Governor Duty Station Bill Passes Senate

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

The Senate passed Senate Bill 244 this morning.  This bill sets Juneau as the Governor’s official duty station in state law.  All state employees, except the Governor and Lt. Governor, have a defined location where their job is based.  I introduced this bill with Senator Egan to clarify a long-standing precedent that the Governor should be based in Alaska’s Capital City.  It’s important to have this tradition affirmed in state law. I’m pleased the Senate passed the bill, and will work to advance the legislation in the state house in the coming weeks.

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Fort Rousseau State Park Bill Passes Legislature

Wednesday, March 10th, 2010

The legislature passed House Bill 276 today amending the boundaries of Fort Rousseau Causeway State Historical Park in Sitka.  This is a housekeeping bill that helps finalize a longstanding community priority.

In the run-up to World War II, the army built several fortifications encircling Sitka Sound. The construction connected several small islands near the Navy Sea Plane Base, and included a causeway ending at Fort Rousseau on Makhnati Island.  The park was established in 2007 to preserve the remaining ruins, and make the area more accessible for recreation and visitors.  This bill adjusts the park’s boundary with Sitka’s airport to comply with FAA safety regulations.

I’ve strongly supported creating the park to preserve a chapter of Sitka’s history, and was pleased the legislature passed this bill to help complete the park’s establishment.

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Energy Council

Monday, March 8th, 2010

Last week I attended the Energy Council’s annual meeting in Washington D.C.  The meetings were a great forum for discussing energy policy with some of the most knowledgeable people in the world on these issues.  The Energy Council is a legislative organization with representatives from 12 states, 6 provinces, and the country of Venezuela.  The conference provides an opportunity to introduce policy-makers to issues important to Alaska.  While in Washington, I discussed construction of a Natural Gas Pipeline and the Southeast Alaska Intertie with federal energy regulators at FERC.  I also met with Alaska’s Congressional Delegation to get their perspective on federal policy with regard to Alaska.  The conference featured several presentations that offer insight for Alaska such as Shale Gas development, Clean Coal technology, and Heavy Oil production.  I’ve served on the Energy Council’s executive committee for four years and consider legislators’ work on the conference a key part of our efforts to develop Alaska’s energy resources.

Click here to listen to Senator Stedman’s statement on Energy Council.

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Heading to D.C.

Monday, March 1st, 2010

I’m traveling to Washington D.C. this week to take part in the Energy Council’s annual meeting.  The Energy Council is an organization of energy-producing states and provinces charged with promoting energy policy. I have served on the Council’s executive committee for the past four years and attend each of its quarterly meetings. The meeting provided a great opportunity to discuss important energy issues and with federal regulators and policy makers.   This work is invaluable as we make important decisions about our state’s oil and gas resources.

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