Time for facts, not fallacies

To the editor:

Let’s set the record straight. Those slick ads pretend oil fields already moving forward before Senate Bill 21 are now the “magic” result of Gov. Sean Parnell’s massive Alaska oil share rollback. It’s time for facts, not fallacies.

First, investment and jobs grew under the prior law, ACES. That SB 21 “reversed” a mythical investment decline is false.

The fields companies claim are “new” were all being developed under ACES, and are all still in the development stage. North Slope jobs and the number of new oil companies grew under ACES.

Last week Exxon took reporters to Point Thomson, suggesting this field is “new.” False. Alaska took legal action against Exxon, during ACES, and settled, during ACES, to require Exxon to start producing this lease that it had illegally refused to develop for 30 years.

Scott Goldsmith, hired by Vote No folks, admits SB 21 gets Alaska near zero or negative production tax value for all post-2003, and future fields. Parnell’s folk admit in their latest report that production will fall more than 40 percent by 2023 under SB 21. Less oil, and crashing revenue.

Want to kill jobs? Zero-value oil will kill construction, teacher, Alaska State Troopers and other jobs that support our economy.

Rep. Les Gara

Anchorage