BRADNERS' ALASKA LEGISLATIVE DIGEST

Walker okays Ambler Road funds In the closing days of his term Gov. Bill Walker approved $3.6 million in state funds to complete federal regulatory work on the Ambler Mining District Access Project, a 211-mile industrial road that would support copper and zinc projects in the western Brooks Range. Trilogy Metals and its partner, South 32 Ltd., an Australian company, are planning development of Arctic, a high-grade deposit, and are in advanced exploration of Bornite, a large copper deposit in…

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Salmon decline linked to warming 2019 is expected to be another poor year for pink salmon in Southeast and Southcentral coastal areas and the Bristol Bay sockeye catch is predicted to be down, although 2017 and 2016 were both record-setting years. The Southeast pink harvest is pegged at 18 million fish, or half the 10-year average of 36 million, according to the state Department of Fish and Game’s annual forecast for the upcoming season. State biologists say warm waters in…

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$28.1 million bid for slope leases The state received $28.1 million in bonus bids in its Nov. 15 North Slope and Beaufort Sea “areawide” lease sales, the bulk of the money from Repsol and a newly-formed company based in Louisiana, Lagniappe. Repsol bid top-dollar for selected unleased tracts near the Pikka discovery, in the west-central central slope, where the Spain-based company is 49 percent owner. Lagniappe bid mostly near the state’s minimum per-acre bid but picked up a large 195,200-acre…

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New Gov. Mike Dunleavy supports university getting its lands New Gov. Mike Dunleavy told the Fairbanks News-Miner’ editorial board that he favors getting more state land available to the University of Alaska to generate revenue. The UA is a land-grant college that was supposed to get a substantial land endowment, which did not happen. Efforts to get more land to the university have been fought by environmental groups who worry that the UA will move to develop them. Credit Union…

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New Gov. Dunleavy fills out his leadership team Gov. Mike Dunleavy has named his new leadership team, most with  a strong conservative focus but also naming an unusual number of women to cabinet positions. Donna Arduin was appointed Nov. 26 as budget director, heading the Office of Management and Budget. Arduin is well-known in national conservative circles and has advised several Republican governors.   Feige at Natural Resources; MacKinnon at DOTPF; Tangeman at Revenue Dunleavy appointed Corri Feige as Commissioner…

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New satellite contract is signed Anchorage-based Pacific Dataport signed a contract with space technology company Astranis to launch a geostationary satellite dedicated to Alaska. This would replace the aging Aurora 4 satellite, and would also have advanced capabilities. Pacific Dataport would serve existing customers and be able to offer Internet and broadband service to all parts of Alaska at much lower costs than with the existing terrestrial-based service, the company said. The launch will be in 2020.

Emmonak dock to be completed Emmonak will receive a $23 million federal transportation grant to complete a long-planned dock in the Southwest Alaska coastal community. The grant will fund a permanent dock and barge landing ramp as well as renovation of a 3.5-mile service road. Alaska congressional leaders announce the grant Dec. 7. Emmonak leaders have pushed for completion of the facility for years. Design and engineering, and delivery of some materials, was funded with state capital funds. The dock…

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Payment problems for nonprofits There are continuing problems for Alaska Native health care nonprofits not being paid for costs related to services offered by the federal Indian Health Service and Bureau of Indian Affairs. Cook Inlet Tribal Council, which offers substance-abuse treatment, is suing the government to collect overdue payments and won a round in court when a federal judge ruled the denial of payment for overhead expenses is contrary to law. CITC says it is allowed only $12,000 annually…

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Juneau’s AEL&P to remain U.S. Juneau’s Alaska Electric Light and Power will remain U.S.-owned, at least for now. Washington state regulators turned down a proposed $5.3 billion sale of AEL&P’s owner, Spokane-based Avista, to Canada’s Hydro One Ltd., which is based in Toronto. The Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission ruled that Hydro One has not demonstrated sufficient independence and protection from political influence from its former owner and now 47 percent shareholder, the Ontario provincial government. Delay for Tacoma LNG…

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Earthquake refocuses attention on building standards A 7.0-magnitude earthquake in the Anchorage, MatSu region Nov. 30 caused more damage than first believed. There was widespread, mostly small-scale damage to residential buildings but substantial damage to schools and some commercial buildings in the MatSu Borough. Most damage to buildings was in areas like Mat-Su that are not covered by municipal building codes. There is no estimate yet published of repair costs for schools and the expectation is that the Mat-Su Borough…

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