Blog: Dermot Cole
Palin offers new reason for rejecting $28.6 million in federal energy funds
Published Thursday, May 21, 2009
Gov. Sarah Palin rejected $28.6 million in federal energy funds today as part of her budget vetoes, but gave the weakest argument yet as to why she finds them objectionable.
She said in a press release that she does not want to encourage local governments to adopt energy codes for new buildings.
This comes at a time when the state is spending $360 million to make old buildings across Alaska more energy efficient.
What sense does it make for the state to subsidize the renovation of buildings to save energy and refuse to even mention the value of energy codes?
There are several states without statewide building codes. Governors in some of those states have written letters to the federal government saying they would ask local governments to "consider" the value of energy codes. The federal Department of Energy approved that approach.
Palin's objections to accepting this part of the federal stimulus money have evolved over the past couple of months. At first, her administration said the state was being "bribed" to mandate a statewide energy code.
It soon became clear, however, that Alaska was not required to adopt a statewide energy code to qualify for the money.
The press release from the governor Thursday said she rejected the money because the state would have been required to "entice" local communities to adopt energy codes.
"The funds are tied to building codes that the state would be required to entice local communities to adopt," the press release said.
Most major communities already have standards in place, so it's not clear that the state would have to do any enticing.
In Missouri, Gov. Jeremiah Nixon satisfied the enticing standard by writing, “The state is committed to working with communities to create model energy efficiency standards that, if local units of government choose to implement, should reduce energy costs for Missourians.”
In a news conference conducted by Karen Rehfeld, the governor's budget director, Rehfeld said the governor does not want to "encourage" local governments to adopt energy codes.
Rehfeld said "the governor was not available" to speak on the budget vetoes Thursday and she "does not want to assure the US Department of Energy" that she will encourage local governments to approve energy codes.
Sen. Mark Begich responded by saying that most communities already have energy codes, which makes sense in a state with the highest energy costs in the country.
"This notion about some onerous federal mandate seems to be little more than a political red herring targeted at an agenda other than Alaska’s," Begich said.
Begich said last week that since he went to Washington, D.C. his office has already received 522 separate requests for federal funds from Alaska totaling $4.8 billion. The state government has asked for $69 million in earmarks and $65 million in federal highway projects.
"It is very difficult to secure support from other members of Congress for Alaska projects while the state is turning down federal dollars that could fund some of these same projects," he said in a letter to Palin asking her to accept the energy money.
Hooray for our Governor! What she did is the absolute right thing to do for Alaska. Dermot, you may want us to suck at the teat of federal government, and accept some of that fake money they are printing, but Governor Palin knows that our future must be as independent as possible from those that are sending us down the road to financial ruin.
Yes!!
And we get to pay for it even though we aren't accepting it!
YAAAAAYYYYY!
And at the same time, let's talk out of the other side of our mouths and piss-and-moan about the loss of missile defense funds!
Grumble! Grumble!
<<<<<<And we get to pay for it even though we aren't accepting it!>>>
oh, please is right, not the poster, the statement, we get far more money from the feds than we pay in taxes, it ain't even close. so, unless oh please is from another state, we aint't paying for it, besides not gettting it.
the DINGBAT did this only so she could claim she turned down something of the stilumus money. otherwise she'd have to admit that she was way off base with her first "decision" to say thanks but no thanks. AND, the one thing this person in juneau, er wassilla, NEVER does is admit when she screws up.
Inconceivable!
If she had wanted the money for the state with out strings, she could have fought for that and probably won. Instead she is basically saying she wants that funding going somewhere else, and she doesn't want any of her constituents benefiting from lower energy costs.
The feds sure aren't going to refund any of us that tax money.
Boondoggle - do you ever read the articles before you post complaints about them? Can you explain why the governor would turn down $28.6 in stimulus funds, while at the same time requesting $69 million in earmarks, and another 65 billion in federal highway funds? And while you're at it, try explaining her decision to turn down energy funds when the state is currently spending $360 million on what? Energy efficiency! Unbelievable.
Meanwhile, that money which could have been put to good use here in Alaska will be distributed to the other states. It does not go back into some federal fund or the Treasury or what-have-you. It's already mandated for use by the states and if we don't use our share some other state will.
Way to go, Sarah.....
(She's probably too busy writing the first outline of her book...in her words...to really give this matter any thought, hence the weak answers and that notable lack of comment from her "open and transparent" administration.)
Liberals just don't get it. "Well, we're gonna have to pay for it anyway, might as well get our fair share."
Fair share of what? Fake money? Borrowed money. Our great-grandchildren's money?
You are an embarrassment.
No, your governor is an embarrassment. Blatant political posturing on a non-issue. And Begich is right. Why was it so great when Stevens got all the pork for AK? Because it was Republican pork? It is truly hypocritical to ask for earmarks when turning down money we actually need that would do good for the people in this state who bear the highest heating costs in the country.
You folks didn't mind when the last administration mortgaged your children and grandchildren's future for an unjust and illegal war that continues to drain us dry. At least this money is meant for something constructive.
is Palin really that stupid????
I don't think Silly Sarah is stupid, she just pandering to "her base", they love her at C4P( AKReport) and TS for rejecting the money. Of course most of them don't live in Alaska so it doesn't effect them, but it makes her look all mavericky and Presidential???and it got her in the spotlight again, right or wrong she loves the spotlight and keeping everything whipped up around her. On second thought maybe she is stupid, stupid as a fox!!!She'll probably let Meg and Todd co-govern while she writes her book, when was the last time Todd worked on the slope?? And how does super mommy Bristol go to school, the gym, tanning, have 2 jobs, doing interviews, while taking care of a newborn?? Smiling on the cover of People mag with a beautiful baby telling teens how rough she has it. LOL Thats really sending a message, isn't it?
Hea, is FREE money lets take all we can get before they run out of it. Stupid people do stupid things, that will never change, except we keep re-electing them, again stupid, stupid.
What we do need is a code REPEALING all other codes. Building codes, electrical codes, plumging codes, energy codes, garden codes, tree codes, dirt codes, the numbers are getting out of hand. It takes tax money to enforce these STUPID codes, with stupid people. The cost goes on and on , at least untill you run out of money, then you have to beg for more, or at least try to raise taxes, (sales tax sound familar?). We have already spent our grandchildrens money, do we need to start spending their childrens money?? Shame on US....
but it should be the individual communities that decide on what ever building codes they may or may not need. we don't need some crusty old guys and girls 5000 miles away (some who may have never even seen snow in their lives) decide what those codes should be. and then there is the very nature of the money that is being handed out. it is immoral to borrow money on the level that this government is doing. yes we have to pay it back even if we aren't getting the money, but we need to reject it anyway due to the moral question involved.
Folks, she is running for president in 2012...that is the motivation of everything she does.
sarah needs to blitz the airwaves. hammer home the energy funds already in the budget.
The FY2010 capital and operating budgets already include $25.5 million for Alaska Energy Authority projects, $25 million for renewable energy, $38 million for power cost equalization, and $26.4 million for heating assistance, along with hundreds of millions of dollars in conservation efforts.
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