Roger Holland: “I’m a Big Believer that Alaska is a Mineral Resource Revenue State”

October 8, 2020

Power The Future Energy Hour Recap: Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and State Senate Candidate Roger Holland

On last night’s Power The Future Energy Hour, Alaska State Director Rick Whitbeck caught up with Alaska’s Governor, Mike Dunleavy, as well as state senate candidate, Roger Holland.

Governor Dunleavy penned an op-ed to the people of Washington – run through the Seattle Times this past weekend – taking a strong stance on Washington state, and 14 others, who have chosen to sue the federal government to stop responsible development in the 10-02 area of ANWR. 

He opened the segment talking about Alaska’s rights to develop its natural resources, as well as the fact we are continuously fighting against Outside interests who don’t appreciate or understand our authority, stating: “Alaska became a state in 1959, and we thought at that point, the whole issue of whether or not we were a state was settled.  We became the 49^th state, we came into this union as a state, equal to the other states.  But what we’ve found over the years is that there are a number of entities, special interests and individuals – many of which reside outside the state of Alaska – that are determined to roll back statehood.”

He continued talking about the fight to bring jobs, revenues and results to Alaska through responsible development, noting “…the federal government wanted us to maximize resources as a way to pay for government.  They didn’t want a state coming in that would be a burden, that couldn’t pay for itself.  We’ve been trying for years to pay for ourselves, and we believe we have immense wealth, that could easily provide the revenues, as well as the jobs and economy for this great state. But we’ve had many people over many years – and it seems to be increasing in frequency and in volume – who do not want us to develop our resources responsibly.”

The discussion turned to the reasons why Alaska should be a leader in responsible development, then turned to specific projects (Pebble, Donlin, Ambler district) that could help end foreign dominance over mined materials.  The Governor certainly showed why Alaskans elected him, as he continues to lead our state with dignity, vision and a passion to do things the right way to benefit all Alaskans.

Roger Holland isn’t a household name in Alaska politics; at least not yet.  As a first-time candidate, he unseated current Senate President Cathy Giessel in the August primaries.  He joined us to talk about his vision to continue our great history of responsible development, as well as his campaign’s efforts.

Holland noted that he agreed with the Governor that Alaska needs to be able to develop its resources in order to pay for services, stating: “I’m a big believer that Alaska is a mineral resource revenue state…an income tax won’t pay the bills.  A sales tax won’t pay the bills.  We are resource revenue state, and we need to push ahead.”

Holland spoke about ANWR and its importance to Alaskan jobs, as well as the A2A (Alberta-to-Alaska) Railway and its ability to open resource exports from Alaska to the continental US and abroad.  He spoke about a recent trip to McCarthy, Alaska, where he saw the Kennecott Mine.  That mine, he said, shows that large-scale mineral development can be done without impact to fisheries, like some environmentalists say will be destroyed with Pebble and others.  He noted the Copper River’s salmon runs are world-class and world-renowned, and that he believed Bristol Bay’s would remain so, even as Pebble co-existed with it.

If you missed this week’s show live, you can still catch it – as well as every episode from the past 21 months – on Power the Future’s Soundcloud.

The Energy Hour can be heard live every Tuesday night from 5:00-6:00 PM local time on KNVT (92.5 FM, 1020 AM and online at 1020KVNT.com).  The show (also replayed during the same hour on Saturday night) is heard throughout Southcentral Alaska communities, and acts as a recap of Power The Future activities in Alaska, as well as an opportunity to hear from various members of Alaska’s energy and political communities.  Feel free to reach out to Rick@PowerTheFuture.com with show ideas or feedback!

Upcoming guests:

October 13^th – Alaska’s Lt. Governor, Kevin Meyer