(SitNews) Anchorage, Alaska - Vote Yes for Alaska’s Fair Share  will be giving Alaskans a chance to fix the budget crisis.  On February 26, the Alaska Division of Elections (ADOE) posted that more than enough signatures have been qualified to meet the requirements for the initiative petition to be on the ballot in 2020.

"As Gov. Dunleavy and the Alaska Legislature prepare to spend the last of the savings we built up under ACES, it is imperative that we end the SB-21 corporate welfare that has destroyed Alaska's finances and is harming the Alaska economy. Alaskans are doing the job that our elected officials are supposed to be doing," said Merrick Peirce, co-sponsor.

"We are just giving away our oil, $744 million per year through $8 per barrel credits for production from Prudhoe Bay alone, even though the producers have a legal duty to produce the oil under their leases, have been producing the oil for over three decades with no subsidy, and are making over $40 per barrel in net income (which is over twice as much as they make anywhere else in the world). We are getting nothing for giving away our oil--revenue, investment, production, and jobs are all down. We need to get our fair share and keep it in Alaska so we can save Alaskan jobs and more fully fund essential services, PFDs, and capital budgets," added Robin Brena co-sponsor. 

During the winter, the Fair Share team collected more than 44,000 signatures from across the state in less than 3 months. The Alaska Department of Elections has as of Feburary 28, 2020 reviewed 36,252 of these signatures and qualified 32,378. 

The Fair Share team expects that close to 40,000 signatures will finally be qualified, exceeding the requirement of 28,501 by 40%. Additionally, Fair Share has already qualified 37 of the 40 House districts, far exceeding the minimum threshold of 30 qualified districts.

Jane Angvik, co-sponsor states, “The rapid and broad based public support for the Fair Share Act signature gathering effort is a demonstration that the public understands that the initiative is the way to stop giving away our oil. With a fair share of petroleum revenues, Alaska can restore basic services, sustain a permanent fund dividend and adopt a robust capital budget for the first time in six years."

While getting on the ballot is a key step, it is only the beginning of the process. In order to attract voters, Vote Yes will now ramp up a grass roots campaign throughout the state. They plan to build upon their base of supporters and volunteers, so Alaskans will hear the facts from their neighbors, not just the usual special interest corporate sponsored industry spin.

Edited By Mary Kauffman, SitNews

Source of News:

Vote Yes for Alaska’s Fair Share
www.voteyesforalaskasfairshare.com

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