Major policy issues facing Alaskans

I have successfully represented oil and gas producers, refiners, pipeline companies, municipalities, boroughs, utilities, and their customers in Alaska for more than 30 years. I believe Bill Walker and Gov. Sean Parnell are both men of integrity. Following, however, are five key policy areas in which their visions and leadership styles are quite different:

• Natural Gas Line: Walker knows more about the economics of building a natural gas pipeline to tidewater than any other single person in Alaska. He has made repeated trips to the Orient to develop a market for our gas, knows the major Asian buyers, and was instrumental in having those buyers offer to purchase more gas than our gas pipeline could transport. Walker believes the state must lead the project because the majors (BP, Exxon and ConocoPhillips) have not committed to building a gas line and because they have other projects, which compete with our gas line in other parts of the world. Walker would have Alaska act as an owner State in the project.

Governor Parnell does not know the Asia marketplace and waited for years for the majors to build a gas pipeline through Canada. Now, he is waiting for the majors to build a gas pipeline to tidewater. Governor Parnell has been unable to get a commitment to build from the majors. He has Alaska acting as a minority commercial partner in the project.

• Decreasing Competition: Walker favors using competition to benefit Alaskans.

Governor Parnell has acted to eliminate competition. The Legislature’s efforts to stimulate gas production in the Cook Inlet were largely lost when the Parnell administration permitted one company to purchase the two largest producers supplying gas to our utilities. That company now dominates the marketplace, and our utility bills are skyrocketing.

The Parnell administration filed a non-opposition when a federal agency allowed the majors to pool their in-state costs of operating TAPS. Since cost pooling eliminates competition, in-state rates have tripled. This is a clear case of federal overreach, and the Parnell administration did nothing to protect Alaskans.

• National Guard: Walker has indicated he would have appointed an independent investigator after the victims and their pastors bypassed the chain of command and told the Governor in 2010 that the command structure was failing to protect Alaska’s women in uniform from sexual predators in the Guard.

While reporting some of the crimes, Governor Parnell did nothing until 2014 to correct the deeply flawed command structure. He did not meet his fundamental responsibility as commander-in-chief to ensure a responsible command structure was in place.

• Budget Deficits: Walker is a fiscal conservative with a plan to work with the agencies to discipline spending. While accepting the will of the voters, Walker opposed SB 21 as not appropriate when Alaska was confronting major deficits.

Governor Parnell supported SB 21 giving Alaskans less for our resources. He is spending our savings at a concerning rate, and he has not advanced a plan to resolve the growing deficits he is helping to create.

• Medicaid Expansion: Walker would accept federal dollars to expand Medicaid to cover 40,000 poor and infirmed Alaskans who are without health care.

Governor Parnell refuses to accept the federal dollars, leaving these Alaskans without health care. Governor Parnell’s responsibility is to these Alaskans, and he has chosen not to meet his responsibility.

We need to get these key policy areas right; Walker’s vision and leadership on these issues is more aligned with the interests of all Alaskans. Please join me in supporting Walker who has the vision and leadership we deserve from Alaska’s Governor.

Robin O. Brena is an attorney with Brena, Bell and Clarkson in Anchorage.