Contributed by Henry Kroll
I am gubernatorial candidate Henry Kroll, age 82, and author of 13 books. I was born in Seldovia, Alaska. My five kids are Native Alaskans.
1. Stewardship and Development: How would your administration approach balancing economic development with the long-term stewardship of Alaska’s lands, waters, and wildlife? Article 8 of the State Constitution insists that the land should go to the people. Past administrations have neglected to open up areas for more farms, and as a result, we are in danger of starving. If something should happen to the food supply in the lower 48 states, like a war, or if Yellowstone should erupt, or an EMP from the sun that destroys the grid, we would be in trouble. We don’t have enough farms. I suggest we trade one dividend check for one acre of land so that residents would have something valuable instead of something that loses its value. The money would stay in the PFD to make it grow. You can’t fix a problem if you are part of the problem.
Three million tourists came here last year. Many of them come here to catch salmon. Four million people may come here this year. I suggest we limit the number of salmon non-residents take to two a day. I also suggest we stock thousands of lakes with native fish to take the pressure off the salmon stocks. We should allow people with lakes next to their land to build small docks and charge tourists to fish off their docks.
As a native-born Alaskan homesteader, I have witnessed the decimation of most wildlife due to pollution. There isn’t much we can do to reverse the problem, and not enough room on this page to elaborate. Read Make Alaska Great Again at HankKroll.com.
2. Community and Tribal Engagement: What role do you believe Tribal governments, rural communities, and local stakeholders should play in shaping state decisions related to land and resource management? Tribal leaders know more about their land and resources than any government agent. I have advised tribal leaders about the pollution that killed off a billion-dollar-per-year crab and shrimp fishery. From the 1960s to 1990, two oil tankers a day each discharged 20 million gallons of ballast water taken from foreign ports like Korea, Japan, Honolulu, Long Beach, California, and other ports into Cook Inlet. We lost a billion-dollar-a-year Kodiak and Cook Inlet crab fishery, money that went into the private sector. Ballast water taken from foreign ports contains algae that can double in numbers every twelve hours. It also contains foreign bacteria with no natural enemies and nematodes that eat the crab and shrimp eggs. One of the algae they brought here killed off half the fish in the Mediterranean Sea.
Back in the early 1960s, you could dig a small hole on the beaches of Seldovia and fill a bucket with big, white, hard-shell clams. The beaches were alive with worms, snails and centipedes. Now every beach is dead and covered with brown slime. All ships carry ballast water. Global shipping killed off trillions of dollars’ worth of natural resources worldwide!
3. Subsistence and Resource Management: How should the State of Alaska work with federal agencies, Tribal governments, and local communities to address ongoing challenges related to subsistence fisheries and wildlife management? This state cannot afford to manage all the wildlife because of its vast land area. We need to work with tribal governments to manage wildlife on their own lands. I personally think that we need to cut back the number of subsistence salmon per day Alaska residents are allowed to take to four fish per day. I would consult with Fish and Wildlife and the Board of Fish to work out a solution so that all can be happy. Tribes domiciled along the Yukon and other large rivers using fish wheels and gill nets for subsistence should use common sense and be regulated by the Tribes with advisory input only from Fish and Game.
4. Transparency in Decision-Making: What steps would your administration take to ensure transparency and meaningful public participation in major land, energy, or resource management decisions? I would appoint a spokesperson like Karoline Leavitt to email a daily newsletter to media outlets, including radio stations and TV newsrooms covering resource management, land and energy decisions. There are 17,000 employees working for the Executive Branch. I recommend researching the possibility of consolidating some of these offices.
The State of Alaska owns 1,999 buildings. It has been deferring the maintenance on all those buildings, with a current maintenance shortfall of $723,800,000. That is seven hundred twenty-three million eight hundred thousand dollars. That is almost three-quarters of a billion dollars. I used AI to calculate the total yearly maintenance for 2,000 office buildings in Alaska, and it is approximately $200 million a year. In a couple years, the heating systems will fail, and the roofs of fire stations, police stations and office buildings will start leaking. The only solution is to sell half of the buildings to the private sector at cost. If we need office space, rent some offices at $1,500 per month and put the money in the General Fund.
Deed 380 of the buildings to the University of Alaska and let the University maintain its own buildings. Sell the 84-story Atwood Tower to Donald Trump for a hotel. If State offices are needed, rent whatever is necessary for $1,500 per month. The new owners should be happy to have guaranteed tenants.
5. Environmental Change and Community Resilience: Alaska is experiencing significant environmental changes affecting ecosystems and communities. What role do you believe the state government should play in supporting community resilience and adaptation? It is predicted that 4 million tourists will be coming to Alaska this year. Our total population is approximately 750,000. We are going to need more police to watch over this horde of invaders. Many of them come here thinking that they are free from the laws and restrictions placed upon them from where they came from. They think they can crap in the woods, chop down trees and shoot bears and other game on sight. We are going to need more roads and RV parks, and especially more portable toilets. You have to read my book, Make Alaska Great Again. It is available on Amazon and other booksellers.
I used AI to determine the cost and environmental impact of constructing a 50-mile road from Skagway to Berners Bay that connects to Juneau so that people would have road access to their capital. The road would open up recreational areas for prospecting, hunting and timber harvest. It would create more revenue for Skagway and Juneau and possibly take some of the pressure off Southcentral Alaska.
6. Long-Term Vision for Alaska’s Lands and Waters: Looking ahead 20 to 30 years, what is your vision for how Alaska’s lands, waters, and natural resources should be managed to support both communities and future generations? A. The Flint Hills oil refinery at North Pole was shut down in 2017. The hydrocracker and other equipment were sold to Russia. The refinery at Nikiski only produces jet fuel. Five years from now, we need an oil refinery near the rail belt or Glennallen. At the present time, we are shipping our crude oil to Anacortes, Washington, and barging gasoline and diesel back to Alaska is insane. Alaskans cannot afford to pay $5 a gallon for gasoline.
B. Ten years from now, we need to export barley and other hardy grains like Kernza to Russia and Oriental markets. There is currently a loading facility in Seward and a grain silo in Valdez.
C. We need to finish the road to Nome that was surveyed in 1948. A ferry system to Russia would boost tourism. In the 1950s, the 76-foot tugboat, Mary M, that I later owned would travel to Nome every summer and salvage 130-foot landing craft that were upside down in 60 feet of water. The huge landing craft had new D-8 Cats and road graders chained to the deck. Rocky Roswell would cut the chains and salvage two of the barges some years. He’d sell the barges for $100,000. All that new equipment was intended to build the road to Nome, but the war ended, so they scuttled the barges. The road to Nome is partially constructed already, as there is a nice road from McGrath on to Ophir and Ruby near the Yukon River.
D. The Pebble Mine could be in operation if we and Pebble Partners construct a railroad spur from Usibelli Coal Mine to McGrath and another over toward the Pebble Mine. The railroad can be used to transport the mine tailings away from the headwaters of Bristol Bay. Instead of refining the ore in China, it should be done in Alaska, about fifty miles from McGrath, where it won’t pollute the water. The gold and copper could be shipped by railroad to Anchorage or Seward instead of China.
E. It looks like the gas pipeline will be constructed, as a major corporation is funding half the cost. I was informed that a right-of-way parallel to the Alaska Pipeline is currently under construction. I am deeply concerned about this project’s viability. Instead of transporting the gas overseas in large tankers and depending on Oriental markets, maybe an additional pipeline could furnish gas to Canada? Maybe smaller gas lines could bring it to Montana and other states? We don’t know what China will do. Why give our precious resources away to foreign countries? Vote Kroll for Governor.
My websites are HenryKroll.com and HankKroll.com.
26571 Heavy Down Drive, Soldotna, Alaska 99669.