Video Clips
Quoted moments from Alaska public meetings, hearings, and press conferences.
Bert Stedman
“As I recall that from those classes that we had years ago on a mega project, if, if you were only 20% or less overrun, that was a successful project.”Senate Finance, 6/2/26, 9am · Jun 2, 2026
Alex Strawn
“what this does, is it. I wish I had done this in the first place instead of just done an outright repeal of that. That section of code forces the planning commission to review the comprehensive plan, knowing that there's potentially conflicting provisions. Comp plans also get very old and stale if you have a 30 or 40 year old comprehensive plan. Things have probably changed since it was written, so they at least need to consider it, but it doesn't make it a regulatory document that they have to comply with all the things in there.”Mat-Su Borough: Regular Assembly Meeting - June 2, 2026 · Jun 2, 2026
Alex Strawn
“people are best served when they're at least in somewhat the same proximity as where development is occurring because it's just less travel time, less expensive, and less wear and tear on our roads.”Mat-Su Borough: Regular Assembly Meeting - June 2, 2026 · Jun 2, 2026
Bill Gamble
“instead of just removing this language completely out of the comp plan, is there no way that we can massage the language in there so that it is more conforming with what we're trying to do and not take away from what the community wants.”Mat-Su Borough: Regular Assembly Meeting - June 2, 2026 · Jun 2, 2026
Alex Strawn
“The Knick Fairview one is our most glaring example of how this code provision is problematic where they essentially say that gravel extraction is only allowed within industrial areas. And then it has sort of a hand drawn map with two properties that are labeled as industrial areas, one of which is already being used by Alaska Block and Concrete and the other one that is a junkyard. So there's a de facto prohibition of the entire Knick Fairview area”Mat-Su Borough: Regular Assembly Meeting - June 2, 2026 · Jun 2, 2026
Maxwell Sumner
“I think it achieves my outcomes and it still respects the efforts put in by the community councils for the comprehensive plans, which I think are very valuable documents. I just think that, you know, it's problematic taking a policy document that has conflicting things and kind of nebulous goals and saying that this is a. This is A regulatory document.”Mat-Su Borough: Regular Assembly Meeting - June 2, 2026 · Jun 2, 2026
Alex Strawn
“when our planners write up their staff report, it's this big, long document that's kind of hard to read because it's sometimes repetitive. But we make findings and conclusions for every standard in borough code. So we'll go through every single standard and we will make findings and conclusion based on that. Since this is written into code, we will be compelled to address it, and it will go in the staff report and in the draft resolution we present to the planning commission.”Mat-Su Borough: Regular Assembly Meeting - June 2, 2026 · Jun 2, 2026
Alex Strawn
“The answer is no. This does not affect any comprehensive plans. It only takes away it as a borough standard for. For gravel.”Mat-Su Borough: Regular Assembly Meeting - June 2, 2026 · Jun 2, 2026
Alex Strawn
“I am the author of this ordinance and I actually am the one who brought this to Assemblymember Sumner after he asked the question why it is that we're having limited gravel, specifically in the Knick Fairview area.”Mat-Su Borough: Regular Assembly Meeting - June 2, 2026 · Jun 2, 2026
Speaker B
“I move to enter executive session for subject that tends to prejudice the reputation and character of any persons. Provided the person may request a public discussion. In particular, to hold an annual evaluation of the attorney.”Mat-Su Borough: Assembly Special Meeting 4pm 06/02/2026 · Jun 2, 2026
Kathy Bell
“Ideally, if we had all the money in the world, every school would have a nurse. But we would still keep the regional model just so that if we a couple few nurses are out and a sub isn't able to pick up those coverages for those schools, we can move somebody from a low acuity school to cover a high acuity school for a day.”Anchorage School Board: 06/02/2026: School Board Work Session · Jun 2, 2026
Kathy Bell
“When we're taking talking about acuity in a school, we're talking about the acuity of the students within that school. What are we placing the most weight on that when determining acuity are treatments ordered by a doctor or a medical authority. The these are scheduled and done on a day to day basis and best practices for these treatments to be performed by a nurse.”Anchorage School Board: 06/02/2026: School Board Work Session · Jun 2, 2026
Kathy Bell
“I would love to say yes, that this 100 people knocking at the door, but there isn't because it's a nursing shortage right now. There's a nursing shortage in all parts of nursing.”Anchorage School Board: 06/02/2026: School Board Work Session · Jun 2, 2026
Wilson
“I just wanted to ensure that there's additional conversations happening particularly for those UAPS in the schools that will not have a full time nurse moving forward.”Anchorage School Board: 06/02/2026: School Board Work Session · Jun 2, 2026
Kathy Bell
“Bottom line, the school district can better meet the needs of our most medically complex students at all times, regardless of what building they're in.”Anchorage School Board: 06/02/2026: School Board Work Session · Jun 2, 2026
Kathy Bell
“Theoretically, we will implement the regional model today. If we were going to implement it Today, we'd have 31 nurses at low acuity schools who would help provide coverage at higher acuity schools. A couple examples of this is like in the east region, there's four low acuity schools and nine high acuity schools.”Anchorage School Board: 06/02/2026: School Board Work Session · Jun 2, 2026
Speaker A
“That motion passes.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - June 1, 2026 - 2026-06-01 18:30:00 · Jun 2, 2026
Speaker A
“I agree with the department recommendations that the proposed rezone meets the three approval criteria. I'll also note that no public or agency opposition to the rezone was heard.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - June 1, 2026 - 2026-06-01 18:30:00 · Jun 2, 2026
Speaker A
“I move in case 20260059 to recommend to the Anchorage assembly approval of the rezone of one parcel from R5 district to R3 district.”Anchorage Assembly: Planning and Zoning Commission - June 1, 2026 - 2026-06-01 18:30:00 · Jun 2, 2026
Speaker A
“Introduction for public hearing legislative matters resolution 26 09, a resolution of the Matanuska Susitna Borough Planning Commission recommending approval of an ordinance amending MSB 17.73 multifamily development design standards to align permitting and design standards with the scale and complexity of development projects. Staff Alex Strachan Planning Director public hearing date June 15, 2026”Mat-Su Borough: Planning Commission Meeting - Monday, June 1st, 2026 · Jun 1, 2026
Rick Bellavance
“Anytime there's a compromise to the quality of the data that we use to make those decisions or the personnel that we need to promulgate those regulations, publish them in the Federal Register and so on, it's just more difficult for us to do our job.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Dustin Delano
“The weak links in our ropes can snap under tension, sometimes in our faces, creating serious safety risks.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Dustin Delano
“I believe, you know, some of this has been mentioned, that it's important that we continue the work that needs to be done to assure that fisheries are permitted, and that is through surveys that are existing and continuing those time series. It's important to have the funding to do that.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Dustin Delano
“I can't preach enough. The need for better data collection and collaboration between scientists and fishermen. I think that's extremely important.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Brock Hunter
“Alaska Seafood is struggling to compete against non market economies like China and Russia. The Russians are massively subsidizing new fishing fleets. They even require their fishing companies to buy these new vessels if they want quota. As a result, the Russian pollock harvest has increased from 1.75 million tons to 2.46 million tons since2021 while the US harvest level remains steady and sustainable.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Hageman
“In April, he signed an executive order titled Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness, which is intended to reduce regulatory burdens and restrictions to ensure that the American fishing industry can thrive. President Trump's executive order directed the Secretary of Commerce to work with the eight regional fishery management councils to make the necessary changes to reduce regulatory burdens to adopt new technologies to improve management and work with stakeholders across this community.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Paul O'Connor
“we must have the best available science, but not only that, we must be consistent improving it and improving the science that we are relying on for our decision making.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Rick Bellavance
“Cancelled or scaled back stock assessments threaten economically important fisheries like groundfish, monkfish, and scallops in New England. Proposed cuts could further erode NOAA's ability to provide critical science for management decisions.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Rick Bellavance
“NOAA budget cuts and staffing reductions have hindered fish surveys, stock assessments, and have resulted in prolonged delays in the publications of regulations that allow fishermen to fish.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Paul O'Connor
“It adds uncertainty in a way that can both lead us into a fisheries disaster we don't see coming or leave fish in the water that we could have otherwise safely harvested.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Paul O'Connor
“NOAA's budget underpins virtually every part of the US seafood supply supply chain. Cuts aren't just numbers on a spreadsheet. They are delayed surveys, outdated stock assessments, long waits for permits, loans and disaster relief, weakened enforcement and failure to modernize. Without timely science and vigorous oversight, we can't make good decisions and we risk losing one of the last wild protein industries on earth.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Paul O'Connor
“And we've also seen uncertainty in our weather forecasts, which for us represents danger on the daily. So we're making big decisions on whether we want to go out in 10 foot seas in a 22 foot skiff or not. And we need to know what the weather's going to do and we need that to be accurate.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Speaker B
“Fishing communities in my state and many fishing communities around the country have been thrown into chaos due to these DOGE cuts. You're not going to make our seafood industry more competitive by firing staff at noaa, canceling research, banning NOAA staff from traveling to meetings with or by instigating trade wars with erratic and unstrategic tariff policies. Over one third of the NOAA fisheries positions are now vacant. Fishery science centers across the country are bleeding talent and key NOAA fisheries staff have been fired.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Paul O'Connor
“But without a fully resourced noaa, these investments won't reach our decks, your dinner plates, or the American economy.”House: Oversight Hearing titled “Restoring American Seafood Competitiveness.” · Jun 4, 2025
Brandy Baker
“Our contract with Hilcorp expires first quarter of 2028. We source 40% of our gas from that contract. We're a little bit different because we source 60% of our gas requirement from our two thirds interest ownership in the Beluga river unit gas field. Because of our aggressive development of that field and a couple of banking agreements which I'm happy to explain, we have been able to extend extend our existing gas requirements into 2029.”Alaska Legislature: House Finance, 6/1/26, 1:30pm · Jun 1, 2026
John Sims
“This contract expires in 2033 and we have to find a replacement for 162 million a day. And there's no one in the cooking that can provide that today.”Alaska Legislature: House Finance, 6/1/26, 1:30pm · Jun 1, 2026
Alyse Galvin
“in other words, if it's $18 Japan market and then at $1 shipping plus $3 to $5 for LNG facilities, then are we talking 22 to $24?”Alaska Legislature: House Finance, 6/1/26, 1:30pm · Jun 1, 2026
John Sims
“Because of the cold temperatures that we had over this past winter, we were not able to get gas from any other location that we needed for our customers. Hilcorp provided that gas. They provided half a BCF and the price was $16.”Alaska Legislature: House Finance, 6/1/26, 1:30pm · Jun 1, 2026
John Sims
“When you look at our arrears or the folks that haven't been able to pay their bills, compared to prior years, we have a $7 million balance compared to what used to be a $1 million balance. So they're already struggling, and that's without the price of gas going up.”Alaska Legislature: House Finance, 6/1/26, 1:30pm · Jun 1, 2026
John Sims
“The cost for that LNG terminal infrastructure is between 3 to 5 dollars per mcf depending on participating volumes during that time. So right off the get go you have nearly $20 gas, potentially even more for that LNG solution.”Alaska Legislature: House Finance, 6/1/26, 1:30pm · Jun 1, 2026
John Sims
“NStar's Hill Corp. Contract expires in 2033. We have needs for gas that start in 2031. So we need gas from someplace during that time. The electric utilities, their needs are before nstars.”Alaska Legislature: House Finance, 6/1/26, 1:30pm · Jun 1, 2026
Brandy Baker
“we have to make a decision third quarter this year of which way to go if there's going to be a gas pipeline, we don't need to import, but we need to know that because we're running out of Runway to have enough time time for an import facility to be built in time to meet our gas requirement.”Alaska Legislature: House Finance, 6/1/26, 1:30pm · Jun 1, 2026
Bert Stedman
“I've heard the issue of a Graham several times as an anchor tenant. But my understanding for agrium that style of business they need low cost gas, not high cost gas. So I would be a little cautious with that one because this doesn't look like low cost gas.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 1, 2026 10:00am · Jun 1, 2026
Bert Stedman
“we're being told here at the table it may cost 45 billion or it may cost 90 billion. It's not an acceptable answer, just not an acceptable answer.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 1, 2026 10:00am · Jun 1, 2026
Matt Kissinger
“it starts with a temporary tax abatement that would expire once the project achieves either 500 million standard cubic feet per day of throughput or five years from commencing commercial operations, whichever is first. It also sets out an alternative volumetric tax, which is $0.06 per thousand standard cubic feet flowing through the pipeline and $0.12 for gas flowing through the GTP and $0.12 for Gas flowing through the LNG facility. However, that is then weighted by the total proportion of capital that each of those segments it constitutes of the total project capital.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 1, 2026 10:00am · Jun 1, 2026
Matt Kissinger
“Section 19 creates a mitigation fund of up to $90 million per year. And then it sets up how that that gets allocated between the different impacted municipalities and the state”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 1, 2026 10:00am · Jun 1, 2026
Bert Stedman
“the conversations I've had with some of the industry folks, both big and small, there's been significant cost escalations since January, dealing with equipment, fuel, manpower, what have you. And some of the rough impacts I've been given is 10%, and that's just since January.”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 1, 2026 10:00am · Jun 1, 2026
Dan Stickel
“you can see that the replacing the property tax with the alternative volumetric tax decreases that cost of supply by about $0.50 per thousand cubic feet. If capital costs were to come in 10% below our assumption, it would have a similar impact. And we can see here that if capital costs were to come in significantly higher than what we're assuming, that would have really the largest impact of any of these variables on the economics of the project”Alaska Legislature: Senate Finance - June 1, 2026 10:00am · Jun 1, 2026