TIME TO BITE THE BULLET - AND WE DID
Tonight, after extensive debate, we passed a "Produce or Pay" oil tax bill. The ball is now in the court of the Senate andf the governor. The following are my comments on the House floor during the debate:
Mr. Speaker:
There’s been a lot of debate on this bill, and that’s appropriate because of the monumental decisions our constituents sent us down here to make. There’s a lot of things I like about this bill, and a lot of things don’t like about this bill. In other words, I have some serious mixed emotions about what we’re doing. I could say that the definition of mixed emotions is like watching your worst political enemy drive off a cliff in your new car! I do share concerns with many of my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle. And, based on a survey in my district, I share the concerns of many of my constituents. Most of those concerns center around basing the tax on net, rather than gross. And, I’ve got to confess, that makes me very nervous – but I think some of those concerns have been addressed in the way this bill is put together.
I think we have a good compromise here. And I want to congratulate my colleagues who put together this compromise together.It’s based on hours of hard work, by very knowledgeable colleagues who want the same thing I want and the same thing my constituents want: a bill that brings a fair return from the people’s oil to the State of Alaska. Most importantly, a bill that will spur oil investment and hopefully increase production. A bill that, in fact, might lead to a gas pipeline.
As my colleague from District 29 said so eloquently, and with such heartfelt passion yesterday, we would be derelict in our duties if we continued throwing away millions of dollars a day by continuing to seek the impossible dream of a perfect compromise that would please all of us, whatever our party, whatever our personal preferences.
I’ve said repeatedly that we need to move forward on oil and gas issues, and this bill is the first step. We need to come out of this Special Session with some good product, and I think this bill does just that. I urge my colleagues to join with me in voting “yes” on this bill. It’s time to bite the bullet and get something done.
Mr. Speaker:
There’s been a lot of debate on this bill, and that’s appropriate because of the monumental decisions our constituents sent us down here to make. There’s a lot of things I like about this bill, and a lot of things don’t like about this bill. In other words, I have some serious mixed emotions about what we’re doing. I could say that the definition of mixed emotions is like watching your worst political enemy drive off a cliff in your new car! I do share concerns with many of my colleagues, on both sides of the aisle. And, based on a survey in my district, I share the concerns of many of my constituents. Most of those concerns center around basing the tax on net, rather than gross. And, I’ve got to confess, that makes me very nervous – but I think some of those concerns have been addressed in the way this bill is put together.
I think we have a good compromise here. And I want to congratulate my colleagues who put together this compromise together.It’s based on hours of hard work, by very knowledgeable colleagues who want the same thing I want and the same thing my constituents want: a bill that brings a fair return from the people’s oil to the State of Alaska. Most importantly, a bill that will spur oil investment and hopefully increase production. A bill that, in fact, might lead to a gas pipeline.
As my colleague from District 29 said so eloquently, and with such heartfelt passion yesterday, we would be derelict in our duties if we continued throwing away millions of dollars a day by continuing to seek the impossible dream of a perfect compromise that would please all of us, whatever our party, whatever our personal preferences.
I’ve said repeatedly that we need to move forward on oil and gas issues, and this bill is the first step. We need to come out of this Special Session with some good product, and I think this bill does just that. I urge my colleagues to join with me in voting “yes” on this bill. It’s time to bite the bullet and get something done.
posted by Blogs by Rep Bob Lynn | 6:46 PM
1 Comments:
Dear Bob,
Thanks for the Blog updates, it is a useful way to keep abreast of what is going on in JNU. Just wanted to get your perspective as to why a gross profit(s) tax was not a viable alternative? Best regards,
Mike Rzeszut
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