8 ALASKA RESOURCE REVIEW WINTER 2024 IN ALASKA WE HAVE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF EVERY OPPORTUNITY WE HAVE. We’re not California, and we’re not Texas. We don’t have the luxury of ongoing projects, so we cannot afford to say “no” to any project that creates jobs and wealth. You’ve heard how many times people have said “no” to oil and gas and “no” to mining, “no” to the Ambler Road, “no” to Pebble and “no” to Donlin. Then there’s “no” to timber, “no” to fishing, and “no” to different ideas on energy. We simply can’t afford to say “no” anymore. Look out your window tell me if you see any (construction) cranes. From the 17th floor of the Atwood Building, I don’t see any cranes. No matter where I go in this state, I don’t see any cranes of any consequence. Alaska has room to grow. but where are the construction cranes? Here in Alaska, we don’t have any cranes because we say no to almost every project. The “nos,” lead to instability and chaos. Investors don’t want to invest in chaos. They want stability. The culture of “no” also kills risk-taking. Who wants to take any risk if you know that somebody is going to try and stop you? We need to get from “no” to “yes!” but we also have to think about a couple other things: The future isn’t going to belong to those who plan based on the last 20 years or even the last year. It’s going to belong to those who plan on what’s going to happen in the next 50 years. We have to consider technology including AI. This is going to have to in any conversation in your business. If you don’t have an AI expert on staff now you better hurry and get one. The future will belong to those who use technology to become efficient, to lower costs and deal with the shrinking labor force. Investments now in AI technology will pay dividends we can’t even calculate today. Finally, I want to touch on population, or more specifically a shrinking population. We’ve seen what happens in Japan and Korea, as well as China, and the trouble that a shrinking population spells. Here in the U.S., we’re heading in the same direction. It may even be more catastrophic. Without people you don’t have workers; without people you don’t have kids in schools and without kids in schools you can’t have a robust university system. Without people you can’t have an opportunity or have an economy. Unfortunately for decades it’s been pounded into our heads that kids are a burden, that they suck up your money and your time, and it’s just not worth having a family. With that thinking, it is no surprise that we’re having fewer and fewer children, and without children there is no future. I’m not suggesting that you all go out and have 10 or more children, but somebody should be having more kids. We also need to revisit the whole concept of immigration. We’ve got to find people from somewhere. We shouldn’t allow everybody into this country, and I am a proponent of a strong wall but also one with many doors that get people into this country who believe in our ideals. Alaska is blessed that we have a large Native American population in the nation, but the fact remains that this state is made up to a large degree of descendants of immigrants. Yes, we need to build a strong wall, but we also need to get as many people legally entering this country legally as soon as possible so that we have a labor force and a future. EDITOR’S NOTE: GOV. DUNLEAVY’S REMARKS WERE GIVEN AT THE RDC CONFERENCE ALASKA’S BIG CHALLENGES INCLUDE THE SAYERS OF ‘NO’ “The future isn’t going to belong to those who plan based on the last 20 years or even the last year. It’s going to belong to those who plan on what’s going to happen in the next 50 years.” — Mike Dunleavy, Governor of Alaska
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