Anchorage Daily News


Legislature overrides Palin's veto on stimulus



The Alaska Legislature voted Monday to override former Gov. Sarah
Palin's veto of $28 million in federal stimulus money for energy cost
relief. But it was as close as a vote can get.

Reversing a governor's appropriation veto requires a vote of 75 percent
of the Legislature, a hurdle rarely met. The override passed 45 to 14
and if a single other legislator had voted against it or been absent
from the special session, it would have failed.

Supporters argued Palin badly overstated the "strings" attached to
taking the money, and that frigid Alaska could use the assistance.

"Instead of being the last state in the union to take this money we
should have been the first," said Bethel Democratic Sen. Lyman Hoffman.
"We live in the coldest state in the union and we should be setting the
standard in efficiencies and how energy is being used throughout this
state."

The Legislature also voted 55 to 4 on Monday to confirm Craig Campbell
as the new lieutenant governor. Senate budget leaders took the
opportunity of the one-day special session to attempt to override a few
other Palin vetoes as well, but failed to attract enough support from
their colleagues.

About 150 anti-stimulus protesters showed up to try to convince the
Legislature not to override Palin's stimulus veto. They rallied across
the street from the Egan Center -- with signs like "Fed $=Tyranny" and
"Override=You're fired." Others urging legislators to override the veto
mixed in with their own signs like "Efficiency Makes Cents." There was
arguing between the two camps and legislators had to walk a gantlet
through the protesters to get into the Egan Center, where the special
session was being held.

PALIN: 'CLEAR ROPES ATTACHED'

Palin vetoed the appropriation of $28 million in federal energy stimulus
cash in May, two months before she resigned as governor.

She kept up her fight against the money by posting a message on her
Facebook page Sunday.

"As governor, I did my utmost to warn our legislators that accepting
stimulus funds will further tie Alaska to the federal government and
chip away at Alaska's right to chart its own course. Enforcing the
federal building code requirements, which Governor Parnell and future
governors will be forced to adopt in order to accept these energy funds,
will eventually cost the state more than it receives. There are clear
ropes attached," she wrote.

The U.S. Department of Energy disputes Palin's characterization of what
taking the money requires. The department said in a letter to Alaska
lawmakers last week that the Legislature "does not need to adopt, impose
and enforce a statewide building code in order to qualify" for the
energy stimulus cash.

The letter said Alaska's governor or Legislature can qualify for the
money by assuring "that the state will encourage, promote and assist
municipalities that choose to adopt their own energy-efficiency codes to
achieve the goals ... reduced energy consumption in public or private
buildings."

The new governor, Sean Parnell, supported Palin's veto and after the
vote thanked the legislators who opposed the override. But he also said
he does not expect to have to now impose a building code, despite the
claims by former Gov. Palin. Parnell's explanation was that "the
requirements have changed" for what Alaska needs to do to get the money.

Parnell wrote a letter to U.S. Energy Secretary Steven Chu on Monday
formally accepting the money, telling Chu he was relying on the
assurances the department made that no statewide building code was needed.

Parnell told reporters after the override vote that his initial focus
for the money will be on making public buildings more energy efficient.
couldn't recall if it was his position in 1993. Gara said he was satisfied.