Alaska Congressman Nick Begich urged the state Legislature to be bold with policies to encourage resource development, just as a previous generation did to build the Trans-Alaska Pipeline.
Begich said the state needs to match the federal momentum to get more drilling and mining in the state. He said lawmakers should enable the LNG gas line by adopting a favorable tax system and making the project inviting to investors.
“The federal barriers are coming down. The permits are moving. The investment is flowing,” he said. “But this window of opportunity for Alaska will not remain open forever.”
In his annual address to the Legislature on Tuesday, Begich, R-Alaska, struck a tone of economic optimism and bipartisanship. Begich rarely crosses President Trump, but he hardly said his name, even as he lauded the administration’s signature policies and legislative achievements, like border enforcement and deportations.
“When you enforce the law, chaos recedes and when you weaken cartels, American communities are safer,” he said.
Last year, as a brand new member of Congress, Begich told the Legislature Alaska was too dependent on federal spending. He supported the DOGE spending cuts and said the federal budget was unsustainable. This time, he spoke more of the support he is helping to deliver.
On disaster relief for Western Alaska, Begich said he’s trying to get the Trump administration to reverse course and pay 100% of the state’s claim. Rep. Nellie Jimmie, D-Toksook Bay, asked what he was doing to win federal support to move and rebuild communities destroyed by the Halong storm in October.
Begich said it would take time.
“But it needs to be done in a way that's durable, so that people have the confidence to go back to their villages and know that they're going to be safe. And that's my commitment to those communities,” he said. “That's my commitment to you, and we will work with you to find the best way forward to achieve that.”
On fisheries, Begich delved into an issue that’s a banner topic for his predecessor, Democrat Mary Peltola: Bycatch. Begich said he wanted to do more to reduce the accidental catch of salmon and other non-targetted species, and to protect marine habitat from trawl fishing gear.
He also said the North Pacific Fishery Management Council needs to reflect all fishing groups.
“We must get back to abundance. We must combat destructive practices. We must restore balance and accountability in (federal) fisheries management,” he said.
Begich skipped the customary post-address press conference but did take a few questions from reporters.
To them, he specified that he wants to see Alaska seats on the NPFMC representing rural subsistence fishing, urban subsistence and sportfishing.
Begich is running for a second term. Democratic challenger Matt Schultz's campaign issued a statement saying he "rubber-stamped a Washington agenda" that raises costs and will leave thousands of Alaskans without health insurance.
Begich, meanwhile, touted Republican legislation ending taxes on tips and overtime. He also mentioned a bill he sponsored to make Alaska Permanent Fund dividends non-taxable.
Anchorage Rep. Andy Josephson was struck by how nonpartisan Begich’s speech sounded, compared to that of U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan last month.
“As a progressive Democrat, I found most of his speech and his tone inoffensive, and some of it welcoming,” Josephson said.
But, he said, Begich glossed over a few harsh realities, like his assertion that Trump’s enforcement of immigration law has lessened chaos.
“What's ensued has been lots of chaos, right? And real harm and real division in the country. And real fear of our own federal government,” Josephson said. “So I thought that was misguided, insensitive — all of those things. But said pleasantly enough."