Sam Maloney

My name is Sam Maloney and I am a junior at South Anchorage High School. In addition, I attend King Career Center (KCC), a vocational and technology learning center. I have lived in Anchorage my whole life, and I love it up here.

I am currently taking Natural Resource Management at KCC and my future classes will include construction, electricity and welding. My career ambition is to work at Alaska’s North Slope in the oil and gas industry. This industry is high paying with excellent benefits and a rotation which allows a lot of time off. This type of job would allow me to spend quality outdoor time fishing, hunting, golfing, snow machining, and snowboarding.

I am concerned about future oil and gas opportunities. When my mom and dad came up here 20 years ago, the Alyeska Pipeline had about three times as much oil going through it as it does today. If production goes down that fast over the next 20 years, will the pipeline still operate? Will Alaskans, including me, have any jobs? What about our State Treasury without oil monies?

The state of Alaska, local municipalities and multiple oil and gas companies are investing a lot of money in Alaska’s future work force. I truly appreciate the learning opportunities at KCC and plan on attending the University of Alaska at Anchorage after high school.

Let’s get going on the safe development of the OCS. Alaskans and Americans can develop resources better than anywhere else. We need jobs and the state and federal governments could use the tax monies. Thanks for coming to Alaska Secretary Salazar. We are friendly folks up here and we welcome your visit.