Issue Position: Jobs and the Economy

Issue Position

Economy

I was pleased to be one of the critical couple of votes that put the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act over the top in February. Now that historic legislation is delivering some $1 billion in assistance and benefits to Alaskans and is protecting or creating about 8,000 Alaskan jobs.

My philosophy has always been that it's government's role to help create a pro-business climate, and then get out of the way so the private sector can do their job. Applying that approach as Anchorage's mayor, we helped create 9,200 new jobs in five years, 20 straight years of economic growth and lowered property taxes for most Anchorage property owners between 2006 and 2007.

Alaska and America are facing some of the worst economic challenges since the Great Depression. Nationally, a record 3.6 million jobs were lost just since December 2007. Bankruptcies are up a third. New housing starts are down by nearly half.

Fortunately sheltered from the worst of it, Alaskans are still suffering. The state's unemployment rate reached 8 percent in February 2009, the highest since 1992. And this year more Alaskans lost their homes through foreclosure than at any time since the oil price crash of the early 1990s.

Beyond the statistics are the individual Alaskans who are hurting. Like the young mother of three I remember from Dillingham last fall. She pulled me aside to explain how much she loves raising her family in rural Alaska and was worried sick that she'd have to leave her home.

Or the Cantwell woman who recently wrote, saying she had worked her entire life to save for her kids' education, only to see most of their college fund disappear in the stock market collapse. Or the military veteran who recently called my Anchorage office looking for assistance because he lost his job and can't pay his mortgage.

That's why my Number One focus since being sworn in as a U.S. senator is reviving the economy, so Americans and Alaskans have good jobs to support their families, send their kids to college and fulfill their American dreams.
Jobs: Focusing on numerous initiatives to keep our industries healthy

* Healthy Oil and Gas Industry
* Strengthen Scientific and Technical Research
* Affordable Access to High-Speed Internet
* Repair the Impacts of Climate Change
* Build an Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline
* Pioneer New Sources of Renewable Energy
* Encourage Energy Efficiency
* Invest in Infrastructure

Healthy Oil and Gas Industry

I favor reasonable incentives to encourage domestic oil and gas production and oppose some proposals from the national administration to scale back incentives. I am working with senators from states like Louisiana, Nebraska, Montana and Texas to educate the administration and members of Congress on the need for a healthy American oil and gas industry.

Strengthen Scientific and Technical Research

I favor increased federal research funding, including funding for a new energy research block grant program that focuses on renewable energy and energy efficiency innovation.

Affordable Access to High-Speed Internet

One of the key building blocks to access the new economy is access to the Internet. I favor providing rural Alaska the same opportunities as urban Alaska to enjoy the benefits of the Internet, which brings access to information, schooling, job training, health care and economic opportunities. This includes use of the national Universal Service Fund to ensure affordable high-speed Internet services in rural areas.

Repair the Impacts of Climate Change

The University of Alaska Anchorage's Institute for Social and Economic Research estimates that climate change may cause more than $6.1 billion in damage to Alaska's roads, ports, airports and coastline. I support national climate change legislation to make federal funds available for regions dealing with the effects of climate change.

Build an Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline

I am working with producers, pipeline companies and the state administration to ensure that any Alaska gasline project puts Alaskans to work by including Alaska-hire provisions, funding training centers and apprenticeship programs, and using Alaska businesses. I support a strong revenue sharing program from gasline revenues with all Alaska communities to fund essential public services and provide property tax relief.

Pioneer New Sources of Renewable Energy

I favor an aggressive target of producing at least 25 percent of our electricity from renewable sources by 2025. I support expanded federal tax incentives for renewable energy development and accelerated depreciation for capital investments in renewable energy generation, transmission and small distributed generation.

Encourage Energy Efficiency

I favor a new national Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund to help retrofit public buildings with energy efficient technology, cutting energy costs and saving taxpayers money. I support a new federal funding program that rewards schools that adopt sustainable, high-performance building and reconstruction standards.

Invest in Infrastructure

As Alaska turns 50 this year, many of our public roads, bridges, and ports are in disrepair and not up to federal safety standards. Deferred preventative and routine maintenance for Alaska's roads and bridges is over $1 billion. I favor a National Infrastructure Bank to rebuild our public infrastructure, including roads and highways, bridges, drinking water and wastewater systems, and public transportation systems.

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