Parnell concocts a massive flip-flop

When will the budget drop through the ice?

A deep freeze set in on the Senate when Gov. Sean Parnell, desperate to pass his $2 billion-a-year oil tax cut, threatened to veto capital projects in the districts of his opponents. Parnell turned hydro projects from Southeast and Western Alaska, basic grid upgrades, geothermal wells, weatherization and wind power into hostages.

Senators on both sides of the aisle were incensed. They answered by putting a bunch of other projects on the bus with the hostages.

Blow up one, blow them all up.

The chill from the Senate shouldn't have surprised the governor. In his former life, he was a member of Senate finance committee. In 1997 he supported "contingency" language in the capital budget submitted to then-Gov. Tony Knowles. It wound up in court. Two years later, Parnell was sitting in the same chair now occupied by Sitka Sen. Bert Stedman. As co-chair of the finance committee, Parnell said, "I would never waive the legislature's rights to include conditional language in an appropriations bill."

Were his fingers crossed?

Sean Parnell seems likeable. He stays out of The Enquirer and most people don't know the names of his kids. It's refreshing, given his predecessor. But it's hard for me, a former fisherman, to trust him. In 2005, he worked as an attorney for ExxonMobil arguing against Alaska fishermen and the state of Alaska. He did a great job. We lost. Before that he served as director of government relations -- a fancy name for head lobbyist -- for ConocoPhillips.

I have a bit of nostalgia for the grainy videos of Bill Allen buying legislation the old fashioned way. I miss Room 604 of the Baranof; all those corrupt deals made behind closed doors. The Supreme Court's Citizens United decision legalized that for which we used to lock up people.

If the future of Alaska was a punch line, the joke would start, "An oil lobbyist, a lawmaker and a redistricting official walk into a bar. ..." But the future of Alaska isn't a joke. I find no humor in rural school districts spending a third of their budgets just to heat their schools. It isn't funny when families are forced to choose between putting food on the table and heating their homes.

Weatherization, energy infrastructure and renewable development are more than just jobs for Alaskans. They can free us to travel Outside for a family reunion or buy a safer, more fuel-efficient car. The savings for some families could determine the college their kids attend.

What if that $744 million "energy rebate" from 2008 had been invested in renewable energy infrastructure instead of big screens at Best Buy? Chances are we'd already be reaping the rewards of lower energy costs.

Article 8 of Alaska's Constitution states that Alaska's resources should be developed "for the maximum benefit of its people." That's the same Constitution our lawmakers and governor swore to uphold.

This week, ConocoPhillips released its first-quarter earnings. They're up 43 percent. Since the beginning of the year, the company has made $254,000 an hour in profits from its Alaska investments. Exxon's profits are up 69 percent worldwide.

The House Finance Committee, frustrated with the press they've been getting in Juneau, put on a show in Anchorage on Friday. Fantastic. But wait, there's more. It was an invite-only event. The guest list? The attorney general and organizations that had proved their loyalty to the governor through their earlier testimony in Juneau. Public comment was not a priority. KGOP provided cover and radio airtime, pleading the case for the House, the governor and the Mom & Pop oil companies.

The days are getting longer. Many of us are checking our Ice Classic tickets, hoping we guessed the exact moment the tripod falls through the ice. The fantasy of winning makes breakup a wee bit easier.

Now we wait. We wait for the capital budget to drop through the ice created by the chilling words of a governor who knew better.

Shannyn Moore is host of "The Shannyn Moore Show" on KOAN 1020 AM and 95.5 FM radio, and the television show "Moore Up North" on KYES Channel 5.