Sean Parnell in 2011 Governor's State of the State speeches


On Crime: More enforcement presence via Village Public Safety Officers

Working together, we made Alaska's families safer. Because of the work we've done together, there are 15 more Village Public Safety Officers in communities that had no law enforcement presence. In fact, we went from having 47 filled VPSO positions in 2008 to 86 filled positions now. That means thousands more Alaskans can call for help when they're in danger, and get a timely response. Because of the work we've done together, more Alaskans have access to counseling and suicide prevention services, and more domestic violence survivors were sheltered and, at last, able to escape their abusers. And, because of the work we've done together, we launched the "Alaskans Choose Respect" initiative. Eighteen communities held "Choose Respect" rallies and marches to courageously confront the evil of domestic violence and sexual assault. We gave more Alaskans permission to speak up and take action against this epidemic.
Source: 2011 Alaska State of the State Address Jan 19, 2011

On Energy & Oil: Reduce EPA red tape on Arctic Outer Continental Shelf

Federal agencies engage in subtle ways of stifling Alaska's economy. Take the EPA for example. Five years after completing its paperwork with the EPA, one company is still trying to get an air permit to explore the Arctic Outer Continental Shelf. Five ye Why, then, are similar permits routinely granted in the Gulf of Mexico in a matter of months? The EPA has no answer. Red tape is a needless drag on our economy. It's inefficient, and it comes at great cost to Alaska, where we are still working hard to build out our most basic road system. For most of the Lower 48, the relationship between the states and the federal government was established 100, even 200 years ago. In Alaska, we are still defining that relationship, and "they're still not returning our calls." We demand to be treated as a state, not as a colony.
Source: 2011 Alaska State of the State Address Jan 19, 2011

On Environment: AK statehood was a mandate for resource development

When nearly 50,000 Alaskans cast their ballots for statehood in 1958, Governor Hickel said they "signed a contract. They didn't just say 'yes' to statehood. They agreed to the terms of statehood. And, that contract cannot be changed without the consent o both parties." The federal government's expectation, its terms, were that together we Alaskans would develop our resources, build our own economic system, and become largely self-sustaining. We did just that, by logging our timber, mining our minerals an metals, exploring for oil and gas, and harvesting seafood from our waters. These are the engines of our economy: past, present, and future. But today, the federal government owns 240 million acres, almost two-thirds, of Alaska's 371 million acres, and Uncle Sam has posted a virtual "Keep Out" sign on those lands. This is contrary to the federal government's promise, made not so long ago, that Alaska's resources would be available to economically support the people of this great land.
Source: 2011 Alaska State of the State Address Jan 19, 2011

On Free Trade: Develop rare earth minerals to beat China trade quota

If we want our economy to become even more dynamic, we must also look to our untapped resources. Few people have ever heard of rare earth minerals, but rare earth minerals are of increasing importance in the world economy. These rare earth elements are used in almost every piece of electronic equipment. Today, our Pacific Rim neighbor, China, controls 97% of the world market for these rare earth elements. Recently, China imposed trade quotas and increased tariffs on these precious commodities. And, China announced it is substantially reducing access to these rare earth elements. These policies will cost Americans more of our hard-earned money and jeopardize national security. We cannot afford to rely on foreign sources to meet our nation's demand. And you know what; there may be no reason to. Alaska is a storehouse of rare earth minerals. Let's explore them. We should work together to fund a strategic assessment of these minerals to determine, once again, how Alaska can help meet America's needs.
Source: 2011 Alaska State of the State Address Jan 19, 2011

The above quotations are from 2011 Governor's State of the State speeches.
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Page last updated: Dec 04, 2018