by Allen Joseph |
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Lawsuit filed against 9-6-06 by Allen Joseph On August 25, 2006, a pair of conservation groups filed a lawsuit asking the State Superior Court to stop Alaska's aerial predator control program, which targets wolves and bears, saying the program is based on faulty science and violates state law. Rural preference for 8-29-06 A lawsuit to strike down subsistence preference for rural Alaskans on federal lands was dismissed by the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday, August 22, 2006, which determined the subsistence priority for rural residents was appropriate. Rumors of war push oil price over $75 a barrel Friday 4/25/06 by Allen Joseph
Oil prices finished off a record-breaking week on Friday, ending the week at $75.17 a barrel, over concerns in Iran and its new nuclear status, and along with it, talk of armed conflict. Iran is the world?s second-largest holder of oil reserves, and several weeks ago had announced it had achieved nuclear power status, when it enriched uranium for the first time but at a level useable for electricity. Experts say Iran has a long way to go before it can enrich uranium for use in nuclear bombs. Nonetheless, tough talk by the United States and its allies is raising a concern the West may use warfare to force Iran to abandon its nuclear development research. In response, Iran says it will fight back if it is attacked. In addition, civil unrest in Nigeria, Africa?s largest oil producer, has oil speculators concerned that oil output, today and in the near future, may not increase fast enough to meet the high demand for energy worldwide. The U.S. has yet to resume full oil production in the Gulf of Mexico, not having full recovered after the devastating hurricane season of 2005. The nation is expecting to face another tough hurricane season in 2006, prompting even more concerns for lessened energy supplies. The U.S. summer driving season is another factor that raises oil prices temporarily, until the autumn season. Iran, Iraq and Nigeria are today promising higher output of oil to lower oil prices, but it is having little effect due to past promises of increased production that have not yet been realized. Oil producing nations are pumping additional oil to make up for losses in Nigeria and elsewhere, so in reality, there isn?t much change to net oil supplies and no basis for increases, except for the U.S.-Iran disagreement. The U.S., China and India remain the leading consumers of the world?s energy supplies, and their demands are keeping oil prices inflated. In Alaska, North Slope crude prices ended Friday at $71.87, a record. At this time last year, on April 22, 2005, North Slope crude topped $51, before backing down to the mid-$40s. North Slope crude then began climbing again in June 2005 and nearly reached $60 in the height of the U.S. summer driving season, before coming back down. Due to record-high prices throughout 2005, Alaska had a budget surplus of $1.2 billion. But its residents face high energy prices and less disposable income, especially hitting low income and rural residents the most. In contrast, oil companies enjoyed stellar profits of $5 billion or more per quarter. For Exxon Mobil, it was nearly $10 billion a quarter, earning their chairman a $400 million bonus. Oil prices are expected to remain high until the summer ends, and if the U.S. and Iran can settle their differences, and the U.S. is able to resume full oil production after the hurricane season.
Moose hunting regs change for Unit 19 4/11/06 by Allen Joseph
On March 16, 2006, the Alaska Board of Game moved to change moose hunting regulations in Unit 19, in which hunting was further restricted in one part and closed in another, said the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. A Tier II moose hunting system was initiated for Unit 19A and hunting for moose was closed in due to a significant decline in moose numbers. However, the News-Miner did not indicate which unit was closed to hunting. Only Units 19A and 19D are accessible by boat in the fall season. Unit 19D, which begins at Selatna River at the boundary of Unit 19A, encompasses McGrath, where the first of the State?s ongoing predator control programs was begun, after moose numbers plummeted drastically in the region. Moose hunting in Unit 19A had been closed to nonresident hunting, while residents were allowed to hunt under a registration process under Tier I regulations. Per definitions provided by the Fish & Game, Tier II hunts are subsistence hunts and permits are only available for Alaska residents. Tier II subsistence permits may be issued to residents 12 years of age or older when there is not enough game to satisfy subsistence needs. Regulations for Tier II hunting allow only one permit per household, and resident hunters are awarded permits based on their answers to a detailed questionnaire. In other actions, the Board also revoked a registration permit hunt for any antlered bull in Unit 19B and left antler restrictions in place for residents. The Board also created a new permit hunt for moose in all of Unit 21D, and allowed the use of snowmachines to hunt wolves in Units 21 and 24, and at the same time, increased the bag limit on wolves from five to 10 a season in Units 21 and 24.
ANWR advocates try again 3/28/06 by Allen Joseph
On March 16, 2006, the U.S. Senate once again agreed to oil drilling in the North Slope by inserting a provision for revenues from ANWR?s 1002 area by way of oil lease sales. The vote, along party lines, was 51-49. Budget bills are filibuster proof, but the ANWR measure has yet to clear a few more hurdles, such as authorization for drilling in another future but non-debatable bill. According to the Anchorage Daily News, two amendments helped the bill?s passage: One provided $10 billion to restore the Gulf Coast after last year?s destructive hurricane season, and another provided $3.3 billion for low-income heating assistance, more known as LIHEAP. The Congressional Budget office projects that up to $7 billion could be made in ANWR lease sales in the next five years, which would be split in half between the State of Alaska and the federal government. Created in 1960, ANWR was expanded in 1980 by the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act to its current acreage of 19.6 million, about the size of South Carolina. Concurrent with expansion, Congress reserved 1.5 million acres, known as Section 1002, for possible oil and gas exploration. The Interior Department estimates 10.4 billion barrels of oil lies beneath ANWR. Last year, Interior Secretary Gale Norton said if all goes according to plan, oil and natural gas could be flowing from ANWR in seven to 10 years. However, ANWR drilling has always had its supporters and enemies. The battle over ANWR this year will most likely consist of two key players again ? Sen. Ted Stevens of Alaska for ANWR and Sen. Maria Cantwell of Washington against. Cantwell said last year that use of filibuster-proof bills for ANWR purposes was ?budget trickery.? ?We need a serious national strategy to move us toward energy independence,? she said. Stevens said Cantwell?s Puget Sound region would have been destitute if not for Alaska?s oil, which is refined and used in Washington.
Constitutional convention talks lead to borough discussions 3/21/06 by Allen Joseph
The AVCP Special Convention, held March 7-9 at the Bethel Moravian Church, ended with uncertainty regarding a future constitutional convention, one of three topics discussed at length at the meeting. Instead, discussions lead to talks about borough planning, which were initiated by Glenn Fredericks, a Georgetown delegate. He announced that ?upriver? villages were to start talks soon about whether a borough should be formed in the TKC (The Kuskokwim Corporation) region. However, the constitutional convention issue first began with a discussion about whether tribes should begin moving toward a regional form of government ? whether tribal or state chartered. AVCP is already directed from past conventions to pursue development of a regional government, according to Willie Kasayulie of Akiachak, a panel member. Some years ago, a regional tribal government structure was developed in the Kuskokwim River villages, he said, and was supposed to have been discussed and processed in the Yukon River villages next. ?But that fell through the cracks,? Kasayulie said. Another problem that stymied the progress of the regional tribal government concept was the reluctance of some non-profits who developed autonomies of their own, he said. The idea of combining the big three of Native services in the region under one entity ? AVCP, Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation, and AVCP Regional Housing Authority ? is the basis of the plan, but one which won?t occur until all three groups agree to proceed with it. AVCP, in addition to providing certain services, established the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation and AVCP Regional Housing Authority, among others. The Calista Corporation, a for-profit regional entity, was also created by AVCP to meet the requirements of the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. But in years following their creation, these entities either formed their own administrations and boards and became partially or fully autonomous following state statutes or under their own will, no longer requiring absolute oversight by AVCP. The result was a splintering of services and sometimes duplication of services, according to the constitutional convention panel. ?A regional government would have gone far in providing more services to the Y-K Delta,? Kasayulie said. But its greatest effect was on political power ? or the lack of it. AVCP is a tribal organization ? not a tribe, said panel member Ivan M. Ivan of Akiak. As a result, there has been a political vacuum for a long time in the AVCP Region, said panel member Harold Napoleon of Paimuit. ?When there is a political vacuum, something will come and fill in the vacuum,? Napoleon said. He encouraged villages to consider forming either a regional tribal government or a borough and fill in that vacuum before someone else does that for them. But with the pending advancement of Donlin Creek, a gold mine project near Crooked Creek, the concept of a regional government or borough is gradually gaining acceptance. Seen as an opportunity for expanded economic development projects in the Y-K Delta, it is also viewed as a source for future revenues. Boroughs are known to profit generously from economic development within their boundaries. For example, the Kotzebue-based Northwest Arctic Borough derives its revenues from the Red Dog Zinc Mine, and has used that money to build new schools in villages within its boundaries. The Kuskokwim Corp. villages are taking the first step toward boroughs, according to Fredericks. ?Times have changed since we created AVCP many years ago,? he said. Fredericks? idea of boroughs in the Y-K Delta is to use existing school district boundaries. But some people disagreed with that idea, as it would exclude other ?school district? boroughs, if they also formed, from the ability to share in the tax revenues of the Donlin Creek gold mine development. Nonetheless, Fredericks said he supports the formation of a home-rule borough, ?just like what our up-north friends have? referring to the NAB. ?But now is not the time to vote to form a borough ? we need consultation with our villages first.? Fredericks announced the borough ?meeting? would take place in Aniak in April, but interested delegates from other Kuskokwim River villages asked for a rescheduling until after the YKHC Tribal Gathering in Bethel on April 4-6 and have the meeting immediately following. But AVCP Chairman Mike Williams of Akiak disagreed with the borough concept, because of its political affiliation with the State of Alaska. ?The State wants boroughs so they could transfer responsibility for education to the boroughs,? he said. ?The Y-K Delta will not be able to bear such responsibility having no tax base and no economic development. Donlin Creek is not sustainable into the future.? Williams believes a regional tribal government could be developed much like a borough, consisting of tribes who retain their autonomy and federal recognition. The entity would have legislative, executive and judicial branches or powers, as well as, taxing authority but at a lower level than a state-chartered borough. Nonetheless, Calista Corp., who is partnering with gold mining companies in the development of Donlin Creek, encouraged borough discussions by all villages in the Y-K delta, especially the Kuskokwim River villages. ?You have been given a public notice by Mr. Fredericks about borough planning for the Kuskokwim River area,? said Matthew Nicholai, Calista Corp. president. ?I urge all villages from the Kuskokwim River region to attend or you are going to be left out of the planning.? Gene Peltola, YKHC President and CEO, who was scheduled to be on the panel but couldn?t due to illness, said villages must study the pros and cons of boroughs. ?They need to do a lot of homework. One of a borough?s powers is taxation and a lot of people in the Y-K Delta won?t be able to pay such taxes.? Napoleon discouraged forming boroughs just so ?we? could have taxing powers. ?That should never be the reason for us to form a borough.? However, Napoleon said he would support either a borough or a regional tribal government, as decided by the tribes. Bethel City Council member Dave Trantham, before the Special Convention took place, also said people must consider many things about boroughs. ?Once a borough, always a borough. Once you advance to a higher form of government, you can?t go back even if you change your mind later and decide a borough wasn?t a good idea in the first place. The state won?t allow that.? Boroughs are not always a good idea, said Trantham, especially when you have nothing to support them with. ?You lose the state?s help if you become a borough,? he said. ?Take for example the Kenai Peninsula Borough, one of the richest regions in the state ? it has the population, tourism, oil and gas, fisheries, and other development ? yet, it?s broke.? During resolutions day of the AVCP Special Convention, no new directive or resolution was introduced concerning a constitutional convention ? or for that matter, boroughs ? in the near future.
Senate Majority decides to tax rural Alaskans to pay for schools 3/7/06 by Allen Joseph
On Friday, February 3, viewers of Gavel-to-Gavel, a statewide TV channel focusing on the Alaska Legislature?s activities, watched as the state Senate voted 11-8, to begin taxing rural Alaskans to help pay for the cost of running schools in bush Alaska. The vote was along party lines, in which the Senate Republicans are the majority. ?Today the Alaska Senate took a big step to providing sustainable and reliable funding for education in rural Alaska,? the Senate Majority Organization, led by Sen. Ben Stevens, R-Anchorage, said. ?SB 112 establishes an annual tax in Regional Education Attendance Areas where there is no existing local support for schools.? The REAAs consist mostly of Alaska Native populations separated by boundaries or sub-boundaries of the regional corporations formed by the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. Sen. Con Bunde, R-Anchorage, sponsor of the bill, said politically unorganized parts of the state need to start paying their fair share of education costs. Bunde said a change is needed, even if the perception is that he is attacking rural Alaska. ?The time has come for everyone to chip in and help pay for providing public education in their hometown,? he said. The tax on residents living in the 19 REAAs is intended to support or supplement the capital and operating expenses for public schools in their community, not replace state funding. Presently, rural residents, unlike those living in incorporated boroughs or municipalities, don?t pay property taxes or other taxes to supplement costs of running state schools. The tax would be based on the average amount residents of organized boroughs contribute to local schools, estimated to be around $467.99 per adult, and would be paid from paychecks or other forms of compensation in the first two months of the calendar year, beginning January 1, 2006. Senior citizens, anyone living under the federal poverty guidelines, those under 21 years old, disabled veterans and anyone paying property taxes in another part of the state but living in REAAs would be exempt from paying the tax. Those aware of the tax bill say it will create a greater hardship in an environment that is already experiencing a hardship. Rural villages suffer extremely high unemployment rates, energy prices, and cost of living expenses. In Hooper Bay ? the largest village in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta ? suffers a 70 percent unemployment rate. Of the 30 percent who work, some are under 21 years of age. Therefore, less than 30 percent of adults working in the village will then be forced to pay the tax. In Hooper Bay, women who work to support their families hold most of the jobs in the village and therefore, the burden will be on them to pay the tax to run their school. ?That?s so unfair,? said an over-21 young mother working in the Hooper Bay tribal council office, when the news of the Senate tax bill was announced. Nevertheless, the State Revenue Department believes 20,000 people in rural Alaska are eligible for the tax and hopes to collect about $9.2 million next year. ?This legislation puts more money into classrooms without forming a local government that many folks in rural Alaska say they don?t want.? Bunde added. Some residents, both rural and urban, criticized the vote on Friday, saying urban legislators still don?t have any idea of what is happening in bush Alaska, where many municipalities are on the verge of bankruptcy and have continued to ask the Governor and Alaska Legislature for financial assistance. Last year, in response to rural municipalities asking for aid in dealing with rising fuel costs, Governor Frank H. Murkowski justified a supplemental budget request to provide state financial support for small rural communities by saying they needed help with financial resources. ?These communities have experienced higher energy costs than the rest of Alaska and they have no tax base and insufficient commerce to support a sales tax,? Murkowski said. A statewide sales tax had been once considered as a way to generate additional revenues for the state. Some bush residents also argue that rural Alaska already pays for more than its share by allowing natural resource development in their ?backyards,? from which the state draws most of its annual revenues. SB 112 will now be considered by the state House of Representatives.
Democrats take leadership in trying to fix oil tax woes 2/21/06 by Allen Joseph
On Monday, Feb. 13, 2006, Alaska?s Democrats introduced legislation to increase oil revenues for Alaskans. It is sponsored by Sen. Hollis French, D-Anchorage, in the Senate and by Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage, in the House. The bill is one of several efforts by Democrats to fix the state?s outdated oil tax laws and to stop the loss of billions annually from Alaska?s energy production. ?A lot of people have been talking about a change to the oil tax regime,? said Sen. Johnny Ellis, D-Anchorage, ?but Democrats believe it?s time to stop talking and start leading. There?s been a leadership vacuum in Juneau, and Democrats are stepping up to the task.? Last week, the Anchorage Daily News reported that Governor Frank H. Murkowski wanted the Legislative leadership to introduce an oil tax bill, while the Legislative leadership wanted the Governor to introduce the bill himself. But Murkowski wants an overhaul bill that taxes oil companies? profits, to replace the current production-based oil tax system. He said he needs it before he can sign an Alaska Gas Pipeline contract with North Slope producers, who want to see what kind of taxes they would be paying before they sign the contract. Alaska Democrats want a different bill, one that corrects deficiencies in the current Alaska tax laws, especially the ?Economic Limit Factor? system used in determining severance or production taxes on oil fields. Alaska Democrats say while the legislation can?t be rushed through the process, many agree it can?t be delayed any longer either. ?This is some of the most important legislation we?ve looked at in a long time,? said Rep. Ethan Berkowitz, D-Anchorage. ?When it comes to fulfilling a Constitutional responsibility, the approach has to be: No excuses, no delay and no give-away,? Berkowitz added. Last week, Berkowitz said ?if you can?t lead, get out of the way,? referring to an old adage, when the Governor and Legislative leadership seemed unclear about fixing Alaska?s outdated oil tax laws. According to the Democrats, their bill requires a profit-sharing production tax that has been suggested recently as a way for Alaskans to get their fair share from the state?s oil. They see the introduction of the bill as only the beginning of the process and plan to use public input to help refine the legislation to meet several goals. One goal is to ensure the state, and Alaskans, receive the maximum economic benefit from Alaska?s oil resources. Other goals include encouraging a broad range of oil and gas exploration and production, and encouraging independent oil and gas companies to do business in Alaska. Other goals seek the enhancement of international competitiveness, ensuring efficient and effective administration of the tax system, and providing energy for Alaskans. The primary goal now is to get the process moving forward, according to French. ?We?re taking the lead to make sure this important proposal sees the light of day.?
Judge sides with wolf control 2/7/06 by Allen Joseph
Last week on Tuesday, January 31, 2006, Superior Court Judge Sharon Gleason denied the Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction filed against the Board of Game by Friends of Animals, which had hoped to stop wolf control for the rest of the winter. FOA and other groups filed their requests after the Board reestablished the State?s predator control programs under emergency regulations, allowing the program to continue after a week?s interruption due to FOA?s earlier lawsuit. FOA tried to convince the Judge to reject the emergency regulations, hoping to have the standard public participation and input before the new regulations come into effect. This would have shut down the program for 90 days until spring, when most hunting for fur-bearing animals is closed for the year. The Alaska Dept. of Fish & Game said Gleason instead found the predator control programs in compliance with state law and that the new regulations fit the legal definition of an ?emergency.? She further said the Board expeditiously addressed the concerns outlined in her January 17 ruling and corrected regulatory inconsistencies. Gleason also said there?s already a long record of public testimony on predator control and that the emergency regulations don?t provide for any expansion of the program. Governor Frank H. Murkowski said the judge?s decisions of January 17 and 31 are major victories for Alaska. ?We will continue to conduct these management programs, which are based upon sound science, to ensure that Alaskans have the moose and caribou that they need to feed their families. Today?s ruling will allow these important programs to continue.? Murkowski said the predator control programs are yielding promising results, but they need to be conducted for several consecutive years. ADF&G Commissioner McKie Campbell reported the Board, their attorney and ADF&G staff worked day and night to address all of Gleason?s concerns. ?Opponents are likely to continue their legal attempts to attack our programs, but these rulings show the depth of detail that the Board and Department staff went to comply with the law,? he said. The predator control programs are ongoing in five areas of the State and intended to boost moose and caribou populations in those areas.
Game Board?s emergency meeting ?bogus,? says Friends of Animals 1/30/06 by Allen Joseph
A week after being ruled illegal in Superior Court by Judge Sharon Gleason, the wolf control program in Alaska resumed under new regulations developed by the Board of Game during their emergency meeting. In her ruling, Judge Gleason had said the Board didn?t have justification for its predator control programs nor state why other alternatives wouldn?t work. Much of these rulings had to do with wolf hunting by airplane. During their emergency meeting last week on Wednesday, Jan. 25, the Board added wolf and moose population estimates to justify the aerial hunting program. It also put together a list of wolf control alternatives that wouldn?t work: Destroying their dens by burning or bulldozing, sterilization, relocation, stocking areas with more moose, and feeding road kill to wolves. To undertake these alternatives would just be too expensive, said Board Chairman Mike Fleagle, a McGrath resident. But the most notable action by the Board was to develop new emergency predator control regulations, good for 120 days, after scrapping the old ones. The new rules were made effective the next day by Lt. Governor Loren Leman?s signature. Emergency regulations bypass the usual public notice and comment periods for non-emergency regulations. The Board will meet in Fairbanks in March to consider making the new rules permanent. According to the Alaska Dept. of Fish and Game, various biologists in different areas of the state wrote the previous predator control plans over the span of several years so they differed significantly. These differing plans caused the inconsistencies resulting in Judge Gleason?s rulings two weeks ago. In the meeting, the Board adopted one template to be used for all present and future predator control plans. Before the ruling took place, the ADFG had issued 157 permits in the 2005-2006 season to aerial hunters who only took 20-24 wolves in places where the program is underway. Under the new regulations, aerial hunters have to turn in their old permits and pick up new ones. Some teams did so and were to begin flying over the weekend. The ADFG said Governor Frank H. Murkowski was happy with the ?quick action? by the Board. ?I look forward to the continued success of our scientifically-based predator management programs, most of which are only in their second year,? he said. But wolf control opponents were quick to condemn the Board?s action. Defenders of Wildlife issued a letter to ADFG Commissioner McKie Campbell the day the Board made their decision, calling their action ?illegal? and demanded him to ignore the ?new? regulations. They also demanded that he refuse issuance of new aerial hunting permits until the regulations were legally adopted. Friends of Animals, a Connecticut-based group that initially brought the lawsuit that halted the program for a week, were harsher in their condemnation. ?In my opinion it could not be more obvious that the Board of Game?s emergency meeting was bogus,? said Priscilla Feral, president of Friends of Animals. ?The Board adopted emergency regulations that are bogus. This is because the Board?s lack of competence in adhering to its own rules is not properly called an emergency.? Feral said the Board?s actions were problematic in serious ways. ?For the Upper Yukon/Tanana area, the Board adopted findings that would have permitted aerial gunning in an area of 600 square miles,? she said. ?Yet they subsequently regulated approximately 10,000 square miles into the aerial scheme.? James Reeves, a lawyer representing the group, said the Board is also using information as old as five years to ?patch a couple of holes.? Last year, he argued unsuccessfully to stop the aerial hunting program, saying the wolves would suffer irreparable and permanent harm ? that is, they would be killed. FOA?s goal is to stop the entire scheme, Feral said, and have the ADFG cancel the aerial wolf-shooting permits and the new regulations declared invalid as well. On Friday, Jan. 27, FOA filed a Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order, a Preliminary Injunction, and a Second Amended Complaint against the Board. ?There have been far too many warnings over years to be able to call an emergency,? Feral stated. ?Had the Governor and these state officials taken to heart two previous ballot initiatives ? the people?s voice ? they would not be in this mess today. A lack of attention to their own people?s desires is not an emergency.? Feral said FOA will continue to press Alaska to respect the Superior Court?s role, its process, and its decision.
Alaska?s wolf control program deemed illegal 1/24/06 by Allen Joseph
Last week, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game suspended the State of Alaska?s predator control program after Alaska Superior Court Judge Sarah Gleason ruled on Jan. 17, 2006, that it is illegal. Gleason said the Board of Game didn?t provide detailed justification for the program nor explain why other wolf reduction measures wouldn?t work; it also didn?t explain how it set wolf-reduction targets in the different areas. Gleason?s ruling came as a result of a lawsuit filed against the program by the Connecticut-based ?Friends of Animals? group. FOA and similar groups have worked tirelessly to organize national ?howl-ins? and other efforts such as boycotting Alaska?s tourism industry to stop predator control in the state. The ruling is a minor setback, said ADFG Commissioner McKie Campbell, and he claimed the state would correct the deficiencies. In response to the ruling, the Board is planning an emergency meeting via teleconference this week on Wednesday, Jan. 25, beginning at 8:30 a.m., to address the concerns raised by Gleason. The Board will consider emergency changes to the following regulations: 5 AAC 92.110 Control of predation by wolves 5 AAC 92.115 Control of predation by bears 5 AAC 92. 125 Predation control implementation plans 5 AAC 92. 039 Permit for taking wolves using aircraft Public testimony will not be taken during this teleconference. However, the public will be allowed to listen-in at ADFG offices but only in these areas: Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Tok, and Glennallen. ?The (ADFG) and Board are doing everything we can to ensure that this interruption to our predator control programs is as short as possible,? said Campbell, who was appointed last March by Murkowski. Although the halted program targets both wolves and bears, it?s more widely known as ?wolf control? and conducted in areas where they compete with subsistence hunters for moose and caribou. The current program began in 2003 and is considered controversial because it allows shooting wolves from airplanes by pilot and gunner teams. Aerial hunting teams target predators in five areas of the state. From Bethel, the nearest game units include 19A, around Aniak, and 19D, above Stony River, where high numbers of predators are blamed for plummeting moose populations. A Bethel ADFG staffer said although the wolf population in 19A and 19D is unknown today, they?ve heard from upriver residents that there are more wolves in those areas. ?But it?s sort of what you expect to hear from local residents,? the staffer said, adding that population counts will soon be underway to determine actual wolf numbers in those areas. Overall, ADFG biologists estimate wolf numbers are between 7,000 to 11,000 animals in Alaska. About 400 wolves were killed from all predator control areas last year and another 400 were targeted this year. Some 100 airborne hunting permits were issued for the 2005-2006 program. The number of pilot and gunner teams in the Y-K Delta and the number of wolves they?ve caught so far are unknown, as the Bethel ADFG declined to say due to the wolf control issue?s high publicity nationwide. The official ADFG spokesperson in Fairbanks that would offer such details was out of the office when called. But state officials believe the program is working. ?I am proud of what my administration (is) doing in protecting subsistence rights and managing our wildlife,? said Governor Frank H. Murkowski, during his State of the Budget speech. ?We cannot guarantee the well-being of our wildlife without a successful predator control program.? Murkowski said he?ll continue monitoring ?our carefully conducted and science-based program of predator control? and not be intimidated by threats from outside Alaska. ?Preliminary results indicate that this program is working but we need to continue it for several years to achieve our goals.? David Johnson, webmaster of www.outdoorsdirectory.com, says similar programs in the past have helped increase moose populations, which, by the way, tend to help wolves bounce back but not in a way that harms new moose numbers. The trick is, according to Johnson, a retired ADFG biologist, is to remove an adequate number of predators. ?Wolf control programs may not work if they are operationally hobbled,? he said. ?If insufficient numbers of wolves are removed from a population, the advantage for the ungulate populations will not be achieved.? One concern anti-predator control advocates raise is that wolves might become extinct in the state, but Alaska?s long history of predator control has proven that?s not the case. ?Why else would we still be having rancorous discussions about managing wolves?? Johnson said.
BLM decides to allow oil exploration 1/17/06 by Allen Joseph
Last week on Wednesday, January 11, the Bureau of Land Management announced a decision to open more areas in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska for oil and gas leasing. The NPR-A is located on the northern shore of Alaska. The land in question is just east of Barrow, above Teshekpuk Lake, and west of the controversial Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The site had previously been off-limits to development due to the abundance of wildlife in the area, especially in summer. The lease sales are expected to be held in the fall of 2006. A press release from the Governor Frank H. Murkowski said he welcomed the announcement to approve the BLM decision, which is an amendment to the Northeast NPR-A 1998 plan. The amendment opens nearly 400,000 acres for leasing in the most promising oil and gas areas in the Northeast corner of the Reserve, the press release said. The area will be leased in seven large parcels, each with minimal development. ?I am very pleased with (the Jan. 11) Interior Department decision,? said Murkowski. ?It is consistent with my administration?s recommendations, and reinforces the fact that Alaska?s abundant energy resources are absolutely critical to meeting our nation?s energy needs.? The BLM believes the area in question may hold as much as two billion barrels of recoverable oil. ?Today?s announcement from the Interior Department is very good news for our state,? Murkowski said. Murkowski added that Alaskans have proven they can develop the state?s tremendous oil and gas reserves in environmentally responsible ways while at the same time protect its subsistence resources. An Anchorage Daily News article just after the announcement stated that the area is noted for some of the world?s largest congregations of migratory geese, as well as caribou and other wildlife, but that it might also harbor huge deposits of oil and gas. In addition, Northern Alaska residents occupy and use areas in and around Teshekpuk Lake for subsistence. Therefore, the decision will include provisions to prevent disturbance to subsistence and wildlife.s The ADN article noted that that exploratory oil drilling and seismic testing would occur in winter when the tundra is frozen, and when black brant and other migratory birds are down south.
Congress still undecided about ANWR drilling 1/3/06 by Allen Joseph
Two weeks ago, just before Christmas, the Republicans? hope for passage of a drilling provision in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge died when Congress recessed for the year. The Republicans, the majority in Congress, had eagerly sought and fully expected to pass ANWR in 2005, but instead found themselves irreconcilably divided over the drilling issue and the Budget Reconciliation Bill. On their final working day of the year, the U.S. Senate rejected the addition of ANWR to the final Defense Appropriations Bill, the last chance opportunity for the drilling plan to be passed in 2005. Sen. Ted Stevens, after deciding not to insert ANWR in the final reconciliation bill due to no support, tried inserting ANWR in the defense budget. The Senate voted only 56-44 ? four short of the 60 needed ? to get beyond a filibuster with ANWR in the bill. Ironically, the Senate had passed ANWR drilling in their version of reconciliation bill, only to have the matter dropped when the House side decided it didn?t want the drilling in that bill. But after saying no to oil drilling in the reconciliation bill, the House, just before recessing for the year, said yes to drilling in the defense budget bill and left it up to the Senate to give the final say-so. The idea of putting ANWR in the defense budget initially belonged to Stevens, who won contempt from environmentalists and certain members of Congress for doing so. His colleagues and counterparts in the House said it broke procedural rules and hijacked money needed for the military and the war on terror. When the idea failed during the filibuster test vote, the provision was then stripped from the defense budget, which easily passed without the controversial issue. The defense bill will fund the military, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, efforts to combat the worldwide bird flu, and provide aid for states stricken by the devastating hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma. Environmentalists and anti-drilling advocates were cautiously excited about the outcome. ?We are thrilled the Senate did not go down the slippery slope of holding a defense bill hostage over this toxic legislation,? said Lydia Weiss, lobbyist for Defenders of Wildlife. But the ANWR issue is not yet finished, according to Sen. Lisa Murkowski. ?We (were) extremely disappointed by the outcome of the vote to break a likely filibuster on ANWR. Opening ANWR to limited oil and gas exploration is the right thing to do.? Stevens, the longest-serving Republican in the U.S. Senate, has vowed to keep working on an oil drilling authorization from Congress. ?For more than 20 years, I have been fighting to open the Arctic Coastal Plain to oil and gas exploration,? he said. ?We must develop our domestic resources in the Coastal Plain to ensure we can meet our defense-related energy needs and reduce our dependence on unstable and unfriendly regimes.? ANWR exploration is also supported by President George W. Bush, who looked forward to signing a bill in 2005 that included ANWR, believing it more than just ?oil drilling? that the nation needs. Murkowski said, in the United States, higher energy costs are squeezing family budgets, undermining farms and small businesses, jeopardizing jobs, and threatening the long-term health of the economy. ?It?s time to both accelerate energy conservation efforts and to produce more energy in this country,? she said. ?Limited oil exploration in the Arctic Coastal Plain will improve our energy independence and strengthen our energy security.? Murkowski said Congressional leaders would reconsider ANWR again in 2006. ?Hopefully, then we will finally get the fair vote where this issue will be decided by a simple majority of the U.S. Senate,? she said. Before recessing, the Senate also approved the reconciliation bill, which is intended to reduce the federal budget by some $40 billion in the next five years. The reconciliation bill makes budget cuts to Medicaid and Medicare, student loan programs, pension insurance and many other federal entitlement programs that rise in cost automatically according to set funding formulas. Two weeks ago, the Anchorage Daily News said three entitlement programs ? Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid - consumed nearly half of all federal spending in 2004, accounting for more than $1 trillion of the budget that year.
President declares federal assistance for Alaska 12/13/05 by Allen Joseph
Last week on Friday, Dec. 9, President George W. Bush declared that a major disaster exists in the State of Alaska and ordered Federal aid to supplement State and local recovery efforts in the area struck by a severe fall storm, tidal surges, and flooding from September 22-26, 2005. The storm, considered by some locals as one of the strongest in recent history, was most likely the result of either, or a combination of, leftover systems of two typhoons and one tropical storm that raged in the west Pacific before heading to Alaska as downgraded systems. The storm inundated the villages of Nunam Iqua and Kotlik, and caused major flooding in most coastal villages all along the Y-K Delta. Most of the flooding occurred overnight and began to recede as daylight appeared the following day. The storm also packed winds of 60 miles per hour and more causing damage to many buildings and structures in villages along its path. Federal funding is available to State and eligible local governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work and the repair or replacement of facilities damaged by the severe fall storm, tidal surges, and flooding. Those eligible include the Bering Strait Regional Education Attendance Area, Kashunamiut Regional Education Attendance Area, Lower Kuskokwim Regional Education Attendance Area, and the Northwest Artic Borough. Federal funding is also available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide. R. David Paulison, Acting Director, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Department of Homeland Security, named Dennis Hunsinger as the Federal Coordinating Officer for Federal recovery operations in the affected area. The Agency said additional designations may be made at a later date if requested by the State and warranted by the results of further damage assessments. Villages with questions about the federal disaster declaration or needing such assistance can ask for more information from FEMA at (202) 646-4600.
Appropriations Bill has funding for Yuut Elitnaurviat 12/6/05 by Allen Joseph
On Wednesday, Nov. 30, President George W. Bush signed the 2006 Transportation, Treasury, Housing and Urban Development Appropriations bill into law. The bill is usually funded for about $130 billion and a few hundred millions more. Due to the efforts of Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the bill also includes funding for Yuut Elitnaurviat (YE) ? The People?s Learning Center ? in Bethel and for renovations at the Dillingham Middle/High School. These appropriations will help Bethel and Dillingham, Murkowski said. ?With these improvements, both cities will be able to provide better educational environments for both adult professional opportunities and for younger middle and high school age children.? According to a press release from Murkowski?s office, YE was funded $500,000 for construction of a vocational school and dormitories, while the Dillingham school was also funded a half-million dollars for gymnasium repairs. The bill also funds, but is not limited to, the following: -$1.3 billion for Amtrak, for ?smarter and more efficient? operations, including significant financial and management reforms. -$13.8 billion for the Federal Aviation Administration ? at $276 million above the FY 2005 level and $1.105 billion above the administration?s request. -$34 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development ? at $2.1 billion above last year?s level and $4.9 billion above the President?s Request. Of this amount, Public and Indian Housing programs are funded at $6.8 billion, an increase of $1.6 billion over last year and $466 million over the requested level. It also includes $630 million for the Native American Housing Block Grants, at $48 million above the request. -$36.8 billion for a Federal-aid highways program as set by the recently enacted surface transportation authorization legislation, SAFETEA-LU. (The name honors Lu Young, wife of Rep. Don Young, Chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.) -$497 million for the Office of National Drug Control Policy, including $227 million for the High Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas program, -$120 million for the National Youth Anti-Drug Media Campaign, and $80 million for the Drug-Free Communities program. The bill is one of 11 appropriations bills that are passed annually to keep the federal government and its agencies in operation.
U.S. House: Two votes let budget reconciliation bill pass 11/29/05 by Allen Joseph
Just before the Thanksgiving week, and after a long day of lengthy arguments and negotiations between the Republicans and Democrats or among themselves, the U.S. House finally voted on the budget reconciliation bill. The vote came at 1:45 AM (EST) on Friday, Nov. 18. The bill passed with just two votes, 217-215. The Republicans, despite some objections to the bill, voted to support it in order to keep their power intact. The House budget reconciliation bill, officially dubbed the Deficit Reduction Act of 2005, seeks to reduce federal spending by about $50 billion dollars in the next 10 years. The federal deficit now stands at $8.1 trillion and is growing by more than leaps and bounds. Each American?s share of the debt is $27,000 today. During arguments before the vote, speakers from each side of the house were sometimes jeered as they tried to persuade each other to vote for or scrap the bill. Democrats called the Republican budget plan ?stupid? and ?anti-family.? Republicans accused the Democrats of having no plan of their own to reduce the federal deficit, calling them ?The Lap Dogs? (instead of The Blue Dogs, a group of moderate and conservative Democrats). The gavel of the House Speaker pounded time and time again, calling for order in the House. The turmoil in the House was attributed to planned changes in social service programs such as Medicaid, food stamps, free or reduced school lunches, childcare and children?s services, and federal student grants and loans. The term ?deficit reduction? in the bill may be a misnomer, as it would only work to reduce the growth rate of federal government programs. The effort to create such savings may also be voided by an extension of tax cuts on capital gains and dividend income, which Congress plans to consider next. This tax cut bill will reduce revenues by $70 million and increase the budget deficit instead. The idea to reduce federal programs and continue the tax cuts has spawned the term ?robbing the poor to give to the rich? from the Democrats, as they believe the tax cut will only benefit the upper-income earners. The Democrats also accuse the Republicans for creating the Deficit Reduction Act so they could ?finance? the tax cuts. The Senate version seeks about $35 billion in cuts. The huge difference in the two bills must now be hashed out by a House-Senate conference committee, from which a final bill will emerge and be presented for an up or down vote. The conference committee will begin negotiations on the final bill in December. One ominous issue is the expected insertion to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil drilling, which Sen. Ted Stevens has vowed to do. ?I just never give up. That?s all,? Stevens said on Nov. 18. Stevens and fellow supporter Sen. Pete Domenici, R-New Mexico, are considered the top budget negotiators in the conference committee. The House budget reconciliation bill also calls for the Interior Department to sell 10 million or more acres of public lands of mining importance in the American west to private ownership. This includes planned sales of 2,000,000 acres inside or near national parks, wildlife refuges, and wilderness areas, in order to gain an estimated $158 million in revenue over the next five years to help reduce the ballooning federal deficit. ?To our knowledge, (the public land sale) represents the largest land giveaway in modern American history,? said the Environmental Working Group, a national environmental watchdog. Rep. Nick J. Rahall, D-West Virginia, said the idea, developed by Rep. Richard Pombo, R-California, is ?a raid on America?s public lands and our natural resources heritage of almost unparalleled proportions.? The General Mining Law of 1872, signed into law by Ulysses S. Grant, allowed private companies to patent or purchase federal land with proven mineral resources for between $2.50 and $5 an acre. In 1994, Congress finally placed a moratorium on such sales, but allowed miners to pay nominal annual fees for the rights to extract minerals. The fear is that public access areas will be threatened when these mining claims come under private ownership, and that buyers will turn these sites into resorts or other development and ruin national wilderness or wildlife areas.
Congress at an impasse over ANWR drilling 11/15/05 by Allen Joseph
A major federal deficit reduction bill, one that has not been seen in eight years, is in danger of failing due to disagreements over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. A week after the U.S. Senate passed the 2005 budget reconciliation bill allowing for drilling in the ANWR, the U.S. House of Representatives dropped it from their proposed version of the bill. ?Twenty-five House Republicans signed a letter circulated by Rep. Charles Bass. R-New Hampshire, that stated they would not support the budget-cutting bill until ANWR drilling was stripped from it,? said The Hill, a newspaper about Congress. ?Taking ANWR out of the bill makes it more (acceptable) for Republicans who are concerned about the possible effect oil drilling could have on the refuge, a stretch of wilderness used by caribou and other wildlife,? the paper added. Dropping ANWR from the House bill was considered a ?stunning victory? for environmentalists, the Associated Press said, considering the fact that it?s ?a pet project? of President George W. Bush, and a top priority item among the Capitol?s leadership. Another of Bush?s plans, allowing states to lift a moratorium on oil drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific Coasts, was also dropped. Ironically, it was the search for just enough votes to pass another of Bush?s priorities that caused the ANWR drilling provision to be stricken from the bill: Bush also seeks cutting $51 billion from the federal food stamp, Medicaid, child support enforcement and other programs throughout the next decade. Another irony is that the U.S. House has always passed bills with ANWR drilling in the past, only to have the matter halted by the U.S. Senate each time. Bass said ANWR was just one of many concerns among co-signers on his letter. They also have reservations about cuts to the food stamp and Medicaid programs, as well as proposed changes to student-loan funding. These concerns delayed the vote on the House reconciliation bill scheduled for Thursday last week, causing its postponement to this week. So far, a food stamps program eligibility change is the only concession made by lawmakers upset with the cuts. GOP leaders bowed to Cuban-Americans from the Miami area to loosen new restrictions on food stamps benefits for legal immigrants. Despite the obstacles, White House press secretary Scott McClellan said Bush was pleased that Congress was ?moving forward? with the deficit-reduction bill, and that he still strongly supports opening up a small portion of ANWR to environmentally-responsible exploration. ?We continue to urge passage of that initiative,? McClellan said. ?It?s vital to helping us reduce our dependence on foreign sources of energy and helping to reduce high energy prices.? But omission of ANWR in the House bill could prevent it from moving forward, killing hopes for the federal deficit reduction measure and passage of an ANWR drilling authorization this year. Rep. Don Young, a ranking Republican with much influence in the House, said he doesn?t care to vote for the bill without ANWR. ?I don?t have much incentive to vote for this (budget) reconciliation package itself, other than it?d be a lot better if ANWR was in it,? he said on the day the House dropped pursuit of ANWR. His lead may be followed by 41 other House Republicans, dooming the budget reconciliation bill. Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Nebraska, also said there are Senate members in the House-Senate conference committee who won?t support any budget reconciliation package without the ANWR provision. Pro-drilling advocates were at first not worried about the House excluding ANWR from the bill. If the House adopted the bill without ANWR, the conference committee ? whose membership includes Sens. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, and Pete Domenici, R-New Mexico ? was expected to insert it into the final bill. But opponents of ANWR are warning of such an insertion. ?If you want the (final bill) to succeed, you better keep ANWR out,? Bass said. Rep. Wayne Gilchrest of Maryland confirmed, saying that if the budget bill conference report comes back with ANWR in it, they (the 25 Republicans in the House, along with all the Democrats) would vote against it. But if Young and the other Republicans vote down this week the House bill with no ANWR, there will be no battle at the conference committee. ?We are at one of those great congressional impasses,? Hagel said. ?Somebody is going to have to blink or we will have no bill.?
U.S. Senate approves ANWR drilling 11/8/05 by Allen Joseph
Last week on Thursday, November 3, the U.S. Senate passed S. 1932, the Deficit Reduction Omnibus Reconciliation Act of 2005, otherwise known as the ?budget reconciliation bill,? whose purpose is to balance federal spending and revenue. The Senate voted 52-47 for the bill, which would reduce the federal deficit by $36 billion in the next five years and allow for drilling in the 2,000-acre portion of the Coastal Plain of ANWR. Before the vote, over two dozen amendments were voted up or down, including an amendment to strike ANWR from the bill. The amendment, sponsored by Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Washington, failed by 48-51 margin. When the amendment failed, another amendment by Sen. Cantwell was introduced, this time to halt the drilling if Alaska ever went to go to court over the matter. It also failed by a 48-51 margin. An amendment, sponsored by Sens. Ron Wyden, D-Oregon, and Jim Talent, R-Montana, banning ANWR oil from being exported, passed by a large 83-16 margin. The measure would prevent oil companies from continuing to increase oil prices for consumers along the West Coast while exporting Alaskan crude oil to Asian markets, thereby manipulating the oil markets. ?I oppose drilling for oil in (ANWR),? said. Wyden, ?But if it?s drilled at all, it should be used for its stated purpose ? on the U.S. market for U.S. energy consumers.? Wyden said it?s ?a fraud on the American public to drill in a wildlife refuge and then sell the oil abroad? to the highest bidder. ?The vote is the minimum the Senate should do,? he said. Talent agreed, saying domestic resources from the U.S. should be sold domestically. ?Our amendment would make certain that the oil we get from the Arctic is sold in the United States,? Talent said. ?It?s too important to our energy security. It?s a very important hedge against foreign boycotts or threats or oil blackmail that somebody may want to use against the United States.? In Alaska, Governor Frank H. Murkowski hailed the vote as a great victory by the Alaska Congressional Delegation. ?We should extend our thanks to Alaska?s congressional delegation, the state?s Washington, D.C. office, Arctic Power, and all the Alaskans whose efforts are getting us closer to opening the Coastal Plain of ANWR,? he said. ?This action by the Senate is a major milestone in congressional consideration of the 1002 area.? Murkowski said the common sense views of most Alaskans regarding energy development prevailed on this issue. ?We?ve got good reason to believe that the small 1002 area holds the greatest prospects for the next Prudhoe Bay-sized discovery and that means jobs for Alaskans and a stable domestic source of energy for the nation.? ?The national priorities that are at stake here with ANWR are priorities of energy security, of economic security and national security,? said Sen. Lisa Murkowski before the vote. ?These are the priorities that we as a body should be about and ANWR can meet these priorities for our nation,? she said. ?ANWR will not only help us meet the challenges of our reliance on foreign sources of oil, it can also help us generate jobs and a stronger economy.? Sen. Murkowski said that right now, America is about 56 percent dependent on foreign oil. ?This dependency is expected to pass the two-thirds mark within the next 20 years,? she said. ?It will continue to threaten our national security and our economy unless we do something to impact it.? One quarter of the U.S. trade deficit relates to what we pay other countries for our oil, she said. ?Last year, we paid $166 billion to buy oil from overseas. We?re going to pay even more than that this year. We?ve got to do something to address this negative balance of trade.? According to Sen. Murkowski, ANWR oil will help stabilize not only our national energy prices but also it should generate more than $30 billion in federal revenues within 15 years of production ? and reduce our balance of payments deficit. ?The jobs that will be generated go far beyond those that are just drilling and exploration jobs in Alaska,? she said. ?Jobs will be created all over the country ? an estimated 12,000 jobs in Washington State, 80,000 in California, 40,000 in New York State. ANWR means increased commerce and increased economic activity all over the country.? The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on a similar bill this week, but the House version seeks some $54 billion in federal spending cuts. If the House approves the measure, the matter will then go to a House-Senate conference for development of the final bill. When the final bill is approved, it will then be sent to President George W. Bush to be signed into law. Some Senators were not happy with their version of the bill. ?This budget reconciliation bill takes exactly the wrong approach to reducing America?s deficit,? Wyden said. ?Instead of repealing tax cuts that benefit only the fortunate few, it gives the middle class more burdens to bear,? he added. ?At the same time, it undermines much-needed programs from Medicaid to child support enforcement. I will do everything I can to develop bipartisan support to change these destructive policies.?
Lease sale conducted in Bristol Bay region; more planned 11/1/05 by Allen Joseph
Last week, the state concluded a lease sale targeting areas in the Alaska Peninsula and Bristol Bay region for oil and gas development, once the successful bidders are able to go forward with their plans. According to several of the state?s press releases on the matter, the state offered oil and gas leases on 5.8 million acres of onshore and offshore lands within the state?s three-mile limit in Bristol Bay. The Bristol Bay region has been off-limits for leasing in recent years, however, because coastal communities feared oil spills would damage rich salmon fisheries. However, Governor Frank Murkowski claims fishing has declined and there is now local support for oil and gas development. ?The state is very optimistic about the oil and gas potential in the lease sale area,? Murkowski said. ?The sale represents a significant opportunity for the Alaska Peninsula and Bristol Bay regions to diversify their economy and foster new economic development for their communities.? Two oil companies were successful bidders in an activity seen as being one of the goals of the governor. ?Shell Oil Company is a major force in the industry that chose to return to Alaska after a long absence and Hewitt Minerals Corp. is an independent,? Murkowski said. ?Both are important to the future of our natural resources wealth and both represent some fulfillment of my decision to return to Alaska after 22 years in the U.S. Senate.? The governor has said community leaders of the region encouraged him to hold the lease sales as a way of encouraging local economic activity and employment, and in developing local sources of energy. The state subsequently signed formal agreements with Alaska Native corporations and boroughs in the region to provide a framework for cooperation and information sharing leading to the lease sale, and others are in the works. Murkowski also said the sale is a direct result of the efforts of former lawmaker Nels Anderson and the late Harvey Samuelson, saying they recognized that responsible resource development could coexist with other activities in the region. ?They had a deep love for Bristol Bay and the vision to see the economic potential that oil and gas exploration could have on the families who live there.? ?This will create more opportunities than we can imagine and increase the supply of oil and gas for our own use here and in the U.S.,? Anderson said. ?I?m looking forward to another lease sale here next year and I hope oil companies will show even more interest.? Murkowski also hopes this successful sale is the beginning of an opportunity to bring new economic development to this region of Alaska. ?The partnership that has been formed between the state, local governments and regional organizations to encourage new investment in this area is exciting, and it is now showing results. We look forward to continuing to build on this first step,? he said. ?I see the 2005 Alaska Peninsula Areawide Lease sale as a tremendous success and tangible evidence that we as Alaskans hold our destiny in our own hands,? Murkowski added. ?Those of us who have lived in Bristol Bay have been trying to talk to every administration up until Governor Murkowski and no one was willing to do anything,? Anderson said. ?Because of what the governor did in response to a request by the late Harvey Samuelson, Jim Haynes and myself, we have a lease sale today. I am very pleased and I congratulate the governor,? Anderson added. The size of New Hampshire, the area covers parts of Bristol Bay and the northern side of the Alaska Peninsula, stretching from the Nushagak Peninsula in the north to the Cold Bay area on the peninsula. 1,047 tracts, ranging in size from 1,280 acres to 5,760 acres, were to be sold, having 10-year terms and a fixed royalty of 12.5 % with a minimum bonus bid of $5 per acre. State geologists say Bristol Bay has considerable potential for oil and gas, and that the geology of Bristol Bay is very similar to Cook Inlet, where oil and gas discoveries have been made since the late 1950s. Beginning in 1903, some 26 onshore wells have been drilled, the last being Amoco Becharof No. 1 in 1985. State officials say the entire region is gas-prone but southern sections of the area have oil potential as well. Although most of the lease sale area is onshore, 1.75 million acres in the sale area are offshore in state-owned submerged lands within the three-mile territorial limit. As part of the lease requirements, the Department of Natural Resources will not allow offshore drilling. Instead, offshore acreage included in the lease sales can only be accessed from onshore locations using directional drilling techniques. This is not the first time lease sales occurred in the Bristol Bay area. The U.S. Minerals Management Service (MMS) offered adjacent Outer Continental Shelf acreage for lease in ?OCS Sale 92? in 1988 and sold 23 leases, in which oil companies, like Shell Oil, paid nearly $100 million for the leases. The government later repurchased the leases, after local communities and the state of Alaska protested oil and gas development plans in the resource rich region. The OCS part of the basin is still under a leasing moratorium. MMS has no current plans to offer the federal acreage, however the Bush administration is thinking about lifting the ban on offshore leasing in what is known as the North Aleutian Basin in Bristol Bay, as well as other areas of U.S. coastline now closed to drillers. Geologists believe Bristol Bay?s offshore areas might hold much more oil and gas than the land along the peninsula, about 6.8 trillion cubic feet of natural gas and 233 million barrels of crude oil and condensate.
AFN receives ?critical? pledges from Murkowski 10/25/2005 by Allen Joseph
During the Alaska Federation of Natives conference in Fairbanks last week, Governor Frank H. Murkowski promised to push for rural energy assistance and rural justice funding in the next legislative session. Rural energy initiatives, including full funding for Power Cost Equalization, will top the legislative agenda along with substance abuse and law enforcement measures and state assistance to communities, Murkowski said. For the upcoming session, Murkowski pledged to ask for a supplemental appropriation to fully fund PCE in addition to including full funding next year. Murkowski said he will also seek $6.5 million for Small Municipality Energy Assistance and $9 million to supplement the federal Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program, often referred to as LIHEAP. ?Without a doubt, the number one concern in Rural Alaska right now is the high cost of energy,? Murkowski said. ?Full funding of the PCE program will mean about $200 more for each household. This, along with the other initiatives I am pursuing should provide some relief.? Murkowski also outlined several rural justice measures that the state will pursue in the coming year, including legislation to make bootlegging laws on property seizures more closely mirror those for drug dealers. He will also pursue a bill to ban written order sales of alcohol to residents of dry villages, including asking Congress to give Alaska State Troopers postal inspector powers in order to intercept alcohol delivered to villages through the U.S. mail system in the state. Murkowski also said he would seek a $4 million increase in state funding to return more Alaska children to in-state residential treatment and to provide for more mental health counselors in rural villages. The administration will again seek legislative support for funding to directly assist communities, Murkowski said. Two years ago, the state Senate rejected a ?Percent Of Market Value,? or POMV, proposal that would have provided millions to communities. ?We?re looking to introduce legislation that addresses how to fund local governments with a stable source of funding ? I need your help in supporting a solution,? Murkowski said. ?We have to address it and we have to address it in this session of the legislature.? As for the rural energy issue, Murkowski said he has done extensive work in rGesearching the short-term and long-term solutions to making energy costs on rural Alaska less of a barrier on economic development. ?Recommendations from the Rural Energy Action Council, and the state?s comprehensive AEA Rural Energy Plan created a year ago, provide good guidance for policymakers,? Murkowski said. The administration is investing in support for energy efficiency and conservation projects. The University of Alaska Fairbanks Arctic Energy Technology Lab is working to standardize the design of heat recovery systems for diesel generators in village power houses, while the Department of Health and Social Services has set aside $60,000 to advance technology proposals that aid rural Alaska. ?There are numerous stories of rural communities that were able to reduce energy costs by making small investments in new technology,? Murkowski said. The governor will seek approximately $3 million supplemental budget request when the Legislature returns this January that fully funds the FY06 PCE program. In addition, he will seek full funding for PCE in the FY07 budget and ask that the state match the five-year appropriation to the program found in the Energy Bill. ?Combined, this will increase the endowment by more than $100 million over the next decade, making PCE significantly closer to being self-supporting,? Murkowski said. However, Murkowski?s speech before the AFN delegates appeared to be received with a grain of salt. ?It was rather long,? said Harold ?Buddy? Brown, President of Tanana Chiefs Conference, referring to the fact that the speech caused the convention to fall behind on its agenda.
Subsistence Council rejects calls for more restrictions 10/18/2005 by Allen Joseph
Last week, the Y-K Delta Subsistence Rural Advisory Council (RAC) met in Bethel at the Longhouse Inn and considered proposals affecting future subsistence fishing and hunting activities in the delta. Two proposals seeking further restrictions to subsistence salmon fishing in the Yukon and Kuskokwim Rivers were shot down; two other proposals seeking relaxation of existing restrictions however passed. An earlier start to salmon fishing management, otherwise known as the ?schedules,? for the lower Yukon River?s Y-1 and Y-2 area was proposed by the Western Interior RAC, in which inseason fisheries managers would begin such determinations starting on May 15. Inseason fisheries managers in the Yukon River usually begin the salmon fishing schedules in June, in which the traditional subsistence fishery is replaced with two 36-hour fishing periods weekly. The Western Interior?s reason for submitting the proposal was that the Yukon River sometimes breaks up early in May, long before the fishing schedules ? which are utilized to conserve troubled Pacific Salmon species ? come into effect. However, the proposal was rejected unanimously by the Council, saying it would have shortened traditional subsistence fishing activities in the lower Yukon River by as much as a month and that Yukon River salmon species are no longer troubled. The Alaska Fish and Game staff also did not support the proposal, saying salmon runs (in this case, Chinook or King salmon) in May are small and insignificant, and would have interrupted fishing for other species, such as sheefish. The Council also rejected another proposal targeting the lower Yukon River, this time by the Eastern Interior RAC and one that would have limited depth of gill nets to 35 meshes. It would have affected both subsistence and commercial fishers, those using nets larger than six-inch mesh. There are presently no restrictions on the depth of gill nets on the Yukon River, although nets larger than six-inch mesh may not be more than 45 meshes deep by state regulations. The regulations however allow the Commissioner to limit gill net depth by emergency order only when needed for Chinook salmon conservation measures. The Council?s reason for the rejection of this proposal was that further conservation measures are not needed today. Earlier in the meeting, fish and game biologists said that current Chinook salmon escapement levels were average or near historic highs; they also said the fishing schedules in place today already serve the purpose of reducing Chinook salmon harvests. The Council said yes to a proposal, submitted for all of Alaska by the Office of Subsistence Management in Anchorage, that would allow people to sell non-edible parts of subsistence-caught fish and shellfish, such as skins, shells, fins and bones. A discussion paper at the meeting said there are currently no regulations providing for the sale of handicraft items made from fish and shellfish, and the proposal is to accommodate existing practices and to provide needed economic gain from inedible parts of those resources. ?Additionally, the proposal would correct an administrative oversight allowing a practice described in ANILCA (Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act) ?for the making and selling of handicraft articles out of nonedible byproducts of fish and wildlife resources taken for personal or family consumption?,?? the paper said. The proposal would change existing federal regulations that prohibit exchange in customary trade or sell fish or wildlife or their parts. State regulations also prohibit sale of handicrafts made from nonedible byproducts of fish. However, the Alaska Fish and Game is submitting a request to the Board of Fisheries with proposed regulatory language to accommodate the proposed federal regulation. The state proposal is expected to be considered either in December 2005 or March 2006. Another proposal approved by the Subsistence Council is for the Kuskokwim River?s District 1 and 2 fishing zones, one that removes stricter time limits for subsistence fishing before and after commercial fishing. Presently, subsistence fishing is closed for 16 hours before and six hours after commercial fishing in the Kuskokwim. The new regulation would remove the time limits, replacing it with the emergency order system already in place for commercial fishing. The new regulation would allow for greater subsistence fishing opportunity, as was realized in 2004. In that year, subsistence fishing was allowed six hours before and three hours after commercial fishing by emergency order. The Y-K Delta RAC is composed of the following: James Charles of Tuntutuliak, Willard Church, Jr. of Quinhagak, Raymond Oney of Alakanuk, William Brown of Eek, Harry Wilde, Sr. of Mt. Village, Mary Gregory of Bethel, Phillip Moses of Toksook Bay, Lester Wilde, Sr. of Hooper Bay, Joseph Mike of Kotlik, Greg Roczicka of Bethel, Bob Aloysius of Kalskag, and Bev Hoffman of Bethel. Gasline contract delivered to producers 10/18/2005 by Allen Joseph
Earlier this month, Governor Frank H. Murkowski revealed he had delivered last month a contract for an Alaska Gasline Project to the producers ? ExxonMobil, BP and ConocoPhillips. ?In September, I delivered a contract term sheet to the producers,? he said. ?Since then, we have engaged in active negotiations on that term sheet and have made much progress toward agreement. I am encouraged by that progress.? Murkowski said although the contract reflects the state?s position, the contract terms will benefit the producers, and is ?good for the nation and most importantly, good for Alaskans.? Murkowski said he could not share details of the contract, due to the confidentiality provisions in the Stranded Gas Development Act. The governor said we are approaching an historic moment ? moving from 30 years of trying, to the reality of a gasline. ?We are closer now than ever before,? he said. ?This project has eluded Alaska thus far because of its high construction costs and associated risks.? The gasline is expected to cost $20 billion or more and will not be completed for 10 years. With increased natural gas prices and supply shortages in our nation?s reserves, Murkowski says the Alaska gas project now makes economic sense. ?With this project, Alaska will do its part in becoming America?s pipeline to energy independence. This project will shape our state for decades to come, building the future of Alaska and shaping the quality of life in the state our children will inherit.? Murkowski added that he is committed to supporting the project, which delivers the maximum financial and other benefits to Alaska. ?To do less would be to shortchange Alaskans, our state services and our Permanent Fund,? he said. ?Alaskans should be assured that as this project moves forward, it will provide them the most benefit now and for generations to come.? Murkowski is known to favor a pipeline that would follow the Alaska Highway through British Columbia. The pipeline would ultimately extend to Alberta, where the gas would be delivered to North American markets using existing pipes. But supporters of an all-Alaska line are trying to persuade Alaskans to build the pipeline through Alaska. The All-Alaska Alliance, a new group, is collecting petitions for the special session, which may be called later this year and will be running television commercials to win support for their side. ?We?re once again going to show the legislature and the governor that Alaskans do know the difference between the benefits associated with a pipeline that goes through Canada, primarily, and one that is completely within the state of Alaska,? said Lori Backes, All-Alaska Alliance. Originally, Murkowski planned a special session of the Alaska Legislature this year to consider a contract for fiscal terms for the pipeline. But because of public notice timelines in law, a deal would have to come together in the near future to allow a special session by December. To date the producers, which received Alaska?s gasline contract terms, have not yet responded. ?I urge (them) to respond quickly and affirmatively,? Murkowski said.
Tribes able to apply for new DOJ grants
by Allen Joseph
Late last week, the Native American Times, a national newsletter, reported that Chickasaw Congressman Tom Cole had authored legislation that will enable Indian Tribes to apply for grants from the Department of Justice. ?Tribal governments deserve the same access to these grants as other state and local governments,? Cole said. ?Tribal law enforcement work hard to keep their communities safe and these grants will help them do their jobs more effectively.? The language allowing for the grants was added into a much larger bill, the Department of Justice Appropriations Authorization Act. The act passed overwhelmingly, 415-4, in the House of Representatives. The grants are: -Weed and Seed Grants. A discretionary grant program designed to ?weed out? crime in neighborhoods and ?seed? them with coordinated crime prevention and human service programs. The House approved $50 million for this program for the next fiscal year. According to the federal grants language, Operation Weed and Seed is a comprehensive, multi-disciplinary approach to combating violent crime, drug use, and gang activity in high crime neighborhoods. ?The goal is to ?weed out? violence and drug activity in high crime neighborhoods and then to ?seed? the sites with a wide range of crime and drug prevention programs, human service resources, and neighborhood restoration activities to prevent crime from reoccurring,? the language said. -Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance program (JAG). These grants provide funds to prevent and control crime based on local needs and conditions. The House designated almost $350 million for the JAG grant program. JAG grants funds the following Law Enforcement activities: ?Prosecution and court programs. ?Prevention and education programs. ?Corrections and community corrections programs. ?Drug treatment programs. ?Planning, evaluation, and technology improvement programs. -Regional Information Sharing Systems (RISS) Grants. These funds are to maintain and operate regional information sharing to help meet the needs of law enforcement agencies that are working on multi-jurisdictional offenses. The House has approved over $180 million for this program. RISS grants were developed to enhance the ability of the state and local criminal justice agencies to identify, target, and remove criminal conspiracies and activities that span jurisdictional boundaries. The first objective of RISS is to encourage and facilitate the rapid exchange and sharing of information among federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies pertaining to known or suspected terrorist or criminal activity. The second objective is to enhance coordination and communication among agencies that are in pursuit of criminal conspiracies determined to be inter-jurisdictional in nature. In addition, RISS funds may provide technical and financial resources to member agencies, such as specialized equipment, training, and investigative funds, to augment existing multi-jurisdictional enforcement resources and operations. The new law may be a welcome respite for funding-strapped tribal governments in need of police and justice program money. Funds for Alaska?s tribal courts and village police programs have been severely limited in the last few years. In June of 2003, Governor Frank H. Murkowski cut vetoed funding for law enforcement in 15 Alaska Native villages in order to save the state $1 million per year. In September of 2003, Sen. Ted Stevens moved to cut funding for Alaska?s tribal courts, tribal police officers and law enforcement equipment from the Department of Justice spending bill. He instead wanted to use the money for the state?s Village Public Safety Officer Program.
Alaska oil output increased to aid nation
by Allen Joseph
Following the disruption of critical energy production in the Gulf of Mexico by Hurricane Katrina, Governor Frank H. Murkowski made a plea this month to the producers of North Slope crude oil, calling for increased production in order to provide needed energy supplies to the United States. Hurricane Katrina, which struck the Gulf of Mexico and Gulf states earlier this month, shut down hundreds of oil rigs and platforms. Last week, Hurricane Rita ravaged the area, keeping the rigs and platforms shut down. Normally capable of producing some 1.5 million barrels daily, no oil was being produced by Gulf platforms as late as Sunday, September 25. In addition, the hurricanes shut down most land-based oil refineries and natural gas processing plants. Murkowki said Alaska will do its part in helping to restore the nation?s energy supplies by working to increase production of its available oil resources to replace lost production from the Gulf Coast. ?Alaska has been a critical supplier of energy to our country for decades, and as the nation struggles with the catastrophic human and economic consequences of this devastating hurricane, it is natural for us to again play a leading role in meeting America?s energy needs,? Murkowski said after Hurricane Katrina hit the United States. Murkowski said Chevron, ConocoPhillips and BP responded to his request by increasing production or by planning to increase production in the coming weeks by approximately 10,000 barrels per day. Murkowski had on September 6 made the request while speaking with representatives from BP Exploration, ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, Anadarko, and the Alyeska Pipeline Service Corp. ?Every barrel of oil we can produce is a barrel our nation needs,? Murkowski said. ?I appreciate the willingness of the producers, in this time of national need, to leave no stone unturned in their efforts to increase production.? Alaska currently supplies approximately 17 percent of the nation?s oil production, providing about a million barrels of oil per day. Four of the nation?s top 10 producing oil fields are located on Alaska?s North Slope. Alaska ranks second behind Texas in daily oil production. ?Alaska plays a vital role in filling the nation?s energy needs,? Murkowski said. ?The cooperation between (the state and producers) in doing everything possible to fill that need in the short term is critical.? Murkowski said that Alaska?s oil producers have answered the nation?s call in the past, increasing production and delivery of vital oil during the first Gulf War, and that the nation?s leaders are looking at Alaska for a long-term solution to the nation?s energy needs, both with increased oil production and a new natural gas pipeline. ?With congressional action pending on the (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), I cannot overemphasize the critical role that Alaska plays in providing for the energy and national security needs of our nation,? said Murkowski, who served as chairman of the Senate?s Energy and Natural Resources Committee when he was U.S. Senator. ?This initiative once again demonstrates that Alaskans have the technical expertise, the resources and the willingness to help others whenever the need arises,? Murkowski said. Alaska has four refineries which produce gasoline, diesel, and jet fuel for Alaska markets. Refineries are located in Nikiski and Valdez, and two refineries are located near Fairbanks. A gas liquefaction plant at Nikiski, the only one of its type in North America, supplies 1.3 million barrels of liquefied natural gas to Japan each month.
Environmentalists plan ANWR rallies nationwide
by Allen Joseph
As Members of Congress begin returning to go back to work in the nation?s capitol, environmental groups are gearing up to meet them head-on over the issue of drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR). The budget reconciliation vote, most likely in September, is next on the Congressional agenda. It is a vote that could lead to extensive oil drilling in ANWR. ?We have a lot to say about protecting the Arctic Refuge and the upcoming budget reconciliation vote,? said Dereth Glance, an environmental activist from Syracuse, New York. In addition to meeting directly with Members of Congress, organizers of the event have plans to speak up at town hall meetings, run tables at fairs and community events, and educate their neighbors about the importance of protecting ANWR. Each of these activities will be connected nationally to Arctic Refuge Action (www.ArcticRefugeAction.org), a summer campaign to coordinate citizens eager to save ANWR. The campaign was created to capture the energy of Americans who |