Chum salmon are loaded into a tote at Alaska Glacier Seafoods in this Juneau Empire file photo. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Chum salmon are loaded into a tote at Alaska Glacier Seafoods in this Juneau Empire file photo. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

U.S. lawmakers line up against salmon measure

Murkowski, Sullivan and Young urge no vote on Stand for Salmon, but public testimony leans yes

Alaska’s congressional delegation spoke up about state politics on Saturday, urging Alaskans to vote against a controversial salmon habitat protection measure up for a vote Nov. 6.

U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowksi and Dan Sullivan and Rep. Don Young all spoke against Ballot Measure 1 at a statewide public call-in testimony in Anchorage.

Not counting the Republican delegation, testimony from citizens favored the Stand for Salmon measure by a count of 22-12.

Murkowski said the measure, which changes permitting requirements for development on anadromous fish habitat, will hurt the economy and would not help Alaska’s beleaguered salmon runs. Salmon are suffering in the ocean environment, not in freshwater systems, Murkowski said.

“We are looking at a solution that will not address the problem,” Murkowski said.

Sullivan invoked the solidarity of Alaska’s elected representatives in opposing the measure.

“All senior elected officials, Democrats, Republicans, Independents, the entire congressional delegation, the governor, many of our top state legislators or elected state senators and members of the house, all are opposed to this measure because we would see what it would do to our economic future, jobs and our families,” Sullivan said.

Young said the measure would hamper development so severely that, should it pass, Alaska would look more like it did in its days as a U.S. territory.

“It will stop Alaska dead in its tracks. … It will become a territory again,” Young said.

The 85-year-old congressman also took a shot at lawyers, saying “we have too many of them already” and Ballot Measure 1 would hamper development by tying it up in the courts.

Public testimony skewed in favor of the ballot measure.

Many on both sides of the issue decried out-of-state influence on initiative process. Mining and oil and gas companies have donated millions to opposition group Stand for Alaska, which has raised $11.5 million through Oct. 5, according to reports filed with the Alaska Public Offices Commission.

Initiative backers Stand for Salmon have raised $1.3 million through the same date, some of it coming from out-of-state.

“I think it would be a tragedy if we allowed corporate interests to make decisions for us,” said one Anchorage supporter.

[Pebble VP: Project ‘OK’ if salmon measure passes]

Ballot Measure 1 creates different permitting paths for differently sized projects built on anadromous (e.g. salmon) fish habitats. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game could issue a general permit — a single permit that applies to many people — for certain activities.

The measure would establish a two-track permitting system, one for major projects and one for minor projects, for development that doesn’t qualify for a general permit.

Projects that pose a risk of “significant adverse effects” to anadromous fish habitat would be considered major, while ones that don’t have potential for significant harm would be considered minor.

Saturday’s call-in public testimony was the last in a series of public comment meetings held around the state and remotely. Responses have varied at different locations. Testimony in Juneau, Sitka and Dillingham has leaned for the measure, while testimony at an Anchorage forum was more even, according to media reports.

The State of Alaska records the public testimony and uses it to form a Frequently Asked Questions document about Ballot Measure 1, which is available at https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/Attachment.aspx?id=114005

The statewide general election is Nov. 6. Early voting in the Mendenhall Mall Annex opens Oct. 22.


• Contact reporter Kevin Gullufsen at 523-2228 and kgullufsen@juneauempire.com. Follow him on Twitter at @KevinGullufsen.


More in News

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Aurora forecast through the week of Nov. 17

These forecasts are courtesy of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ Geophysical Institute… Continue reading

The U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree reaches Washington, D.C., on Wednesday, Nov. 20, to much celebration. (U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree photo)
Santa’s truck-driving helpers are east bound and down to Washington, DC

U.S. Capitol Christmas Tree completes multiweek cross-country journey from Wrangell.

The Palmer project would sit in the watershed of the Chilkat River, pictured here. (Scott McMurren/Flickr under Creative Commons license 2.0)
Japanese smelting giant pulls out of major Southeast Alaska mining project

Palmer development, above the salmon-bearing Chilkat River, has for years fueled political divisions.

Juneau Police Department cars are parked outside the downtown branch station on Thursday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
JPD’s daily incident reports getting thinner and vaguer. Why and does it matter?

Average of 5.12 daily incidents in October down from 10.74 a decade ago; details also far fewer.

(Michael Penn / Juneau Empire file photo)
Police calls for Monday, Nov. 18, 2024

This report contains public information from law enforcement and public safety agencies.

The Douglas Island Breeze In on Wednesday. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire)
New owner seeks to transfer Douglas Island Breeze In’s retail alcohol license to Foodland IGA

Transfer would allow company to take over space next to supermarket occupied by Kenny’s Liquor Market.

A butter clam. Butter clams are found from the Aleutian Islands to the California coast. They are known to retain algal toxins longer than other species of shellfish. (Photo provided by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife)
Among butter clams, which pose toxin dangers to Alaska harvesters, size matters, study indicates

Higher concentrations found in bigger specimens, UAS researchers find of clams on beaches near Juneau.

An aerial view of people standing near destroyed and damaged buildings in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene flooding on Oct. 8, 2024 in Bat Cave, North Carolina. (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Members of U.S. Senate back disaster aid request amid increasing storm severity

WASHINGTON — The Biden administration’s request for nearly $100 billion in natural… Continue reading

Most Read