It's time for Gov. Bill Walker to put up or shut up.
The promise started in 2010 when Walker ran for governor in the Republican primary. During a debate hosted by KTUU in the Wendy Williamson Auditorium Bill Walker stormed to life during a discussion of a bridge necessary for a ConocoPhillips development project in the CD-5 field in the Colville River Delta.
Walker pounded his fist and announced that if he were governor he would build the bridge and that the feds could come get him if they wanted.
Well, now Walker is now our governor. Four years later, Alaska is facing no shortage of federal overreach issues, most notable lately being the Izembek road and drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
We all know the issue surrounding drilling in ANWR. Anybody who has lived in Alaska for any period of time has followed, with at least a little bit of interest, our disappointment in the federal government shutting the door on the concept. Recently, President Barack Obama has told Alaska there is no way we will be looking for oil in the northern reach of the refuge.
The Izembek road issue stems from the need for a road connecting King Cove to Cold Bay to provide an emergency corridor for King Cove residents to reach Cold Bay, which has the state's third largest runway. The problem is that the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge connects the two communities, so the area is under federal control.
This is a matter of life and death for the residents of King Cove. Without this road survival from a traumatic event could be a difficult proposition.
King Cove sits in the heart of the Aleutian Islands. Poor weather makes landing and taking off with various types of aircraft very risky and, at times impossible, while it's much easier on the large runway that sits in the adjacent community.
The issue is more significant than just the Izembek Road, ANWR or the bridge in the Colville River Delta. It's about federal overreach and who should control the destiny of a community. This is an issue that has resonated with Alaskans for a long time. The federal government controls more than 60 percent of Alaska's land. In a nation that was founded on the concept of freedom and self-determination, this seems contradictory to our value system.
Also, for a state such as Alaska, which strongly values the concept of self-determination and independence, the entirety of federal control in this state takes its toll on the psyche of many Alaskans.
This is one of the reasons we elected Gov. Walker. This governor is supposed to be a different kind of leader. He is the one we have hoped will stand up to the federal government and let them know that we will make our own decisions as Alaskans. We elected him while remembering the legacy of Walter Hickel, a governor with that same fiercely independent spirit.
The problem with federal overreach isn't unique to Alaska. If you look at a map of federal control over state lands, you will see that Western states are far more controlled by the federal government than our counterparts in the East.
Utah has been feeling this federal burden as well. Last year, it passed the "Transfer of Public Lands Act." This act told the federal government that the state was taking control of federal land including national parks, military bases, Indian reservations and other lands. Clearly, Utah's state government doesn't have the power to do this, but it's a show of how frustrated many are becoming.
This concept is resonating even in the South. South Carolina has passed a similar resolution, but in support of Western states.
The resolution is "to express support to the western states of the United States of America and the federal transfer of public lands to the western states, and to urge the United States Congress to engage in good faith communication and cooperation to coordinate the transfer of title to the western States."
In support of the resolution, South Carolina state Rep. Alan Clemons said "We in the East are tired of paying billions of dollars for the federal government to mismanage federally controlled lands in the West."
So here we are. We are facing multiple issues of federal overreach and with the perfect governor for the job – the one mentored by the late, great Gov. Hickel. So far, we have seen no bold moves. There have been no bulldozers in the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, nor have we sent teams up to ANWR to start exploring for oil.
Clearly the governor can't really do what he claimed he would in that debate. He spoke boldly in order to garner support for the shock value of the statement. However, this is exactly what we elected Walker to do. If there is one thing we gave the governor a mandate to do, it was to stand up to the federal government. So now, Gov. Walker, all eyes are on you – what's your move?
Mike Dingman is a fifth-generation Alaskan born and raised in Anchorage. He is a former UAA student body president and has worked, studied and volunteered in Alaska politics since the late '90s. Email, michaeldingman@gmail.com.
The views expressed here are the writer's own and are not necessarily endorsed by Alaska Dispatch News, which welcomes a broad range of viewpoints. To submit a piece for consideration, e-mail commentary(at)alaskadispatch.com