environmental challenges, these entities may gradually expand their scope or shift their focus to attract additional funding sources. While this bolsters their financial sustainability, it can dilute their effectiveness and divert resources away from core environmental priorities.

As an example of both being a governmental bureaucracy and an environmental entity, the National Park Service plays a crucial role in protecting and preserving America’s natural and cultural heritage, the organization has become susceptible to mission drift over time due to various internal and external pressures, including reliance on taxpayer dollars, changes in political priorities, and competing stakeholder interests.

Meaningful public engagement and participation are essential for ensuring that environmental funding reflects the priorities and values of taxpayers. However, the limited opportunities for public input in the decision-making process has marginalized voices of taxpayers and communities most affected by environmental issues. Empowering taxpayers to actively participate in shaping environmental policies and priorities may help ensure that environmental funding aligns with their interests and aspirations.

The challenges associated with the redistribution of taxes contrary to taxpayer intent in environmental funding must start with a concerted effort to enhance transparency, accountability, public engagement, and efficiency within the environmental governance system. 

In today’s vernacular, the unfortunate consequence of any pushback to self-serving agendas by taxpayers often become opportunities for bullying and intimidation. By fostering greater transparency and public participation, policymakers can help ensure that taxpayer dollars are effectively and responsibly utilized to address pressing environmental challenges and safeguard the planet for future generations.

Michael Tavoliero is a senior writer at Must Read Alaska.

Bill addressing Alaska’s plastic waste recycling future passes House, moves to Senate

The Alaska House Majority passed House Bill 143, legislation aimed at the need for dealing with plastic waste across Alaska.

Roughly 90% of plastics currently recycled or sorted at landfills are not suitable for mechanical recycling. That leaves 10% of plastics that are actually recycled.

Advanced recycling, with chemical processes like pyrolysis and gasification, transforms plastics that cannot be recycled through traditional means into new, high-value plastics, chemicals, and other products, revolutionizing our approach to plastic waste management. That is not available in Alaska — yet. But HB 143 anticipates that eventuality and starts the regulatory framework that would allow it, relaxing some environmental rules pertaining to air quality.

“This is a strategic framework not only for our environment but also for the economic prosperity of our state, as an advanced recycling facility would create jobs, generate revenue, and stimulate economic activity. HB 143 strikes a balance, offering innovative solutions that work without heavy government subsidies,” said bill sponsor Rep. Tom McKay. It’s a way to keep plastics out of landfills that are filling up in communities, he said.

With the designation of the Department of Environmental Conservation to develop manufacturing regulations related to advanced recycling, the hope is that the private sector will look for opportunities in Alaska.

The American Chemistry Council supports the bill. “Changing the way plastics are made and remade is a top priority for America’s plastic makers. We’ve set an ambitious goal for all US plastic packaging to be reused, recycled, recovered by 2040, and we are working towards this goal by supporting systems and technologies that remake new plastics from used plastics.”

The vote to pass the bill was 23-13, and it will now be considered by the Alaska Senate.

By the numbers: Trump FEC reports show he is fundraising more than Haley and Biden in Alaska, but by how much?

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With the election season under way, how is former President Donald Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley faring in Alaska?

Haley has appointed a team of chairpersons to get out the vote during the Alaska Republican Party’s March 5 Presidential Preference Poll, which helps the party calculate delegates to the national convention. Only one of the team members actually donated to Haley’s campaign in 2023.

Looking at the Federal Election Commission reports for last year, Trump is still stronger than Biden in Alaska; Trump won in 2020 with 53% of the vote in the Alaska general election. Trump supporters are showing up stronger, compared to Republican Nikki Haley this year.

Here’s a snapshot of the campaign contributions for 2023:

In 2023, Trump’s campaign received 7,603 financial contributions from Alaskans.

Results by various cities include:

Anchorage: 2,548 contributions

Wasilla: 756 contributions

Fairbanks: 618 contributions

Juneau: 278 contributions

Kenai: 179 contributions

Palmer: 178 contributions

Ketchikan: 101 contributions

Haley’s campaign received 911 contributions from Alaskans in 2023. By city:

Anchorage: 364 contributions

Fairbanks: 84 contributions

Juneau: 51 contributions

Ketchikan: 31 contributions

Palmer: 12 contributions

Kenai: Zero contributions

Joe Biden received 461 contributions from Alaskans in 2023. By city:

Anchorage: 240

Juneau: 75

Fairbanks: 25

Wasilla: 17

Ketchikan: 9

Palmer: 7

Kenai: 4

Note that these contributions do not represent individual donors, as many donors give multiple times to campaigns.

Must Read Alaska calculated 225 individual donors for Haley, and 684 individual donors for Trump from Alaska in 2023. There were 135 individual donors from Alaska to Biden.