Under the heading of special interests or hobbies on their resumes, most people list things like jogging, reading, or perhaps, bowling.
Rep. Jeanette James lists the Alaska-Canada rail link.
"Yes," the North Pole Republican said, "I'm known as the 'railroad lady.' "
Since 1993, James has championed a rail and utility connection between Alaska and the rest of North America, a link that she says will benefit the military and the mining, agriculture, tourism, manufacturing and oil and gas sectors of the economy.
A track running from her home district in Fairbanks to the Canadian border also would lower the cost of shipping, she says.
"There is a lot of potential if we have the infrastructure," said James, adding that an Alaska-Canada rail link could open mineral development including gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, molybdenum and tin. It could also provide access to timber and to the coal field near Point Lay.
The railroad's right of way could also be used for natural gas pipelines, roads, fiber-optic cable and other utilities, she said.
"We have to diversify our economy so we are not dependent on oil and gas," James said.
Last year, the House passed legislation sponsored by James directing the Alaska Railroad Corp. to identify and the state Department of Natural Resources to grant a right of way over state land for a 500-foot-wide rail and utility corridor from Alaska to Whitehorse, in Canada's Yukon Territory.
On Jan. 31 the bill passed the Senate Transportation Committee and has been referred to the Senate Resources Committee.
Sen. Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska and a longtime rail advocate, in 2000 got $6 million in federal money for a three-year U.S.-Canadian study of a rail line's feasibility.
The Canadian government isn't entirely sold on the continental rail network, but the idea is picking up steam, James said. The project cannot fully proceed without the support of the Canadian government, she said.
"There is more and more interest in British Columbia, Alberta and the Yukon," she said.
The cost of building the connection in Alaska would be staggering. James estimates it would cost $2 million to $3 million a mile for the 1,150 to 1,250 miles of track needed, or $2.3 billion to $3.7 billion.
That's a bargain compared with other transportation infrastructure projects like highways and airports, and railroads are easier to build, James said.
"I like railroads," James said. "They are more environmentally sound, they get polluters off the roads, they leave a smaller footprint, and on top of everything else, they are fun."
James' enthusiasm for the railroad hasn't always been met with likemindedness, especially when she was pushing for a railroad extension to Russia, via a Bering Strait tunnel.
"People used to rolls their eyes at me," James admitted. "Even a close friend of mine and constituent said it was the dumbest idea I've ever had."
James believes that idea has merit, but it was a hard sell, especially when combined with the Alaska-Canada rail connection project.
"I think that people thought that that was too big of a bite to chew," James said, adding that the Alaska-Canada link is more palatable for most people.
"I think we can get this part done," James said. " I think it will happen in my lifetime. I'm 72 and my mother lived to be 92."
