Alaska Soles • Entered by Loren Karro on May 28, 2024
EMails regarding fundint to AIDEA
April 23, 2024
Participants and Hours
| Pre Planning hours | |
| Post Admin hours | |
| Activity Hours | 2 |
| Participants | 2 |
| Total Hours | 4 |
Key Issue: Oil, Gas, or Mineral Development
Activity Type: Advocacy (rallies, lobbying, meeting decision makers, letters/calls/emails)
Measurable Outcomes
Outcome 1: Advocacy actions (010 emails)
Short Description of Activity
Sent out emails to our state legislators regarding HB 122, funding to AIDEA
Reflection/Evaluation
the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority was asking for bonding issuance authority for “unnamed projects relating to mining” of about $300 million dollars. IT is presumed that most of it would be used for work on the proposed Ambler Mining District Access Road (although the recent SEIS had come out with a proposed no action alternative decision, awaiting a record of decision from the administration) and the proposed West Susitna Access Road, to unfixed mining claims, which has had no permits, EIS or other work yet filed or approved. HB 122 would add this funding to a DOT transportation bill.
We each sent out emails to 5 legislators in the State House. Loren’s said:
Subject: Please do NOT pass House Bill 122 in its amended form!
Dear Representative XXXXXX,
It has been brought to my attention that the amended HB122 would give AIDEA authority to issue bonds for $300 million dollars for unspecified projects, to use at their discretion.
Their claims that they operate in a truly transparent fashion are falsehoods. For instance, during the Covid crisis, they held an emergency meeting purported to be for financing small business loans in Alaska. During that emergency meeting they also agreed to spend millions to work on issues related to the proposed Ambler Mining District Access Road, which had nothing to do with small Alaskan businesses or any Covid emergency needs.
Once granted the authority to issue bonds, AIDEA can spend them at their own discretion, with no legislative or administrative oversight.
They claim, once again, that the timing is such that they can’t be more specific as to when and on what the bonds are to be spent. This speaks of lack of foresight and planning, issues that have been a problem with AIDEA for many years. An Alaska Beacon article on February 19 states that:
“Two reports by three very experienced Alaska economic specialists, Gregg Erickson, Ginny Fay and Milt Barker, and funded by Salmon State, a Southeast NGO, examined 26 AIDEA projects. Here’s Erickson, in an opinion piece in the Anchorage Daily News in response to AIDEA’s criticism of the reports:
“Still, it’s no surprise that AIDEA doesn’t like our report. We found that Alaska would be $10 billion richer – or Alaskans could have received thousands more in dividends – if the state’s appropriations to AIDEA had gone instead to the Permanent Fund. We documented that since AIDEA’s inception, the majority of its 26 projects have either produced no new jobs, floundered or gone bankrupt.””
Please do not allow much greater misuse of Alaska’s funds, at a time when our revenues are sorely needed elsewhere, by allowing this travesty to continue. I urge you to NOT pass the amended HB122.
The amendment to the bill that would have provided this funding authority was subsequently turned down. We are happy with this recent addition to a string of wins in the last few months.