Dear Neighbor,

Energy Council

I recently traveled to Washington DC for an Alaska delegation fly-in and to attend the Energy Council. The 3 days spent in Washington DC were filled with non-stop meetings and seminars designed to teach us about other oil and gas producers. I travelled with three fellow House Caucus members and a couple of Senators as we took meetings throughout the day. Our meetings took us from the White House meeting with Pete Rouse, a Senior Advisor to the President, to meeting with our Alaska Congressional Delegation, to the EPA to discuss Outer Continental Shelf permitting critical to future Alaska development and to the Department of Interior and other meetings. And that was the first day. Once the Council began we heard reports on new natural gas policies, concerns regarding national security and energy concerns. Alaska is dependent on the production of our oil and gas resources so it is essential that we have a strong voice in these important policy discussions nationwide.

Paying For Services

It happens whenever my family goes out to eat. Everyone has a great time, enjoyable conversation and maybe a bit of overindulgence ensues. After desert, belt properly loosened, I get the bill. Even the best dinner experience always has me feeling a bit of buyer’s remorse. Yesterday, I felt the same way as the House passed the Operating Budget. The Operating Budget pays for everything from schools to streets and police to ports. It is the largest part of public spending and is a whopping $8.1 billion this year, with about ¼ coming from the Federal Government! In my four years as your Representative, I have yet to feel comfortable using the words “BILLIONS” in regards to state spending. I struggled to support a budget that doesn’t represent the critical needs of vulnerable Alaskans and fails to adequately prepare Alaska for the future, so I voted against the budget. The budget now heads to the Senate, where we may impact some more changes in the few weeks to come.

Coming Home One Final Time

Join me for a Town Hall reception  to discuss the final month of session!

Town Hall Meeting

 March 20th

Pioneer Hall @ Pioneer Park

1:00 PM  to 3:00 PM

Working Hard for Fairbanks Families,

Scott Kawasaki
Alaska State Representative
Interior Delegation Chairman