ABSTRACT
This conclusion presents some closing thoughts on the key concepts discussed in the preceding chapters of this book. The book suggests that changes in Alaskans' beliefs about the role of public policy are overdue. It traces the history of federal land policy in Alaska, culminating in the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act of 1980. The book explores the structure and operations of Alaska's petroleum-based economy, describes the array of geographic, biological, and economic constraints that discourage economic diversification and reviews the prospects for development of nonfuel minerals and coal in Alaska. The book discusses the important issues in the renewable resource sector, stem not from underdevelopment but from potential or actual overexploitation, and the main policy question is how to achieve orderly and efficient resource use with less intervention by government bureaucracies. It explains the relationships between environmental consciousness, issues, and policies and examines the petroleum wealth management issue in the context of Alaska resource and economic development alternatives.
