2010 AK Senate Debates: on Environment

Joe Miller: Alaska has resource wealth; develop it & wean off of feds

He added it was an idea recognized by former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens earlier this year. Alaska is sitting on a wealth of natural resources, Miller said, and promised to fight for development just as Stevens, who served in the U.S. Senate representing Alaska for 40 years, fought to bring home federal dollars.

McAdams questioned Miller's ability to follow through on his claims, saying, "I think he'll find more opponents in the Senate than he'll find allies." Murkowski called Miller's plans simplistic. She said she was not sure how Miller could force areas to be opened for resource extraction, given that the federal government owns two-thirds of Alaska.

Scott McAdams: Extract resource wealth respected labor & environment

McAdams questioned Miller's ability to follow through on his claims. "I don't think that his statements are realistic," he said after the forum. "I don't think that Joe's going to be able to caucus and get any real movement with moving Alaska forward. I think he'll find more opponents in the Senate than he'll find allies." McAdams suggested he could be more effective as a Democrat in the Senate, changing the culture of the caucus, demonstrating that Alaska is environmentally sound and has a labor tradition allowing working men and women to share in the wealth of extraction. "When we don't embrace American and Alaskan resource extraction, we export environmental degradation to countries that don't have any governance tradition that allows them to enforce environmental law, a labor tradition that allows them to share in the wealth," he said