MALCOLM ROBERTS: Thank you, Larry. Let's give him a hand for that.

So the floor is now open for any questions or comments in any of these areas and we'd welcome them all or if you have questions for any of our speakers just throw those out too.

Tom. Tom is one of our -- Dr. Nighswander spoke about the medical issues and medical care issues during a boom and did a great job, I had to cut him off, he had half of his agenda he couldn't even get across. Tom, now you have the mic again.

DR. TOM NIGHSWANDER: This is a follow up to Larry and, I guess, to Gail and to Brian. You know, our biggest concern always is what you mentioned, Larry, and so we have resolutions and you are savvy political folks here, know about resolutions. What happens next? I mean, I had this workforce stuff, I had a real sense of urgency and this lead time that's needed and I don't know if, Gail or Brian, if you want to talk about what needs to happen, we have the resolutions, what happens now?

BRIAN ROGERS: I'll kick off just on that. And I think that you have to keep following up with the policy makers. Certainly I know there were a number of people from the University there, in our budget request to the Legislature there are items that are pieces of follow up and I think we're seeing that the workforce issue's been one that the University's pursued for some time. Certainly in the health arena, some really major strides because of participation of others with the University. You can't stop with the resolution, you gotta keep hitting the Legislature, keep hitting the Assembly, whatever the policy making body is, talking to them to ensure that there is follow up and that it doesn't just get shelved.

I think publishing this helps, it's not just a discussion now, there are some concrete ideas and I would think that both Commonwealth North and the Institute of the North should look at a little follow up in a year, let's see what progress we made on the recommendations that came out.

MR. ROBERTS: Good idea. Nels, you don't work for me anymore, you can't take that note. Oh, you got it? Okay, thanks. Nels was a wonderful partner in putting on this Dialogue.

Gail, do you have a comment on that? And -- 'cause a lot of this seems to come back to funding, to the Legislature, are we going to just wait. I know so many people are in the struggle, you know, which pipeline, will we open ANWR, will these mines go forward and that's sort of where all the energy is, meanwhile the preparation isn't being done. Gail, thoughts?

MS. PHILLIPS: It -- the preparation needs to be done not only at the legislative -- the state and government level, but also the private sector level.

Hospitals today in Alaska are facing a crisis as far as unpaid debt. That effects everyone of us in the state today. You add 200,000 more people that need health care into this state for a brief period of time, maybe five years, 10 years, and it's going to have a tremendous impact on the private sector.

So those are issues that industry and the state, but industry needs to be looking at those issues right now, what are the medical facilities, what are the hospitals going to do about the debt that they're carrying from unpaid hospital bills and the impact with more people coming in.

MR. ROBERTS: And we can tip our hats to Commonwealth North for doing that health study that's now turned in to an action round table, I think you're co-chairing it Tom, Duane Heyman is staffing it. But that is absolutely critical. You'll read -- I hope you'll read that little section on the health issues in this study -- in this report because I forget what the percentage of bankruptcies in Alaska relate to health crisis and families, but how much.....

UNIDENTIFIED VOICE: Seven out of 10.

MR. ROBERTS: Seven out of 10, this is from the bankruptcy court and Donna Williams. So this is a hot, hot topic.

By the way some people that didn't even get breakfast let alone a seat, but one is Sue Fison. Sue was one of our presenters in Talkeetna and she ran the impact study office of the North Star Borough during the whole construction of the oil line. I can't believe she did it as a young teenager, but somehow she did it. And, Sue, do you have a comment for us? Come on up and give us a comment or two, whatever sparks you?

SUE FISON: Well, I don't know if you mentioned it earlier or not, but the retrospective is coming in 2007. American Experience is doing a 30 year look back at the pipeline. And they're already up in Alaska talking to -- well, I know that they've talked to Malcolm about the -- they talked to a lot of us about the pipeline.

And I would think that to young people, it's really exciting to be part of something like this, you don't realize when it's happening when you're twenty something -- I actually was twenty something, but that it really is a life changing thing for the whole state, I don't think any of us had any idea how dominant this whole thing was going to be in our life and we look back blissfully at those 30 years ago, but I really think that the young people -- I really think that including young people in these Dialogues is so important.

I know my daughter's a junior in college and I hope she comes back to the state and that there's opportunity for her like there was for me.

MR. ROBERTS: Great. Thanks, Sue. Sue told us -- and this was an interesting trivia piece, that the school population in Fairbanks dropped during the oil line. Everyone was expecting it to really burst at the seams and, Sue, I guess that was the people with families fled or what?

MS. FISON: Well, people didn't bring children. Actually the projections for -- were that there would be -- there were less children projected than if there had been no pipeline at all.

MR. ROBERTS: Right.

MS. FISON: It really did bring families,.....

MR. ROBERTS: Right.

MS. FISON: .....there were young people.

MR. ROBERTS: Other comments or questions, please, jump in. How about from the Alaska Railroad, Pat, you just heard Jeff's comments, we -- we're sure going to be counting on you and your organization for -- and I'm sure you're thinking about these issues in the longer term, do you have any thoughts for us?

MR. PAT: Well, anybody's who has heard me talk before for about four years one of the pitches I give when I talk about the Alaska Railroad is my job is to prepare for an uncertain future. And one of the biggest events in the life and history of the Railroad would be the construction of the pipeline. And everything we've done in terms of federal funds that we get, in terms of our net earnings, we pour it all back into the capital of the Railroad and the focus on that has been to prepare for the pipeline because of the burden that pipeline will bring.

We're talking to the Department of Transportation, looking specifically at some of the issues that Jeff discussed and we're hard at work, you know, but quietly preparing the way.

Now, you know, if the pipeline never comes well, we're in really good shape, but if the pipeline does come we can little afford to jettison all our customers for five years while we construct the pipeline and then say see you later after it's over, we've gotta do both and that's quite a challenge and that's what we're working very hard on.

MR. ROBERTS: Absolutely. Thank you. Yes, Brian?

MR. ROGERS: Just a note, I think that what Pat said is important in that he's preparing for a pipeline and it doesn't matter which one. And I think too much of the public policy debate right now is over which pipeline rather than all the things we can do regardless of which pipeline. We can do workforce development regardless of which pipeline, we can prepare for health regardless of which pipeline, we can do as Jeff has done and plan for both of them. The Railroad is going to be essential regardless of which pipeline gets built and frankly if we can get it extended at least as far as Delta before it's built we're that much better off in terms of the impacts on the road.

And so I would hope that some of the discussion in a year when where we have a pretty big surplus is, where can we invest so that we advance the cause of either pipeline instead of spending the whole session debating which one.

MR. ROBERTS: Yes. In fact, in our Dialogue we said all right, anyone who wants to debate which gas line we're gonna do can do it in this room at the side, we didn't cut 'em off, but we tried to keep on point 'cause Roger Herrera writes in the paper this morning, you know, ANWR still may be opened, it still may happen, folks, and that in itself would be a tremendous impact on our state.

Other comments or questions? Pardon? One minute?

JANIE LEASK: One more.

MR. ROBERTS: Oh, one more. One more question or comment? Well, hearing none I'm going to introduce my son who's up here for the film festival, his film is at 5:30 today at the Bear Tooth. And thank you Commonwealth North for having us.

MS. LEASK: Give another round of applause for our panel. Well, if my son were here this morning I would introduce him as well.

But I would really encourage those of you who have not had an opportunity to attend one of the Talkeetna Dialogues to do so, they are tremendous opportunities for a statesman like discussion and as Malcolm and as many of the panelists have said, it's really an opportunity to put your -- to check your political parties and political views at the door and to really look at what's best for the State of Alaska. And it's a very unique opportunity in the state to be able to do that and I thank you for your leadership and putting this together -- continuing to put it together.

So, please -- you have fliers on the table for our next Commonwealth North forum which is going to be held on Thursday, December 15th at the Marriott. And it is going to be -- and we'll have as our special guest Governor Murkowski who is going to be unveiling his fiscal year 2007 budget. So I would encourage you to make your reservations and to attend that one on -- again on Thursday, December 15th. It'll be at 12:00 noon, the doors will open at 11:30, it'll be an opportunity to hear the Governor's budget and specific priorities for this upcoming year.

If you are a guest today welcome, we encourage you to join Commonwealth North. Commonwealth North is a membership organization. We've relied on you, on our members incoming as well as underwriting. We hope you will consider becoming a member of Commonwealth North. Information about the organization and what we've accomplished over the years is available at the table by the door.

So I hope in closing that everyone has a very safe and happy holiday season, a very safe one. The roads are very slippery, there is a lot of people traveling at too high a speed out there so be careful as you go on with the day and go on with the work.

So again thank you for coming this morning and we stand adjourned.

(END OF PROCEEDINGS)