Gov. Mike Dunleavy said a warming Arctic could turn some of Alaska’s unique characteristics into further business opportunities.<\/p>\n
Dunleavy said a more navigable Arctic would be an advantage for both the United States as a whole and Alaska in particular, while speaking to the state’s strengths and emerging opportunities during a panel discussion Thursday morning.<\/p>\n
“Take a look at Alaska,” Dunleavy said encouragingly to potential investors in the audience. “Our international airport hub is getting more and more investment. The Arctic is warming. Fifty years from now, if this trend continues, there will be seasonal, if not regular, travel through the Northwest Passage.”<\/p>\n
[Live coverage of the meeting<\/a>]<\/ins><\/p>\n He said those things coupled with the Trump administration’s pro-business attitudes and recently changed tax laws should make Alaska and the U.S. attractive locations for investment.<\/p>\n Dunleavy was one half of a two-governor panel Thursday morning during an international meeting of investment funds — with more than 30 nations present — happening at Centennial Hall in Juneau. During a conversation moderated by Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation CEO Angela Rodell, Dunleavy and Wyoming Gov. Mark Gordon discussed the opportunities and challenges they perceive their states are facing.<\/p>\n Their conversation followed welcoming remarks by Juneau Mayor Beth Weldon and brought the Arctic-focused third day of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Fund’s annual meeting to a start. Alaska’s Permanent Fund and Wyoming’s Permanent Wyoming Mineral Trust Fund<\/a> are among the largest sovereign wealth funds in the nation.<\/p>\n Unlike Alaska, Wyoming’s fund does not provide a dividend to residents, Gordon said.<\/p>\n Throughout the discussion, Dunleavy touted the many things he sees as working in Alaska’s favor.<\/p>\n “As you know, I love talking about Alaska,” Dunleavy said near the beginning of the discussion. “It’s an incredible state. The strengths are many. It’s an Arctic and a Pacific nation. It’s America’s only Arctic nation. We are closer to Asia than any other state in the country, including Hawaii. We have enormous resources.”<\/p>\n He listed timber reserves, national forests, lead, zinc, gold, silver and copper as being among those resources.<\/p>\n “If you’re thinking about a place to invest,” Dunleavy said trailing off before naming his state, which drew laughs. “It’s America, it’s governed by American laws, American tax law, corporate law, the stability of America, but we have the resources and proximity that makes us a little different than a lot of other states.”<\/p>\n Gordon also spoke to his state’s strengths and listed medical research, tourism, agriculture, cryptocurrencies — electronic moneys like bitcoin — energy production and deposits of natural gas, coal and oil as some of Wyoming’s pluses.<\/p>\n “Whatever happens is going to happen in Wyoming, and it’s going to happen to us,” Gordon said. “Our challenge is going to be how do we make it so we steer that development.”<\/p>\n Dunleavy said some of Alaska’s strengths — its size, unique location, sparse population and wilderness — also create challenges.<\/p>\n Climate change and politics<\/strong><\/p>\n Climate change and a charged political landscape both came up repeatedly throughout the conversation.<\/p>\n “The warming of the Arctic and the warming of Alaska, I think there is no doubt warming is happening,” Dunleavy said.<\/p>\n Gordon and Dunleavy both spoke to the importance of developing technology that could remove carbon dioxide, which is a leading cause of climate change<\/a>, from the air instead of solely looking at ways to curb carbon emissions.<\/p>\n “We’re really looking at things that have to do with carbon dioxide,” Gordon said. “We’re also looking at ways we can integrate carbon capture and sequestration into forest management.”<\/p>\n Both governors were asked about what the 2020 election means for the U.S. since it is an election year that will feature both a presidential race and put dozens of congressional seats up for grabs.<\/p>\n Gordon said there’s a potential for a “fairly large tsunami” of young voters to come on board.<\/p>\n “You’re really seeing a fundamental shift in potentially the economy and a fundamental shift in how we govern,” Gordon said. “The benefit of being a governor is all of that plays out at a national level. If you look at what’s happening with governors you have the ability to reach across the aisle. You have the opportunity to talk about regional economic development.”<\/p>\n