www.AKRDC.org 3 DEAR RDC MEMBERS & SUPPORTERS, It’s an exciting time as we welcome in 2025! By the time you read this, we will be several weeks into the new year and with that comes many new opportunities. With a new state legislature starting in Juneau, we welcome our newly elected state officials and soon be in Juneau for our annual legislative fly-in. Staff and many of our board members will be in attendance to meet legislators and cabinet officials in person to discuss resource policy issues that matter most to you. There will be significant focus on the state budget and we will be watching closely to ensure our resource industries are treated fairly. Our 2025 state policy priorities were recently released and you can now find them on our website. On the national level, there is much excitement as a new administration takes office. Already, the administration is poised to refocus on responsible resource development issues and “Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential.” (If you missed it, please look up this extraordinary Executive Order issued Jan. 20, 2025). This is welcome news for projects like the Ambler Access Road, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), development in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska (NPR-A), reopening access for timber harvest and more in the Tongass National Forest, and honoring leases in the Chugach National Forest, to name a few. RDC looks forward to working with our federal partners, including Alaska’s new Congressman, Nick Begich. With so much to look forward to, we will also be reflecting on our past. This year, RDC turns 50! What an amazing milestone! This is a testament to readers like you who support our mission of “Growing Alaska Through Responsible Resource Development” and represent the best of our oil, gas, mining, timber, tourism and fishing industries. RDC originally formed in 1975 as the Organization for the Management of Alaska’s Resources (OMAR) in response to the development of oil on Alaska’s North Slope and the construction of the Trans Alaska Pipeline System. Soon after, OMAR changed its name to the Resource Development Council for Alaska and the rest, as they say, is history. Stay tuned throughout the year as we plan additional events to honor the past 50 years and look to the next 50 years! One ask of you: We are compiling stories, photos and more to celebrate RDC at 50. Do you have a story, photos, connection or other piece of history to share? We’d love to hear from you! Please email resources@akrdc.org with the subject “RDC50.” In this issue, you’ll see many great articles and updates and I want to thank all who contributed to our magazine – including our very own U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska. There are also photos and recaps from our 45th annual Alaska Resources Conference. Thank you again to all our sponsors, speakers and attendees who made this one of our most successful conferences ever! This year, we plan to increase the Resource Review to a quarterly publication and would not be able to do that without your support. With so much invigorating news and events to look forward to in 2025, it’s hard to capture the sheer energy here at RDC and put it more eloquently into words. (“Git R Done” comes to mind!). We have much work to do and we have many great partners to work with but it won’t happen overnight. However, we will continue to do what RDC has always done: by doing it together because together, we are stronger! I look forward to seeing you all again in this new year! As always, I want to hear your feedback and ideas for what you want to read about. Yours resourcefully, RDC TURNS 50: THANK YOU FOR UNWAVERING SUPPORT! "We have much work to do and we have many great partners to work with. We will continue to do what RDC has always done: by doing it together because together, we are stronger!" — Leila Kimbrell, Executive Director, RDC VOLUME 2 | ISSUE 1 | WINTER 2025 WE ARE COMPILING STORIES, PHOTOS AND MORE TO CELEBRATE RDC AT 50. DO YOU HAVE A STORY, PHOTOS, CONNECTION OR OTHER PIECE OF HISTORY TO SHARE? WE’D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! PLEASE EMAIL RESOURCES@AKRDC.ORG WITH THE SUBJECT “RDC50.”
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