INTRODUCTION:

Central Alaska needs more electrical power to develop its infrastructure to support the anticipated development of the Alaskan Oil Reserve. The Kobuk River west of Wiseman, Alaska has been chosen a by the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers for the location of a 7 million kilowatt hydroelectric power station and dam.

WHAT THIS BILL WOULD DO:

This bill would authorize and fully fund the construction of a hydroelectric dam on the Kobuk River. This bill also calls for the establishment of the Kobuk River Power District (KRPD) to manage and supervise the power station and Utility Company that would provide power to the Alaskan Power Region. The KRPD will provide the power necessary to support the regional development of the Alaskan Oil Reserve over the next twenty years.

PRO ARGUMENTS: (provided by the ORANGE Party of Alaska)

This bill is absolutely vital to the economic development of the Alaskan Oil Reserve. The opening of the Alaskan Oil Reserve will reduce the dependency of the U. S. of A. on foreign/imported oil thus reducing and stabilizing the cost of petroleum products, particularly gasoline, in the lower 48 states. The reduction in oil dependency will also reduce our worldwide security requirements and allow United States Foreign Policy to be less subject to the vagaries of international energy producing politics. We have already passed the bill and the President has signed into law the opening of the Alaska Oil Reserve. The next step is the development of the Kobuk River Power District which will also spur a significant increase in the economy of Central Alaska, raising the tax base and providing Alaskan citizens with more resources for support of the State Government Programs. The Kobuk River Dam Project is critical to the future economic development of the Alaskan region, the United States, and the world.

CON ARGUMENTS: (provided by the BLUE Party of Alaska)

This bill will devastate the environment of Central Alaska. The resulting reservoir will cover nearly a thousand square miles of pristine woodlands and cause the irreparable displacement of hundreds of fragile species of plants and animals. The development of the Alaskan Oil Reserves is not intended to spur economic growth in Alaska. It is seen as a temporary solution to the out-of-control consumption of fossil fuel energy by the U. S. economy. The creation of Kobuk River Power District (KRPD) will essentially superimpose a federal authority over local government that will serve interests outside the region before the concerns of the local inhabitants. The KRPD promote a significant influx of transient skilled laborers into the region who will demand an infrastructure not currently in existence, and there is no guarantee that the infrastructure will be necessary over time as the laborers finish their tasks and move on. This boom and bust economic model has not served America well in the past. What is needed is the pursuit of alternative means to power the dubious Alaskan Oil Reserve measure.

CONCLUSION:

The continued security and independence from foreign petroleum producers for our country requires the development of the Kobuk River Dam. The economic infrastructure the KRPD will generate is essential to the objective of increasing American Oil Production. This bill is in the best interest of the American and Alaskan people and must be passed to preserve our posterity.