By Marc Donadieu
Glacier City Gazette
Sen. Lisa Murkowski met with constituents at Girdwood Picnic Club to learn about local concerns.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski voted in the state primary election at the Girdwood Community Center. The incumbent arrived with her family, and she won the Republican Primary decisively. She will run against three candidates in the November 8 General Election.
A week before the Alaska State Primary Election, Senator Lisa Murkowski came to speak before and listen to a small group of local constituents at Girdwood Picnic Club. The cozy atmosphere of the new restaurant allowed for serious discussion and questions on a range of issues affecting the local region.
Murkowski’s late arrival was due to a slow driving RV on the Seward Highway and only one open lane on the Alyeska Highway due to bike path renovation. These scenarios easily led to the main topic of conversation: construction. Murkowski began by asking about repaving the bike path and what was involved. Then she heard about the extent of the project, ranging from replacing culverts under the bike path and across the roadway to utility work such as natural gas lines.
Then Murkowski made an announcement about the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 which would allow for the repurposing of unused earmark funding for projects 10 years or older. The funds can be applied to projects 50 miles away from where they were originally designated. Karina Petersen, Murkowski’s Communications Director, wrote in an email saying, “DOT has identified approximately $172 million in eligible funds to be reprogrammed in Alaska.”
Murkowski explained the effect of new legislation.
“In addition to having the certainty of six-year funding for highways,” she said, “we have included a provision that has been little noticed yet. I’m urging us in Alaska to really pay attention to this. Earmarks that were laid down in previous years that were not spent down have not been able to be repurposed. They basically sat within the highway trust fund.
“We put language in the highway reauthorization bill that allows a repurposing of the unused earmarks. The limitation that we placed was that if the earmark was for something in one area, you had to repurpose it to within a 50-mile radius. We will have access to a $44 billion repurposing account that we can potentially tap into. What we have to do is find out where these unused earmarks are.”
The senator’s staff is researching to see what the limitations may be on the repurposed accounts, how the funds can be accessed and what are the federal requirements are. In doing so, they can learn how much could be made available in the Turnagain Arm area, which may lead to an opportunity for improvements on the Seward Highway between Anchorage and Girdwood.
“We’re talking all the time about what we could do to make the highway out here safer,” Murkowski said. “That’s going to be an expensive project, and how you get the prioritization for that significant a project has been difficult. It’s one place where we can look to tap some resources.”
Murkowski showed her familiarity with the issues regarding the Seward Highway and her concern about its dangers. When the topic came up, a familiar and often spoken mantra was heard about building a 4-lane divided highway from Anchorage to Girdwood.
“I’m reminded when I’m driving back in Washington D.C. I don’t think I’m ever on a highway that doesn’t have a divider,” Murkowski said. “Then you get out here and our highways are pretty wide open, and unfortunately, we see the fatalities as the consequence.”
Although local policing isn’t a federal issue, the senator has a personal interest in the topic and how it affects residents.
“As a homeowner out here,” Murkowski said, “I care about what’s going on. I’m curious what you think is going to happen next.”
She indicated she had read the letter issued by Alyeska Resort stating its preference for the Alaska State Troopers over the Whittier Police Department. Residents then gave her a concise summary of where the issue stands and what would probably happen at the August 15 Girdwood Board of Supervisors meeting. After inquiring about recent crime in Girdwood, she was told about a number of vehicle thefts, a stolen ATV and a house being broken into during Forest Fair.
“This is troubling stuff,” Murkowski responded. “You’ve got the issues of a community that is not only next door to Anchorage, but a lot of folks are passing through to go to the peninsula, so you can do crazy, bad stuff and then move right on by. I worry about that a lot.”
As the conversation shifted back toward national issues, Murkowski was asked what she thought about the future of Congress after the 2016 election and whether there is a chance for improved relations among legislators. She asserted the need for a strong Congress to work as an equal branch of government during uncertain times.
“We don’t know who the next president is going to be,” Murkowski said. “We’re looking at either a President Clinton or a President Trump. One thing we know, regardless of where you stand on either one of them, is that whoever comes in as president will likely be coming in as a president with the lowest approval ratings of anybody in modern electoral history.
“It will make it difficult for that individual to govern. You’ve got to have a Congress that can come together and do its work and basically lead because if your executive is weak and cannot lead, you have to have a strong Congress that can lead or perhaps check what may be coming out of the executive branch.”
Murkowski spoke of ways to find agreement to craft legislation that can pass, even if that means reaching across the aisle to get the job done. She said there is positive work being done to help the country, but it is often overshadowed by the discord between political parties and attention getting by individuals. She urged her constituents to stay informed about the issues and get involved, especially during the public comment period when new regulations are being proposed.
“There are people that are trying to be constructive instead of being the bomb throwers. There are an awful lot of bomb throwers, and they are making the news every single day. They’re driving me crazy,” Murkowski said. “I think it’s so easy to get discouraged with what we’re seeing in Washington that it is important to realize that there is good work that is continuing.”