Bill Walker to Run for Governor
Republican Bill Walker announced today that he is making another run for governor of Alaska in 2014.
Known for his founding and continuing role in the Backbone Group, Walker has advocated strongly for an all-Alaska natural gas pipeline, and a fair and reasonable tax on oil development in the state. Backbone has held rallies across Alaska and has been vocal in its disapproval of current Governor Sean Parnell’s plan, supported by the majority of Republicans in the legislature, which would give billions in no-strings-attached money to oil companies.
Former mayor of Valdez, Walker made an unsuccessful attempt to secure the Republican nomination for Governor against Sean Parnell in 2010. Parnell’s approval has diminished since his active role in advocating for giveaways from the state’s treasury to Big Oil. He says it’s time we had a governor who puts Alaska first.
Recently, Walker debuted as host in a locally produced TV show that airs on ABC statewide. “On Point with Bill Walker.” The network describes the show as “politically driven, centered around both federal and state government’s efforts, or lack thereof, in relation to energy.”
Born in Fairbanks, Walker has practiced law in Alaska for 25 years, and currently works at the law firm of Walker & Richards in Anchorage. Walker’s practice has focused on municipal law, and oil and gas development. He serves as general counsel to the Alaska Gasline Port Authority.
Walker’s “Alaska First” philosophy has gained him support and respect from both sides of the aisle. Things just got interesting.
Bill,
I saw your story “On Point” with Andy June 2, 2013, the East Side set net fisheries user. I was shocked by the mis-information which was expressed by both yourself and Andy. I am a sport fish user and take issue with many of the points raised and also the fisheries history which was aired. A few of those issues were that these set net users were totally shut-down while other users were partly shut-down. The truth is that no users were totally shut-down but some did get a little more time to fish than others. The truth is that the 2012 fishing season was basically a bust for everyone except the commercial drift boat fishermen. Another issue raised was the over-escapement theory issue. Both you and Andy spoke as if over-escapement theory were fact, which it is not. It is not as simple as you both claimed. It is not as simple as placing
to many, not enough or the just right amount of cattle in a stock yard. The cattle stock yard illustration does not apply to how our fisheries and marine environment functions. If you wished to correctly use the stock yard illustration you would have to add on the variable of also having an army of workers and almost unlimited feed available to the cattle. Over-escapement theory functions from the basic assumption that the feed in this stock yard is a fixed amount when in reality it is not. The reason over-escapement of sockeyes is
a theory issue is because the sockeye feed in a lake is not fixed. The same lake could theoretically support one sockeye salmon or millions of sockeyes. The way the amount of feed may change is a direct result of how much biogenetic fertilization is in the lake to support growing more sockeye feed. This fertilization usually comes by way of excess salmon being allowed to escape, spawn and die in the system. Therefore the “over-escapement of salmon” in reality becomes fertilization for the next generation of salmon.
The “excess” grows more zooplankton which then feeds more sockeyes. This is the same concept of fertilizing a garden, a small amount of fertilizer can generate a large amount of additional productively. The term “over-escapement” assumes that excess salmon bodies rotting in freshwater is a total waste when it is actually an essential part of the salmon cycle. Commercial fisheries ignore the fact that “over-escapement” allows the same lake to support many more salmon. Rather than looking for more
salmon with more escapement, commercial fisheries define fertilization as being meaningless in order to minimize the sockeye escapement and maximizing the commercial harvest along with profits. The term “over-escapement” with regard to salmon is like estimating that the production from a garden is always fixed and cannot be expanded with fertilizer. Most people understand that a gardens production may be expanded with fertilizer but it appears that some people cannot compare salmon and gardens.
I took issue with many of the bias and lop-sided opinions aired on your show. The reason the set netters were shut-down was completely missed within your discussion. You made it sound like the ADF&G just messed up as they guessed wrong on when the king run was to arrive. There is a real reason why those kings are arriving late, it is because all of their parents were wipe-out in the past by the very set gill nets which are claiming to not be catching them. The only kings which survived those nets arrived late
because it was natural for them to arrive late, and that timing allowed them to survive because that was when the set gill nets were NOT allow to fish. Our king runs are moving their timing naturally to avoid all the set gill nets. You never even approached this point, instead you just announced that the king run was late
for no reason. The reason is that their parents were killed off by the gill nets of July so they are now starting to show up in after the commercial season in Aug..
Also you never even attempted to address why we have a statewide king salmon problem. You just lay it out there that we don’t have enough and there is really no reason for it. Well I beg to differ, there is a very large reason our kings are missing and it would take hours to explain why. I have listed a short explanation below. ( See KING SALMON OCEAN FEEDING http://www.voy.com/177140/154.html )
allright kiddos who are graduated college with degrees – let’s go!…run for governor…not these bozo’s…let’s go!
then you can pay off your student loans…no more payments…law students encouraged to run…you can do this!
This illustrates (for me, anyhow) why primaries and yearly elections are so very important. Register voters, and tell them why it’s so important to vote in every single election. Help your neighbors get to the polls. Do what you can. My state, too, has been gerrymandered beyond recognition. At the federal level, we’ve got thirty years of horrible legislation to undo or otherwise overcome, but at the core, all politics are LOCAL.
I am unaffiliated and I will listen. Make it good, Mr. Walker.
I do not vote for republicans., Never have and NEVER will!
Not even in a primary to get rid of a doofus?
Bring on Walker. Parnell, don’t let the door hit you on the way out.
I’d love to see a roll call of all the politicians over the years who have run on the pipeline. It’s the single most sensible project on the planet but, where Alaska and money are involved, incomprehensible things happen.
I know when we met him, and the other candidates…except for SP2…he was VERY determined to get the AK Gas pipeline built.
I will be listening to what all he has to say and how we feel we can improve the current situation. We can’t get much worse than we are now!
Sssh! 🙂
We said that about Frank the Bank and got whatzername.
We said that about whatzername and we got Cap’n Torpedo.
I’m still stunned by disbelief that our Republican leggers sold us out to the oil companies…again.
Are our Republican voters so damned hell-bent on voting for their “team” that issues of actual importance, that will affect their pocketbooks and lifestyle, are completely ignored?
“Why no, we’d never do a thing like that!”
Well, talk is cheap, Repubs. “By their works ye shall know them.”
While I don’t really want another republican governor, if Walker wins, at least we’d have someone a bit less ideologically reactionary in office, and one that’s not an oil company shill.
He is definitely a social conservative, but how he deals with that remains to be seen.
interesting indeed! good luck Alaska! this man might be a decent man regardless of his Party affiliation.
can’t wait to see how it all plays out. Thanks Jeanne.
At least he will not be driving the bus that takes Alaska off its very own self-imposed fiscal cliff…