Expect an oil broil in 2014 Republican race for Alaska governor
As I predicted a few days ago, the oil cartel wants to keep their good ol’ boy Governor Parnell in the Governors Office. The cartel needs to protect the multi-billion dollar tax break that Parnell and the Republican Legislature pushed through this session. Petitions to rescind the tax break are already being circulated. It will only take 30,000 signatures to have the issue in the 2014 primary.
Going to be eating a lot of popcorn over the next 16 months.
A fired-up Bill Walker came out swinging on Friday within minutes of Gov. Sean Parnell’s announcement that he’ll seek reelection, blasting him for doing little to help the state of Alaska while doing plenty to help Big Oil.
Walker, a Republican and oil and gas attorney, said oil companies shouldn’t be blamed for their political successes in the 49th state. That includes their recent victory, courtesy of Parnell’s legislation, giving them a tax break worth an estimated $750 million a year.
“They are not the problem, by the way. We are,” Walker said, referring to an administration he believes is soft on protecting the state’s top public resources, oil and gas.
Parnell’s announcement in Fairbanks on Friday, and Walker’s opposition, sets the stage for a Republican primary that will often hover around hydrocarbons. Oil, the lifeblood of Alaska, is dwindling to scary levels as production wanes in two of the nation’s biggest fields.