Governor Comments on Funding Request

Governor Palin today released a statement on a $25,000 budget request from some lawmakers to pay for state government dissemination of information related to mining. The funds would be used to allow state officials to inform the public about Alaska mining, the stringent permitting process already in place to govern mining, and to provide data on initiatives affecting those mining activities. The Governor released the following statement:“This budget item did not originate from my office and it would not be our intention to influence a ballot initiative. If lawmakers decide to allocate public money for this, we will ensure the Department of Natural Resources provides objective, factual information about the impacts of mining-related initiatives for voters to consider. Alaskans deserve to hear the facts from their government.”