Taking a stand on Alaska.

• Author: Richardson, Jeffrey
• Position: Clinton's economic policies on Alaska

How will the new Clinton administration move on issues affecting the 49th state, from ANWR to Native sovereignty?

Some people have painted a grim picture of Alaska, with its laughable trio of electoral votes, casting its lot with the sinking political ship of George Bush and the ghost ship of Ross Perot. Now, as this scenario goes, the upstart, unrepentant state will soon get its punishment from the vindictive admirals of the victorious Bill Clinton.

Such bleak visions probably wouldn't exist if there wasn't already a history of adversarial relations between Alaska and the federal government, and a list of pending issues capable of straining the relationship further. This is especially true of issues related to natural resource management and development. The pessimism of some Alaskans is sharpened by their perception that the Clinton-Gore team is riding a wave of global environmental activism that threatens to engulf the state and drown any hope of economic growth or diversification.

The gloomiest of these predictions have not been published; they only circulate in private conversation. Publicly, Alaska's Republican state and congressional leaders have extended best wishes to the Clinton administration.

"We're very interested in working with Clinton's people to help them understand that Alaska is different," says John Manly, press secretary to Gov. Walter Hickel. "We have an open mind about it. We want to work with them."

Clinton Up Close

Those with a chance to watch Clinton closely -- mostly members of the state's Democratic Party leadership -- have worked hard since November to ease fears about Clinton, especially regarding environmental and development issues. Their efforts may be paying off in some quarters.

"They're legitimate fears. It remains to be seen if they're exaggerated fears. |But~ I'm not that gloomy," says Becky Gay, executive director of the Resource Development Council for Alaska Inc. (RDC).

"I've always rejected that |kind of~ paranoia, but it's still there, and there's some historical foundation for it," observes Tom Hawkins, president of Bristol Bay Native Corp.

Esther Wunnicke, former commissioner of natural resources under Gov. Bill Sheffield, attended Clinton's economic summit and was buoyed by the leadership qualities she observed in the new president.

"There's a willingness to listen. That's the biggest thing we have going for us," says Wunnicke. "I came away from the economic summit really hopeful that the spirit...