A new report by Bob Loeffler and Steve Colt describes how commercial fishing, mining and tourism provide revenue to the State of Alaska – revenue that the legislature appropriates for services for Alaskans. It also describes what the state spends to manage and promote each industry.
“Fiscal Effects of Commercial Fishing, Mining, and Tourism,” looks at fiscal years 2016-2019. It is an updated version of a report first published in 2015. “The initial report provides basic information about the fiscal effects of these three industries,” Loeffler said. “We thought an updated report could be beneficial as policy holders look at the role various industries bring to the state.”
In the 2022 report, Loeffler and Colt estimate that, on average, mining and tourism brought more revenue to the state than what it expended, while commercial fishing expenditures slightly exceeded revenue. When including municipal revenue in the analysis, all three industries brought in more revenue to state and municipal government than what the governments spent.
Loeffler and Colt have made a worksheet available for anyone who would like to test their own assumptions by adjusting revenues, operating expenditures or capital expenditures allocated to commercial fishing, mining, or tourism.
About the authors
Bob Loeffler is a Research Professor of Public Policy at ISER. He has a long history working with land and resources issues in Alaska, most of it in government. This work included issues involving land planning, mining, oil and gas, and forestry. He coordinated Alaska’s large-mine permitting process at the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, and then served as Director of the Division of Mining, Land and Water for seven years. He has taught UAA courses on Alaska’s economy, public land management, the mining industry, and how to talk about contentious issues.
Dr. Steve Colt is a research professor of energy economics and policy at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Alaska Center for Energy and Power. He was a professor of economics at ISER for more than thirty years, and also served as ISER director for two years. During his time at ISER, he authored or co-authored more than 75 publications.
