In 2006, Sarah Palin was elected governor of Alaska. Running on a clean-government platform, Palin defeated incumbent Governor Frank Murkowski in the Republican gubernatorial primary election in August. She then went on to win the general election in November, defeating former Governor Tony Knowles 48.3% to 40.9%.(Johnson 2008, p. 107) Her running mate was State Senator Sean Parnell.
During the Republican gubernatorial primary campaign, Palin was endorsed by former Alaska Governor Walter Hickel,Hickel backs Palin, Daily News-Miner (July 1, 2006). and groups such as the Alaska Correctional Officers Association and Alaska Right to Life.Milkowski, Stefan. "Governor candidates announce endorsements", Daily News-Miner (August 19, 2006). Later, in the general election for governor, she was supported by Governor Frank Murkowski.Hopkins, Kyle et al. “Knowles, Palin in November” , Anchorage Daily News (August 22, 2006). Republican U.S. Senator Ted Stevens made a last-minute endorsement, filming a television commercial with Palin for the gubernatorial campaign.
During her campaign for governor, Palin declared that education, public safety, and transportation would be the three cornerstones of her administration. She won the race despite spending less than her Democratic opponent.
Palin became Alaska's first female governor and, at 42, the youngest in state history. She is the first Alaskan governor born after Alaska achieved U.S. statehood and the first governor not inaugurated in Juneau; she chose to have the ceremony in Fairbanks instead. She took office on December 4, 2006, and maintained a high approval rating throughout her term.
On July 3, 2009, Sarah Palin announced her resignation as governor of Alaska. She stepped down on July 26, 2009, being replaced by then Lieutenant Governor Sean Parnell.
Government ethics Palin had championed ethics reform throughout her election campaign. Her first legislative action after taking office was to push for a bipartisan ethics reform bill. She signed the resulting legislation in July 2007, calling it a "first step" declaring that she remains determined to clean up Alaska politics. However, Palin was also the subject of an ethics probe concerning her brother-in-law, Mike Wooten.
Public Safety Commissioner dismissal
On July 11, 2008, Palin dismissed Public Safety Commissioner Walter Monegan, citing performance-related issues. She then offered him an alternative position as executive director of the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board, which he turned down. Monegan alleged that his dismissal was retaliation for his failure to fire Palin's former brother-in-law, Alaska State Trooper Mike Wooten, who was involved in a child custody battle with Palin's sister, Molly McCann. "Palin has said she did not pressure Monegan or fire him for not taking action against her former brother-in-law." He further alleged that contacts made by Palin herself, her staff, and her family had constituted inappropriate pressure to fire Wooten. Palin stated that most of those calls were made without her knowledge, and reiterated that she did not fire Monegan because of Wooten, who remained employed as a state trooper. On September 19, 2008, Todd Palin refused to testify to a state legislative committee about his role in the controversy.
Palin's choice to replace Monegan, Charles M. Kopp, chief of the Kenai police department, took the position on July 11, 2008. He resigned on July 25 after it was revealed that he had received a letter of reprimand for sexual harassment in his previous position. On August 1, the Alaska Legislature hired an independent investigator to review the situation, and report back by October. On August 13, Palin changed her position after an internal investigation, acknowledging that her staff had contacted Monegan or his staff regarding Wooten, but reiterating that she had not fired Monegan because of Wooten. On September 1, Palin's lawyer asked the state Legislature to drop its investigation, saying that by state law, the governor-appointed state Personnel Board had jurisdiction over ethics issues. Palin also asked that the Board review the matter as an ethics complaint.
On October 10, 2008, the Republican-dominated Alaska Legislative Council unanimously voted to release the Branchflower investigative report which found that Sarah Palin abused her power as governor in the firing of Monegan.
On November 3, 2008, the Alaska Personnel Board concluded that Palin had not violated ethics laws, essentially contradicting the findings of the Branchflower probe. Tim Petumenos, the attorney hired by the Personnel Board to conduct the probe, stated in his final report, "There is no probable cause to believe that the governor, or any other state official, violated the Alaska Executive Ethics Act in connection with these matters."
Energy
Palin has promoted oil and natural gas resource development in Alaska, including in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), where such development has been the subject of a national debate. She also helped pass an increase in the severance tax oil companies pay to extract oil from state land. Palin has created a new sub-cabinet group of advisers to address climate change and reduce greenhouse gas emissions within Alaska. When asked about climate change after becoming Senator McCain's presumptive running mate, she stated that it would "affect Alaska more than any other state", but she added, "I'm not one though who would attribute it to being man-made." and "I believe that man's activities certainly can be contributing to the issue of global warming, climate change."Alex Koppelman."Palin flip-flops on global warming"; Salon, September 12, 2008
Shortly after taking office, Palin rescinded 35 appointments made by Murkowski in the last hours of his administration, including that of his former chief of staff James "Jim" Clark to the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority.
In January 2009, Governor Palin introduced a new plan that would convert 50% of Alaska's energy resources to renewables. The plan has been hailed by some environmental activists as the most ambitious alternative energy project in the country.
Gas pipeline
In March 2007, Palin presented the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA) as the new legal vehicle for building a natural gas pipeline from the state's North Slope. This negated a deal by the previous governor to grant the contract to a coalition including BP (her husband's employer). Only one legislator, Representative Ralph Samuels, voted against the measure, and in June, Palin signed it into law. On January 5, 2008, Palin announced that a Canadian company, TransCanada Corporation, was the sole AGIA-compliant applicant. In August 2008, Palin signed a bill into law giving the state of Alaska authority to award TransCanada Pipelines $500 million in seed money and a license to build and operate the $26-billion pipeline to transport natural gas from the North Slope to the Lower 48 through Canada. TransCanada projects the pipeline to be operational by late 2018, barring unforeseen obstacles. "Palin’s Pipeline Is Years From Being a Reality " New York Times September 10, 2008
Gasoline taxes In June 2008, Governor Sarah Palin asked the Legislature to give Alaskans a special one-time payment of $1,200 to help with the high costs of energy. She said it will come out of the windfall the state is getting from high oil prices. The legislation was passed and signed into law by Gov. Palin in August 2008.
This replaces the proposal that Palin dropped to give Alaskans $100-a-month energy debit cards. The governor said the debit cards were too expensive for the state to administer and wouldn't work in some rural Alaskan communities.
"As the fiscal year winds down, Alaskans are assured of surpluses beyond the billions of dollars put into savings and funding for priorities such as forward funding education and municipal revenue sharing," Palin said in a press release. "With savings and funding priorities covered, I am confident that Alaskans, who are the owners of our resources, can spend their resource revenue better than government can."
Palin is also proposing to suspend the eight-cent-a gallon state fuel tax for one year. Palin said she wants the Legislature to implement these things by September. Additionally the Palin administration proposed the Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share (ACES), a plan to protect tax revenue to the state government from fluctuations in oil prices.
Environment
Predator control
Bounties on wolves in Alaska date to at least 1915; in 1994, the Alaska State Legislature enacted the "Intensive Management Law," requiring management of wildlife for human consumptive use and authorizing specific management actions including "liberalizing hunting and trapping regulations for wolves and bears." In 2006 the Alaska Department of Fish and Game and The Board of Game extended areas in which the aerial hunting of wolves was allowed under the Predator Control Program. Friends of Animals, Defenders of Wildlife, the Alaska Wildlife Alliance, and the Sierra Club sued the Department attempting to overturn the practice. Their concerns were overgrazing of the habitat by large population of moose that were intended for sports hunters, the wolves kept the moose populations in balance with the environment.March 2008-01.asp "Alaska Judge Upholds Aerial Wolf Killing But Limits Extent" Environment News Service, March 18, 2008"State Suspends Predator Control Programs in Response to Court Ruling" Alaska Department of Fish and Game
In 2007, Palin supported the Alaska Department of Fish and Game policy allowing wolf hunting from helicopters as part of a predator control program intended to increase moose populations, which many rural Alaskans subsist on. In March 2007, Palin's office announced that a bounty of $150 per wolf would be paid to the 180 volunteer pilots and gunners, to offset fuel costs. This drew protest among wildlife activists,deMarban, Alex "State Puts Bounty on Wolves" Anchorage Daily News March 21, 2007 who took the state to court and won. Though the activists failed to stop aerial hunting, a state judge forced the state to stop paying the bounty.
In May 2007 Palin introduced Bill 256 to streamline the Predator Program," Alaska Department of Game and Fish" ADF & G Press Release May 11, 2007 and make it more difficult for conservation groups to sue the State. Critics of the bill claimed it removed scientific standards and claim the programs are expensive and not effective."Palin wants to shoot down wolf lawsuits" Anchorage Daily News, January 30, 2008
In August, 2007, both lawmakers and Governor Palin approved appropriating $400,000 from the state treasury to explain the aerial hunting program to Alaskans. Since Alaskans were voting the following year on an initiative restricting the practice to Department of Fish and Game personnel, many felt the funds were an attempt to influence the vote against the initiative.deMarban, Alex, "$400,000 approved to educate Alaskans about wolf killing" Anchorage Daily News August 26, 2007Stuart, Ben, "AFD&G takes another shot at predators" homernews.com, top stories from Homer, Alaska, April 24, 2007 Alaskans had passed similar measures in 1996 and 2000, each time with a two-year limit; after they expired the state legislature allowed the Game Board to resume the program. The program also allowed the fly-and-shoot, liberalized hunting of black bears with no bag limits in the same areas, in addition to the area from Anchorage across Cook Inlet in Game Unit 16, which allows the killing of sows and cubs as well as males.