Senator Hollis French Newsletter April 13 2006

[cleofus1]

From : Sen. Hollis French <[e-mail]>
Sent : Thursday, April 13, 2006 2:14 PM
Subject : Legislative Update: The Contract

Voice your opinions!
Here are some ways to let your voice be heard regarding issues important to you.

Write a Letter to the Editor –
Submit your 225 word letter to the Anchorage Daily News via e-mail [e-mail], or fax them to 258-2157, attn: letters to the editor.

Contact the Governor –
Governor Murkowski’s Anchorage office may be reached at 269-7450, or e-mail him at [e-mail] You can also visit the state website at www.state.ak.us

Contact your
Congressional Delegation – Congressman Don Young,
Anchorage Office:
907-271-5978
[e-mail]

Senator Lisa Murkowski,
Anchorage Office:
907-271-3735,
EMAIL: Sen. Lisa Murkowski

Senator Ted Stevens,
Anchorage Office:
907-271-5915
EMAIL: Sen. Ted Stevens
April 13, 2006

The Search for the Gasline Contract

Last week I made a public demand for the release of the gasline contract. In a letter to Governor Murkowski, I pointed out that the contract is no longer protected by the confidentiality clauses of the Stranded Gas Development Act. The Governor and members of his administration have made numerous public pronouncements about the contract, giving out such details as the amount of revenues it will bring to the state, the fact that the state will be an equity partner in the project, as well as letting it be known that the contract is 300 pages long. These repeated references to “the contract” mean that the provisions of the Public Records Act should now control the release of the document.



Besides these legal rationales, I noted in my letter that good public policy calls for letting the contract out of hiding. The most important reason hinges on the threats that the administration and industry spokesmen keep making: that a too-aggressive oil tax will scuttle the gasline deal. In order to see if this is really true, the contract has to be released.



I’ve attached both my letter to the Governor and the response from his chief of staff, Jim Clark. Please e-mail your views on this subject to Governor Murkowski. His e-mail address is linked in the left hand colum of this message.



From Torino to Juneau

I also had the opportunity this week to meet an Alaskan sports hero and a member of the US Women’s Biathlon Team, Rachel Steer. She and some representatives from the Kincaid Group were here in Juneau trying to raise money for an improved biathlon range at Kincaid Park. Rachel has “retired” from the biathlon at the ripe old age of 28. She plans to finish her undergraduate degree in Journalism at UAA beginning this fall. She is looking forward to spending some quality time in her hometown.

As always, I look forward to hearing from you. Feel free to contact my office in Juneau at 866-465-3892, or e-mail me: [e-mail]

Best,



Hollis French
Alaska State Senator
District M - Anchorage