2013 legislative priorities.

• Position: POLITICS - Alaska State Chamber of Commerce

ALASKA STATE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE

The Alaska State Chamber of Commerce (Alaska Chamber) held their annual Legislative Policy Forum Oct. 4, 2012, at the Egan Center in Anchorage. The purpose of the policy forum is to establish legislative priorities of the organization for the upcoming year based on proposals submitted by the general membership of the Alaska Chamber.

The Legislative Affairs Committee brought forward 49 proposals at the Policy Forum with 25 approved by the members and board of directors. Of the priorities approved, Alaska Chamber members voted for the top three state priorities and top three federal priorities.

2013 Federal Priorities

1. Support Oil and Gas Exploration and Development in Alaska's Federal Arctic; Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPRA), and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR)

   The Alaska Chamber strongly supports oil and gas exploration and production in Alaska's federal Arctic areas; including the Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, NPRA, and the 10-02 area of ANWR. The Alaska Chamber encourages Congress to enact revenue sharing for Alaska and local communities. The Alaska Chamber also encourages the Alaska Congressional Delegation, the Alaska Legislature and Governor to support and strongly advocate for responsible development of these valuable resources, while the Alaska Chamber commits to actively support and participate in the education and advocacy efforts to open these areas.

2. Oppose Implementation of the Emission Control Area in Alaska by the EPA

   The Alaska Chamber will oppose the implementation of the ECA regulations in Alaska.

3. Oppose Any Further Federal Land Withdrawals in Alaska, Other Restrictive Land Management Designations, and Preemptive Actions by Regulatory Agencies

   The Alaska Chamber will oppose any further federal land withdrawals, marine protected areas, Antiquities Act designations and wilderness studies on federal lands in Alaska. The Alaska Chamber will further oppose unreasonable critical habitat designations under the Endangered Species Act and other restrictive land management areas. Finally the Alaska Chamber will oppose preemptive actions by regulatory agencies that make premature decisions outside the context of well-established permitting processes.

   The Alaska National Interest Land Conservation Act (ANILCA) sought to strike balance between preservation and multiple use activities on lands in Alaska by setting aside over 100 million acres of federal lands in conservation system units. Additional federal land withdrawals and wilderness designations would violate the "no more" provision of ANILCA. The Alaska Chamber opposes any new federal land withdrawals, marine protected areas, Antiquities Act designations, wilderness study areas, and other new excessive or restrictive designations.

   Recent actions by the Environmental Protection Agency (Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment and...