And it will be visionary when Alaska is finally connected with the rest of North America by rail a century or so later. Relative to other forms of transportation, railroads are inexpensive, durable, effective and easy to build. The footprint a railroad makes on the land and environment is small. But the impact a railroad makes on an economy is great. And that's another reason why I'm speaking to you here.
Lets look at Alaska, where railroads are limited compared to most of the rest of North America.
Remember, for a second, that when the visionaries who decided to build the Alaska railroad, Valdez was the main Alaska port and what we now know as Anchorage was a tent city construction camp. I represent North Pole, and the railroad's economic presence is certainly evident there every time a refinery employee cashes a paycheck. The same could be said for Healy or Usibelli, communities also in my district. Chances are you've watched those gold and blue Alaska Railroad engines haul rail car after rail car of coal or jet fuel. People were kind of taken aback by that statement.