Let’s Not Get Complacent – For Alaska’s Energy Workers’ Sake

April 14, 2020

With all of the social distancing, hunkering in place and flattening of the COVID-19 curve occurring across the country, Americans have had to learn new skills, processes and procedures to cope with tasks ranging from mundane to critical.

As these new ways of doing things become ‘normal’, and the consciousness of how to accomplish them becomes unconscious and second nature, it is easy to be lulled into a sense of security.

But let’s not let ourselves get complacent and accept the new ways of doing things, because the pandemic is going to run its course in the next few months, and then we’ll need to accelerate the revival of America’s economy.

We can do so more rapidly and fully by remembering where we were as a country on March 1^st, 2020, and –in spite of some damning world events – work to get back to that level as quickly as possible.  Especially in Alaska, where our resource and energy-dominated economy has been decimated.

Now, it won’t be easy to get back to March 1^st levels anytime soon.  A devastating drop in consumer and commercial demand for oil and gas, coupled with the aftermath of the Saudi/Russia political attack on America’s energy industry, makes short-term recovery improbable, if not near-impossible.

But, re-invigorating Alaska’s energy community – and the jobs and revenues associated with it – is too important to Alaska’s future to not put every ounce of effort into recovery that we can expend.

Power The Future will be continuing to tirelessly advocate for our state’s development workers.  Join us in the fight.  Our state deserves nothing less.