HJR 26: Requesting that the United States Congress appropriate authorized federal workforce development funds to train state residents for the development, construction, and operation of the Alaska liquefied natural gas project; and encouraging the hiring of residents and the use of state-based small businesses in the development, construction, and operation of the Alaska liquefied natural gas project.
00 HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 26 01 Requesting that the United States Congress appropriate authorized federal workforce 02 development funds to train state residents for the development, construction, and 03 operation of the Alaska liquefied natural gas project; and encouraging the hiring of 04 residents and the use of state-based small businesses in the development, construction, 05 and operation of the Alaska liquefied natural gas project. 06 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 07 WHEREAS the Alaska liquefied natural gas project is vital to the energy security, 08 economic growth, and strategic interests of the United States and the state; and 09 WHEREAS the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act, established in 15 U.S.C. 720 - 10 720n, authorized $20,000,000 to recruit and train adult and dislocated workers, including 11 Alaska Natives and other state residents from rural parts of the state, for the construction and 12 operation of the Alaska natural gas transportation system; and 13 WHEREAS Section 720j of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act encourages small 14 business participation in project contracts; the goal is further supported by the state's 15 framework established in ch. 14, SLA 2014, which expanded the Alaska Gasline
01 Development Corporation's mission and offers tax credits under AS 43.55.019(a) to promote 02 private investment in workforce training and education; and 03 WHEREAS existing training centers across the state have the infrastructure needed to 04 deliver skilled craft training now, but, without federal support, lack sufficient funding to 05 launch large-scale training programs; and 06 WHEREAS timely investment in training is critical to ensure that state residents are 07 equipped to fill high-skill jobs, keeping wages, skills, and long-term economic benefits in the 08 state, rather than relying on an outside workforce that would leave the state after project 09 completion; 10 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully urges the United 11 States Congress to immediately appropriate the $20,000,000 authorized under the Alaska 12 Natural Gas Pipeline Act to support workforce development through in-state training centers; 13 and be it 14 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature encourages all sponsors 15 and contractors of the Alaska Liquefied Natural Gas Project to prioritize hiring trained state 16 residents and contracting with state-based small businesses to maximize the long-term 17 economic benefit to the state. 18 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Donald J. Trump, President 19 of the United States; the Honorable JD Vance, Vice President of the United States and 20 President of the U.S. Senate; the Honorable Mike Johnson, Speaker of the U.S. House of 21 Representatives; the Honorable Lori Chavez-DeRemer, United States Secretary of Labor; the 22 Honorable Chris Wright, United States Secretary of Energy; and the Honorable Lisa 23 Murkowski and the Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Nicholas 24 Begich, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.