18.01.2010

Ríkisstjórnin í Alaska berst nú í bökkum fjárhagslega.  Á uppgangstímanum í kjölfar olíuævintýrsins á níunda áratugnum voru nær allar skattheimtur fylkinsins lagðar af og olíugróðinn látinn um að borga brúsann af allri samneyslu.  Nú hefur olíuvinnslan hins vegar minnkað það mikið að gríðarlegur fjárlagahalli er staðreynd.  Til lausnar horfa menn einkum á olíuvinnslu á Heimskautafriðlandinu (ANWAR) en til þess hefur ekki fengist leyfi frá Alríkisstjórninni til að hefa þar vinnslu.  Tillögur um leggja á 3% virðisaukaskatt eða óverulegan tekjuskatt hafa verið felldar, niðurskurðarhnífurinn hefur verið notaður svo grimmt að vart verður lengra gengið. En hver veit nema með sölu losunarheimilda á alþjóðlegum uppkaupamarkaði, sem fengist með ræktun nýrra skóga í suðurhluta Alaska, sé lausnin fundin!

Tumi Traustason, Fairbanks, Alaska

Turning carbon into money in the bank
 
The Associated Press (Published: May 18, 2003)
JUNEAU -- The state would study whether it can make money by absorbing greenhouse gases under a bill that passed the House on Saturday.
The bill by Rep. Ethan Berkowitz, D-Anchorage, calls for an advisory committee working with the Department of Natural Resources to study the idea of carbon sequestration. That refers to measures taken to capture and store carbon in forests, soils or the ocean.
Berkowitz said a worldwide market is developing for trading in "carbon credits." That"s because a number of countries and companies anticipate facing limits in the amount of carbon dioxide and other so-called greenhouse gases they can put into the environment. Such emissions have been blamed for global warming.
Alaska should investigate whether it can make money from that market, Berkowitz said. With Alaska"s large land base and forested areas, he estimates there"s a potential to make up to $450 million. He pointed to reforestation after harvest of timber killed by bark beetles as a possible way to generate carbon credits.
House Bill 196 passed the House 35-1, with Rep. Kelly Wolf, R-Kenai, voting no.
http://www.adn.com/alaska/story/3141089p-3165341c.html

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