Opinion: Alaskans deserve their fair share

It’s imperative that Alaskans stand up for our state and for each other by voting yes on Measure 1.

  • By Jorden Nigro
  • Tuesday, October 27, 2020 10:26am
  • Opinion
Ballot Measure 1, which would raise taxes on certain North Slope oil fields, is on the ballot for Alaska’s general election in November. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

Ballot Measure 1, which would raise taxes on certain North Slope oil fields, is on the ballot for Alaska’s general election in November. (Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire)

By Jorden Nigro

Alaskans, let’s stop selling out our best interests in favor of the best interests of Big Oil. Vote yes on Ballot Measure 1.

There is no doubt the pandemic has had a devastating impact on our state’s economy. This, of course, is especially terrible considering the fiscal cliff we have been toppling down for several years now. For his first year in office, Governor Dunleavy’s response to the fiscal crisis of our state was to cut, cut, cut and veto, veto, veto. Impressively, his approach resulted in Alaskans coming together from all around the state in a bipartisan recall effort which likely would have gone to vote by now had it not been for the pandemic. That said, the financial crisis we find ourselves in started when Gov. Sean Parnell signed SB21 into law six years ago, effectively giving away Alaska’s fair share of the billions of dollars in revenue earned by Big Oil in Alaska. The foundation for a crisis of this magnitude was laid even farther back when the Legislature did away with the income tax in the ’80s, myopically banking our entire revenue stream on the cost of a barrel of oil. Since then, Alaska’s bizarre political scene has continually favored Big Oil’s bottom line over the health and wellness of Alaskans and the final straw was SB21.

[Economists try to square Fair Share Act]

It will forever be a mystery to me why anyone who professes to care about this state — its majestic land and its incredible people — would put the income of oil company executives over the income of Alaska. Ballot Measure 1 will put an end to SB21 and require the corporations drilling in Alaska’s three largest oil fields pay their fair share of taxes to the State. This is not complicated. This is the right thing to do. The only reason you’re thinking it might not be is because Big Oil has dumped millions into convincing you it’s a bad idea. Don’t believe the hype.

The campaign against Ballot Measure 1 — whose top contributors not surprisingly are ConocoPhillips, BP and Hilcorp — would have you believe that paying taxes to the state will cause these multi billion dollar corporations to pack up their toys and go home, leaving Alaska’s economy in peril, driving up unemployment, and hurting Alaskan families. This is absurd. Oil exists here and until it doesn’t, Big Oil will remain here, working to pull every last drop out of the ground. This disingenuous campaign is yet another incredibly skillful sleight of hand on behalf of exceedingly rich corporations to make you think they’re too fragile to pay their fair share to the state they have been quietly bankrupting for years. Voting no on Ballot Measure 1 is a vote in favor of corporate oligarchs at the expense of every resident of Alaska. Why should Alaskans not share in this fortune? Why should our schools have to beg for enough to make sure all our kids are educated? Why should our elders be robbed of the safety nets that ensure they don’t starve to death? Why should our university system be gutted ensuring a forthcoming brain drain of our young and brilliant Alaskans?

It doesn’t have to be this. It does not.

As we enter the first winter of a pandemic and our second budget cycle with an administration that has made it abundantly clear where their values lie, it is imperative that Alaskans stand up for our state and for each other by voting yes on Ballot Measure 1. Big Oil can stay plenty rich and still pay their taxes, don’t let them trick you into thinking otherwise. They’ll be just fine. Alaska however — your neighbors and this great place you love — won’t if we don’t act now. Put people over corporations, vote yes on Ballot Measure 1, Alaskans deserve their fair share, and Big Oil deserves the chance to give back to us. We are absolutely worth every cent.

Jorden Nigro is a lifelong Alaskan. She lives with her husband, two tiny dogs and one fish in downtown Juneau. Columns, My Turns and Letters to the Editor represent the view of the author, not the view of the Juneau Empire. Have something to say? Here’s how to submit a letter to the editor or My Turn .

More in Opinion

Web
Have something to say?

Here’s how to add your voice to the conversation.

The F/V Liberty, captained by Trenton Clark, fishes the Pacific near Metlakatla on Aug. 20, 2024. (Ash Adams/The New York Times)
My Turn: Charting a course toward seafood independence for Alaska’s vulnerable food systems

As a commercial fisherman based in Sitka and the executive director of… Continue reading

People watch a broadcast of Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential nominee, delivering a speech at Times Square in New York, on Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (Graham Dickie/The New York Times)
Opinion: The Democratic Party’s failure of imagination

Aside from not being a lifelong Republican like Peter Wehner, the sentiment… Continue reading

A steady procession of vehicles and students arrives at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé before the start of the new school year on Thursday, Aug. 15, 2024. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire file photo)
Opinion: Let’s consider tightening cell phones restrictions in Juneau schools

A recent uptick in student fights on and off campus has Juneau… Continue reading

A map shows state-by-state results of aggregate polls for U.S. presidential candidates Donald Trump (red) and Kamala Harris (blue), with states too close to call in grey, as of Oct. 29. (Wikimedia Commons map)
Opinion: The silent Republican Party betrayal

On Monday night, Donald Trump reported that two Pennsylvania counties had received… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Letters: Vote no on ballot measure 2 for the future of Alaska

The idea that ranked choice voting (RCV) is confusing is a red… Continue reading

(Laurie Craig / Juneau Empire file photo)
10 reasons to put country above party labels in election

Like many of you I grew up during an era when people… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter: Alaskans are smart, can see the advantages of RCV and open primaries

The League of Women Voters is a nonpartisan organization that neither endorses… Continue reading

Tongass National Forest. (U.S. Forest Service photo)
My Turn: Why I oppose privatization of the Tongass rainforest

Sen. Lisa Murkowski has been trying to privatize the Tongass for years.… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire file photo)
Letter: Supporting ranked choice voting is the honest choice

Some folks are really up in arms about the increased freedom afforded… Continue reading

(Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
My Turn: Election presents stark contrasts

This election, both at the state and federal level, presents a choice… Continue reading

Former Juneau Mayor Bruce Botelho discusses ranked choice voting at a Greater Juneau Chamber of Commerce weekly luncheon on June 30, 2022. (Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire file photo)
My Turn: Vote no Ballot Measure 2 and protect open primaries and protect our democracy

The focus of last week’s Juneau World Affairs Forum was the rise… Continue reading