Articles & Op-eds
Op-Ed: Plow energy revenue windfall into renewables and power transmission systems
Everyone in Alaska knows that the current record prices for fossil fuels are a two-edged sword. They are fattening the state's treasury while shrinking Alaskans' pocketbooks and driving "energy refugees" from villages as fuel costs pass the point of endurance. Everyone in Alaska also knows that as the Legislature heads into another special session, the State must help Alaskans deal with the current energy crisis. But when you are up to your neck in alligators sometimes it's easy to forget that t… Continue Reading
07.07.08
Op-Ed: On this date in 1958, Senate vote secured Alaska's future
Fifty years ago, hope and excitement were running high in the United States Senate as lawmakers approached the final hours of a marathon debate on Alaska statehood. Some of the Senate's most distinguished members had weighed in on the issue, including John F. Kennedy, Everett Dirksen, Henry "Scoop" Jackson, Warren Magnuson, Mike Mansfield, Strom Thurmond and President Bush's grandfather, Prescott Bush.Opponents contended that it set a bad precedent to admit a noncontiguous state to the Union, wh… Continue Reading
04.14.08
Op-Ed: Prevention is the Key
We are all familiar with the saying, "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure." When it comes to health care in America, it shouldn't be just a saying, but a rule to live by. Type 2 diabetes rang up $174 billion in costs in 2007. Obesity has direct and indirect costs of $123 billion each year. Heart disease and stroke take the lives of nearly 2,400 Americans each day, with a projected cost of $448 billion in 2008. The unfortunate reality of these statistics is that much of the $2.3 trill… Continue Reading
02.04.08
Op-Ed: Competitive Foods and Child Obesity
by Senator Murkowski
In the past few months we've heard much about a slowing economy and the rising cost of living. One of the biggest drivers is the ever-increasing cost of health care. Americans want action on controlling out-of-control medical care costs-for prescription drugs, to doctor's visits, to hospital visits. They want to know that their own financial futures are not put at risk by these rising prices, and they want to know that their children's future is not jeopardized by the rising costs of Medicare an… Continue Reading
01.26.01
Roll Call: Carbon-free nuclear power in a crisis just when it’s most needed
by Benjamin J. Hulac
The Barakah nuclear power station, a four-reactor plant in the United Arab Emirates, is expected to go online later this year. Billed as the first commercial nuclear project in the oil-rich Arab world, Barakah will generate enough electricity for a major city - 5.6 gigawatts, at a cost of about $24 billion. It will be one of more than 100 new nuclear plants being built around the world, including many "small modular reactors" capable of powering cities, campuses or rural areas without producing… Continue Reading
