Anchorage Economic Development chief: state needs to work closely with private sector
By KIRSTEN ADAMS
Anchorage Daily Planet
The state of Alaska will need to work closely with private sector resource development to compete economically with other Pacific Rim countries, Bill Popp, president of the Anchorage Economic Development Corp., told the Resource Development Council on Thursday.
Popp said the state would need to restructure tax and permitting structures and eliminate red tape to encourage oil, gas and mining development and compete effectively with emerging Pacific Rim powers such as India and China.
“Without a forward-looking strategy, leaving it to laissez faire capitalism, our economy may fall behind,” Popp said.
Donna Logan, senior manager with the McDowell Group, is working with AEDC to develop an economic strategy and said Alaska’s private and state economic interests are notoriously exclusive.
“We haven’t done a very good job of working together, we tend to work in silos,” Logan said. “The private sector needs to be the driving force in this, and that’s where the momentum comes from.”
Alaska has a vast array of accessible resources, Popp said, and cooperation between private interests and the state would expedite the development process.
“There are so many development opportunities on the horizon, if only we can nurture them,” Popp said.
Kirsten Adams can be reached at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Published Nov. 20, 2009
