After the close of the State Legislative Session, Representative Mark Neuman says the legislature had some successes, and fell short in some other areas. Oil had a prominent roll.
[audio:https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/1Neuman.mp3|titles=1Neuman]
Neuman highlighted some projects that benefit the Susitna Valley include the funding of the Talkeetna Library Matching Grant, the Wood-Fired Boiler for Susitna Valley High School. One bill that didn’t make it out of committee before the session ended was a bill to create the Susitna State Forest. Neuman says he expects the bill to come back next session, but he’d like to see it carefully examined.
The Proposed Susitna Dam didn’t see much time in the legislature, but Neuman says the Alaska Industrial Development Authority got a boost from the legislature for low-interest loans for power transmission lines, which could be used to tie the Dam into the rail-belt grid.
[audio:https://ktna.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/3Neuman.mp3|titles=3Neuman]Though the session is now over, Neuman says he’s involved in a number of work groups that will be continuing to address the oil issue over the summer.
