Robert Seitz: Do we have DDS or do we not know how to plan for the long term?

By ROBERT SEITZ

March 4, 2026 – My commentary on Nov 15 was titled “It’s time to get new projects started so we can get to financial stability.”

Robert Seitz: It is time to get new projects started so we can get to financial stability

Watching the activities and antics of these legislative sessions leads me to this concept: Dunleavy Derangement Syndrome is as bad as TDS and can only hurt Alaska.

I know that Gov. Mike Dunleavy came up with the fiscal plan he offered the legislators to give the next governor a chance to have some cash flow while establishing an environment to increase production of oil, gas and minerals, to provide revenue for the future.  He also intended to enshrine the Permanent Fund dividend into the Alaska constitution for the benefit of the Alaska citizens.

He put forth some items with the intent to reduce the burden on potential investors to make Alaska a more attractive market in which to invest. So our legislature is looking to have no PFD disbursement this year and to increase corporate taxation to eliminate any incentive for investment in our resource development. Reports I have read recently state that the PFD has a much more positive impact than the negative impact of a sales tax.

It is time our legislators develop some sense of long term development with an eye toward increase revenue through increase production. When President Trump issued executive orders that unshackled the State of Alaska from the policies of the previous administration which cripple our State such that we could not reasonably develop our resources to benefit our citizens, some of our legislators responded with “we don’t want Trump telling us what to do, we already know how to produce from our resources”, to paraphrase loosely.

And they have not done anything to take advantage of this opportunity with any legislation that would attract American investors, encourage local communities to get behind projects in their area, or encourage operators to expand their efforts to refining their products to add value before shipping to outside markets.

John Hendrix and HEX/Furie have made some progress in providing increased production of natural gas in Cook Inlet.  While it is yet a small increase it is moving in the right direction. We need to stay with John to make sure that there is a favorable investment climate for financial institutions to desire to support the efforts for drilling and producing in Cook Inlet.  Don’t let the AkLNG project dissuade us from our focus on Cook Inlet natural gas production.

Then there is the stupid battle over Pebble that makes no sense to me. There is definitely need for economic development in the region of the Alaska Peninsula and Bristol Bay. The project was redesigned to correct the issues that were of great concern to fishermen and residents of the area. The changes sure looked like they would reduce risk of damage to the Bristol Bay fishery to a manageable and acceptable level, but there are those who don’t want prosperity for Alaska, but want to view the scenery and shot their animals with no disturbance from a mine.

This is a big land that allows a lot of activities to occur without interference between them. We just need to plan and work towards a goal of work, play, and survival to all occur together.

I’m still not sure why so many people are upset with the West Susitna Road.  That area was mining country a 100 years ago.  If there is an economic reason to build a road then maybe it should be built.  Or we could lay railroad track instead, but at least consider the economics.

There are a number of potential mines that can be an economic boon to the residents and communities near them.  Let’s find ways to approach these projects positively for benefit of the people and don’t listen to the people who only care about leaving the land untouched. We can mine, and hunt and live safely and abundantly all at the same time. The subsistence life style is enjoyable, but it sure helps to have a little cash flow to allow us to more than just survive. Every remote community should have some economic base that generates income to allow the people of the community to build useful additions in the community.

I will end with comments on the “ban trawlers” issue that is a hot topic now. I have been a commercial fisherman, an oceanographer and an electrical engineer during my life in Alaska. I have two sons who are trawler fisherman in Oregon. The objective that started this war over trawlers has to do with Chinook and chum bycatch in the Bering Sea. The real objective is find out how do we get our runs of Chinook and chum back to historical levels.

Banning trawlers is not the answer. I see that bycatch levels have been set for some of the trawl fisheries, but the comments have been that only a small percentage of the bycatch were Alaska salmon. Banning all trawlers will impact local fishermen and communities on the coast, so let’s not harm our own in the process.

If there is a trawl fishery that has extremely high bycatch of salmon, let’s look at that first. Water temperature of spawning grounds has an impact on survivability of salmon in a marine environment, maybe this is a problem that can fix itself if our spawning grounds become cooler. Trawl nets scraping the bottom isn’t a bad thing. Some people are concerned for coral and sponges that might get ripped off the bottom. If there is a region that is sensitive then it can be studied. Disturbing the bottom stirs up the material on the shelf floor and actually gets more nutrients into the water column for the benefit of shrimp and other critters.

I do know that some are concerned that disturbing the sea bottom will release carbon and have fear that more carbon dioxide will be released into the atmosphere. Increased productivity of the fish stock is more important to me than is CO2 gas.  Let’s help the fish.  We should study this problem in order to make better choices. If a foreign fishery is catching an overabundance of Alaska fish, we need to fix that problem with federal legislation.

Legislators and citizens alike need to focus on the long term financial health of Alaska, and not just on the small change for today.  The PFD is good for all Alaska. Mining can be very good for the locals in which the mines are developed.  It might help locals to believe that if there were more American investors and owner for these projects.

If we can encourage the oil producers t find more oil on the North Slope maybe we can get up to 1 million barrels a day or more and have an economy based on volume of oil and not just price per barrel. A productive future can be ours, with thought, planning and desire.

 Robert Seitz, PE is a professional electrical engineer and lifelong concerned Alaskan.

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