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| Committee Chair Rep. Kurt Olson, Kenai |
Last year I mentioned in a blog post from Juneau that someone could probably blog the legislature from Anchorage using BASIS, the Legislature's website, and Gavel to Gavel, and readers might not even know the blogger wasn't in Juneau. I'm not going to try to fool anybody about where I am (Anchorage) but I am checking now and then on what's happening in Juneau. And I'll remind you that this is happening and you can drop in anytime.
For example, today, right now as I type here, the House Labor and Commerce Committee is hearing from Bob Pickett, the chair of the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (this used to be called the Alaska Public Utilities Commission.)
Pickett is giving an overview of the Commission, what they do, and answering questions from the committee members. You can get to it live right now here. (It's 4:17pm as I write, later you'll get reruns of sessions that were recorded today.)
I was watching Gavel to Gavel and saw Tom Wagoner co-chair a Resources committee meeting where he had Parnell’s new Fish and Game Commissioner in his sights.
ReplyDeleteOur legislature is just beginning it’s new session, and this is what I saw.
The Resource co-chair just told the Fish and Game commissioner that he 'expected' the Dept. of Fish and Game to become 'pro-active' in support for the Susitna Dam Project.
Here we have the co-chair directing Fish and Game to support a project that Fish and Game should be expected to evaluate impartially as to the risks or negative impacts of this dam project. That evaluation shouldn't come from a position that is directed by the Legislature to result in support of a project that will certainly have effects on renewable resource habitat and the very survivability of bio-diversity.
Fish and Game isn't charged with boosterism for Parnell's pet projects, they're supposed to be watching out for and protecting fish and game resources.
While this co-chair was wrapping up his directive to Fish and Game to support the dam, he also slipped in a few remarks about his denial of climate change inferring that Fish and Game shouldn't be wasting time trying to get out ahead of the damaging effects of ocean acidification, or species fragility due to rising temperatures.
I think some Alaskans might be interested to know about our new Resource Co-chair and how he is figuring to use his position.