Valley-based trooper Sgt. Jared Noll recognized for drug enforcement work in governor’s annual address to Legislature

Valley-based Alaska State Trooper Sgt. Jared Noll won recognition for his work in drug enforcement in at Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s annual State of the State address to the state Legislature last Tuesday, Jan. 28.

The governor’s annual speech to lawmakers highlights his accomplishments and his assessment of Alaska’s economy, but is also used to highlight the achievements of outstanding Alaskans.

Noll, wearing his trooper uniform, was introduced to the Legislature during the speech.

“Sergeant Noll helped lead a multi-agency effort last year over several months tracking dealers selling drugs and fentanyl poison in our Mat-Su and Kenai communities,” Dunleavy said.

“Not only did it lead to the indictments of four individuals involved in a multi-state trafficking operation, but they also seized over 75 pounds of drugs including heroin, meth, cocaine and more than 35 pounds of fentanyl, or enough to kill every Alaskan 10 times over,” the governor said.

Work by Sgt. Noll and fellow law enforcement officers saved countless lives. “We’re grateful for what they’re doing to protect Alaskans,” Dunleavy said.

Public safety has been a top priority since the governor was first elected, he said. “Thanks to bipartisan support, we’ve made real and measurable progress,” in combating crime, Dunleavy said.

This year the governor is asking for legislative support for more public safety measures including the reestablishment of a trooper post in Talkeetna and the hiring of more state troopers, more Village Public Safety Officers, more special investigators and more crime response resources, the governor said.

In other matters, Dunleavy gave an upbeat assessment of Alaska’s prospects in his annual speech and cited gains in employment and income for Alaskans in a growing economy buoyed by vigorous North Slope oil and gas activity.

Air cargo activity and new aviation growth at Ted Stevens International Airport in Anchorage has also become a big economic stimulus particularly for Southcentral Alaska, he said.

Alaska is also making important progress in improving its energy infrastructure, particularly the vital, but aged, electric grid connecting Southcentral and Interior Alaska communities. An expansion of Bradley Lake hydro power production near Homer with construction of the Dixon Diversion project is also in the works. Dunleavy’s.

Dixon Diversion will increase power output from Bradly Lake by 50% and reduce natural gas consumption. That’s important because gas production from Cook Inlet will be declining, and it fuels space heating and most power production in Southcentral Alaska, where most of the state’s population lives.

Dunleavy acknowledged the pending gas shortage in his speech, citing the proposed Alaska LNG Project as the best solution to long-term energy needs. “We’ll address the short-term shortage of natural gas for Southcentral, and we recognize that some of those solutions may be painful (a reference to imports of liquefied natural gas) and certainly won’t be popular, but they will be temporary. The last thing we should do is adopt short-term solutions to short-term problems that are more costly in the long run,” the governor said in his speech.

“In the long run, the Alaska LNG Project will be a game-changer just like the Trans Alaska Pipeline was (in the 1970s) and still is,” Dunleavy said.