Yesterday, Anchorage Chamber of Commerce members filled the downtown convention center and the U.S. Senate candidate debate attracted national media attention–including the probing questions of Fox News veteran Greta Van Susteren (NGP Photos).  Several brief observations:

 

(Other event photos here)

  • Scott McAdams said having two pro-development democrats in the U.S. Senate is in Alaska’s interest.  He went on to point out that, "There is no doubt that a $13 trillion national debt is unsustainable.  My priorities are working people, kids and seniors.".  (Greta Van Susteren Interview)

 

  • Asked about the sitting U.S. Senator she most respected, Senator Lisa Murkowski (NGP Photo) cited Senator Jeff Bingaman, noting that the Senators that "…most immediately come to mind are on the other side of the aisle." (Greta Van Susteren Interview)

 

  • Joe Miller (NGP Photo) said that when Murkowski took office the national debt was, "half of what it is today."  He went on to stress the importance of balancing the national budget and changing national resource policies affecting Alaska to give future generations of Alaska an economic basis for remaining in the state.  (Greta Van Susteren Interview)

Chamber event photos:

Ingrid Parish

 

Greta Van Susteren

and Lisa Murkowski

Debra DeFrank

 

Greta Van Susteren

interviewing Joe Miller

Greta Van Susteren

and

Jeff Jones

 

Scott McAdams

 

 

 

 

 

 

ADN by Kyle Hopkins.  Incumbent Lisa Murkowski, a lifelong registered Republican who is waging a write-in campaign after losing her party’s nomination in August, named two Democrats.  "The (senators) that immediately come to mind are those that are on the other side of the aisle and I have a good working relationship with," Murkowski said. She named Sen. Tom Carper, D-Delaware, and Sen. Jeff Bingaman, the New Mexico Democrat with whom Murkowski serves on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.  Joe Miller, the Republican who beat her, chose South Carolina Republican Jim DeMint. DeMint has backed tea party candidates like Miller across the country and told The Wall Street Journal in August that Murkowski’s defeat was "a wake-up call" that voters are looking to replace politicians known for bringing home the bacon.  "There aren’t too many of them in Congress that I really agree with because Congress as a whole has moved this country in a direction that’s unsustainable," Miller told the crowd.  Sitka Mayor Scott McAdams, the Democrat in this year’s race, went with Sen. Dan Inouye, D-Hawaii — a safe choice, given that Inouye was close friends with former Alaska Sen. Ted Stevens and, like Stevens, is known for lobbying for extra federal money for his state.

Washington Examiner.  A potential Murkowski loss threatens the livelihood of K Street’s Alaska Mafia. With Stevens and Frank Murkowski gone, Lisa Murkowski is the Mafia’s last Senate asset. If she’s replaced by an ideological fiscal conservative like Miller, the other Alaska pipeline — the one carrying federal dollars north — could shut down.

The Hill (10/12) reports, “An industry-backed group will unveil a report Tuesday that finds a range of industry sectors are increasingly committed to energy-saving “sustainability” practices. The Consumer Energy Alliance report profiles efforts by the farm industry, energy companies, manufacturers and others to shrink their footprint. For instance, it notes that Dow Chemical has invested roughly $1 billion in sustainability programs and seen a $5 billion return; Nucor Steel has sharply cut mining waste by reusing scrap steel; while the homebuilding industry has boosted the percent of new homes that garnered the Energy Star certification, reaching nearly 20 percent in 2009 compared to 12 percent the prior year. The report suggests a bargain: It calls on policymakers to embrace conservation while expanding access to traditional energy sources – including offshore oil-and-gas that’s currently restricted. The group’s members include oil companies, utilities, and a range of manufacturing, transportation and other interests.

 

WASHINGTON D.C. – House Natural Resources Committee Ranking Member Doc Hastings (NGP Photo) released the following statement after Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar announced an end to the deepwater drilling moratorium in the Outer Continental Shelf:
 
“Today’s announcement isn’t time for applause, it’s time to demand real, straight answers from this Administration – especially when thousands of American jobs and our nation’s energy security are still in limbo. 
 
“This Administration has taken a shoot-from-the-hip approach to the moratorium on offshore drilling.  Their first moratorium was struck down by federal courts for not being based on science.  Then they imposed a de facto ban on shallow-water drilling by issuing new permits at a snail’s pace.  This is why today’s announcement is so difficult to fully trust.
 

 

 

“They claim their arbitrary, job-killing deepwater ban is being lifted, yet promise only to look at applications to resume drilling and vaguely threaten unknown new regulations in the future. 
 
“The question remains, will the Obama Administration actually allow drilling work to resume or is this just pre-election rhetoric?  Will the Administration follow through on this announcement, set clear policies, and allow people to return to work?”