Environmental.

Alaska's environmental outlook for 2006 and beyond holds great promise. Both the commercial and Department of Defense markets continue to show strong momentum in the coming year. Alaska's mining industry has hit new benchmarks with the potential development of Pebble by Northern Dynasty. The largest gold/copper deposit in North America has already enlisted the services of multiple engineering firms, laboratories and specialized consultants. The rising cost of fuel also may lead to the design and construction of the Alaska natural gas pipeline. This $20 billion pipeline would be one of the biggest private projects in U.S. history. The DOD market is very strong with the Alaska District of the Corps of Engineers reporting it's "the largest workload in its history."

The FUDS program currently stands at $30.4 million in Formerly Used Defense Site cleanup projects. In addition there are $600 million in military projects and $77.6 million in civil work projects. In 2007, the Air Force plans to add two squadrons to Elmendorf and develop a "Fighter Town" on the eastside of the north-south runway. The program is budgeted at $265 million to $325 million. With the onset of multiple large-scale environmental projects, the generation of massive amounts of data is inevitable. In '06, we will see an increase in the use of automated, on-demand tools to facilitate project management and successful execution. These tools will allow data to be uploaded to secure online portals that incorporate automated compliance screening. The ability to share single, quality data sets across project teams will dramatically increase project efficiency and accuracy. In tandem with Web-enabled GIS and robust reporting capabilities, we will see a new standard set in the environmental field. Alaska's environmental industry has a very bright future that will incorporate many dynamic and cutting-edge solutions.