On Monday, Alaska's Governor Sean Parnell spoke on his commitment to defend Alaska from Federal overreach and also encouraged Alaskans to engage in the process as well.

In a speech to the Citizen’s Advisory Commision on Monday the governor outlined work that the state is undertaking to ensure that Alaskan’s rights and freedoms would be upheld.

“Alaskans know far too well what overreach looks like,” Governor Parnell said. “Federal overreach occurs as the federal government overspends, overtaxes, overregulates, over-snoops and over-decides those things that ought to be left to individuals or their local or state representatives. The State of Alaska will continue to stand up on behalf of Alaskans, using every tool available to ensure our rights and freedoms are upheld.”

Mentioned as examples of Federal overreach were the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s proposed Polar Bear habitat designation and other usage of the Endangered Species Act. Also mentioned was the delays in building a road for the residents of King Cove to Cold Bay to aid in emergency evacuations of medical patients.

Alaska’s Senator Lisa Murkowski is slated to speak to the commission this morning as well. While speaking before the commission, the Senator will point out the potential economic setbacks by what she calls “wrong-headed, top-down policies and regulations.”

Murkowski’s planned remarks in her adress to the commission are: “I define overreach as the continuous, often callous, disregard that the federal government displays toward the rights and interests of Alaskans. It can be a decision that halts a project, that cuts off vital access, or that prohibits an appropriate use of our public lands. It can be shocking indifference to the letter of the law, or the seemingly deliberate misinterpretation of what that law plainly requires. It can be a double standard, where Alaska is treated differently, and unfairly, compared to other States. It can be a new regulation that imposes an unacceptable burden on our families and businesses.”

The Senator is speaking at the Dena’ina Center at 8:30 on Tuesday morning.