Alaska

What Alaska leaders, advocacy groups and industries are saying about EPA’s Pebble decision

Published

2 years ago

February 1, 2023

What Alaska leaders, advocacy groups and industries are saying about EPA’s Pebble decision

This Sept. 2011 aerial photograph offered by the Environmental Safety Company, reveals the Bristol Bay watershed in Alaska. The U.S. Environmental Safety Company on Tuesday, Jan. 31, 2023, successfully vetoed a proposed copper and gold mine within the distant area of southwest Alaska that’s coveted by mining pursuits however that additionally helps the world’s largest sockeye salmon fishery. (Joseph Ebersole/EPA by way of AP)

The Environmental Safety Company’s resolution on Tuesday to dam growth of the Pebble copper and gold mine in Southwest Alaska drew responses from a wide selection of teams and Alaska leaders.

The company’s “closing willpower” is a landmark second for Bristol Bay leaders and conservation, tribal and fishing teams who’ve fought the venture for 20 years. Nevertheless it angered Alaska politicians and enterprise commerce teams, who mentioned it hurts financial alternatives and raises the prospects that the federal authorities might cease different necessary initiatives.

[EPA issues long-awaited final decision halting Pebble mine]

Listed below are a few of the preliminary reactions:

• “At present, these Clear Water Act protections present certainty that Pebble can’t be inbuilt Bristol Bay,” mentioned Alannah Hurley, govt director of the United Tribes of Bristol Bay. “On behalf of UTBB, I’d wish to say quyana, chin’an, thanks to the EPA and the Biden Administration not only for this resolution, however for working all through this 404(c) course of to seek the advice of with our tribes. EPA’s motion at this time helps us construct the long run the place our individuals can stay Yup’ik, Dena’ina, and Alutiiq for generations to return.”

• “At present’s motion by the EPA to preemptively veto the proposed Pebble Venture is illegal and unprecedented,” mentioned John Shively, chief govt of Pebble Restricted Partnership. “For nicely over a decade, we have now argued that honest remedy beneath the principles and rules of the usshould be adopted for Pebble or another growth venture. Sadly, the Biden EPA continues to disregard honest and due course of in favor of politics. This preemptive motion towards Pebble isn’t supported legally, technically, or environmentally. As such, the following step will doubtless be to take authorized motion to combat this injustice.”

• “For the primary time in 20 years, our fishermen will head out on the water this fishing season with out the existential menace of Pebble mine looming simply upriver,” mentioned Katherine Carscallen, director of Business Fishermen for Bristol Bay. “1000’s of small fishing companies and trade members are thanking the Biden administration and the Environmental Safety Company for finalizing Clear Water Act protections which acknowledge the significance of Bristol Bay, its record-breaking salmon runs, and the irreplaceable sustainable jobs it helps.”

• “EPA’s veto units a harmful precedent,” mentioned Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy. “Alarmingly, it lays the inspiration to cease any growth venture, mining or non-mining, in any space of Alaska with wetlands and fish-bearing streams. My administration will arise for the rights of Alaskans, Alaska property homeowners, and Alaska’s future.”

Bristol Bay, fishing and environmental teams

• “That is an unimaginable day for Bristol Bay,” mentioned Nelli Williams, Alaska director for Trout Limitless. “For greater than a decade, the science has remained robust and public assist has been unwavering for Clear Water Act protections.”

• “The residents of Bristol Bay have labored collectively to oppose this mine for greater than 20 years, and at this time marks a significant milestone in that lengthy journey,” mentioned Ivy Spohnholz, state director of The Nature Conservancy in Alaska. “With at this time’s closing willpower from the EPA, native leaders in Bristol Bay can now start constructing for the way forward for Bristol Bay relatively than preventing towards a mine they don’t need.”

• “At present is a good day for Bristol Bay, and one which many thought would by no means come,” mentioned James Metrokin, chief govt of Bristol Bay Native Corp. “Whereas the speedy menace of Pebble is behind us, BBNC will proceed working to guard Bristol Bay’s salmon-based tradition and financial system and to create new financial alternatives throughout the area.”

• “EPA listened to our individuals’s name and can now shield our lands and waters for future generations. That is implausible information for our area,” mentioned Robin Samuelsen, board chair of the Bristol Bay Financial Improvement Corp. “Bristol Bay has been preventing this mine for greater than 20 years, and at this time we have a good time that the EPA listened and took motion to guard our residence. Our fishery is important to our area’s survival each economically and culturally, and this resolution will allow us to proceed feeding our households and the world.”

“We’re glad to see the Environmental Safety Company lastly shield Bristol Bay from the specter of Pebble Mine,” mentioned Andy Wink, govt director of Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Improvement Affiliation. “As a result of onerous work and dedication of the Biden administration and Environmental Safety Company, our fishermen can now do their jobs with out worrying about Pebble Mine destroying Bristol Bay’s iconic salmon runs. This resolution is a big conservation win that can guarantee we are able to proceed to ship tens of hundreds of thousands of untamed sockeye salmon to the market yearly, feeding households from coast to coast.”

Different enterprise and trade teams

• “Copper is a necessary mineral for any renewable power supply, and Pebble is likely one of the most important sources of copper within the nation and world wide,” mentioned Deantha Skibinski, govt director, Alaska Miners Affiliation. “Improperly shutting down the chance at Pebble places the nation’s inexperienced targets in danger, and the most important beneficiary of this will probably be adversarial overseas international locations that lack environmental and social values. This resolution is a shame to Alaskans and Individuals.”

• “At present’s resolution locations Alaska and the USA at an financial and environmental drawback,” mentioned Kati Capozzi, president and CEO of the Alaska Chamber. “The EPA’s veto continues us down a slippery slope of regulatory uncertainty and all those who oppose growth in our nation are paying shut consideration and applauding at this time’s announcement. Any venture on the horizon may very well be subsequent — be it a street, a wind farm, oil exploration, fisheries and related infrastructure, or a wastewater remedy plant.”

• “Now we have cautioned that ought to this preemptive veto transfer ahead, it is going to turn into accepted as a normal choice for stopping growth of any sort, together with these in Alaska’s forest merchandise trade,” mentioned Tessa Axleson, Alaska Forest Affiliation. “It is going to have turn into a validated speculation anti-development opponents can use to problem the Nationwide Environmental Safety Act evaluation on any venture proposed round anadromous waters. At present’s resolution cats a darkish cloud on Alaska’s future financial potential.”

• “AOGA continues to oppose any company making selections about initiatives earlier than the total allowing course of, together with the appeals course of, has been accomplished,” mentioned Kara Moriarty, president and CEO of the Alaska Oil and Gasoline Affiliation. “At present’s resolution undermines regulatory certainty and predictability in Alaska. It’s unfathomable that one regulatory company can cease a venture earlier than the venture could be afforded full due course of by one other regulatory company.”

• “At present’s unprecedented motion by the EPA is a harmful abuse of energy and federal overreach,” mentioned Leila Kimbrell, govt director for the Useful resource Improvement Council for Alaska. “This resolution goes past the proposed venture web site and withdraws greater than 300 sq. miles of state-owned land. These had been lands chosen by the state of Alaska from the federal authorities at statehood particularly for his or her mineral-rich deposits. This violates the federal authorities’s settlement with Alaska and is an end-run across the federal Alaska Nationwide Curiosity Lands Conservation Act’s ‘no extra’ clause.”

• “The event of our pure assets requires a regulatory framework that’s rigorous, science primarily based, clear, and predictable,” mentioned Karen Matthias, govt director, Council of Alaska Producers. “This implies permitting permits to be filed, evaluating a selected plan of operation, encouraging public involvement, measuring impacts, and totally assessing choices for mitigation and safety. Ignoring the outcomes of the Environmental Impression Assertion isn’t sound science.”

Alaska’s congressional delegation and legal professional basic

• “EPA’s closing willpower ought to mark the top of Pebble, which was already rejected by the company in 2020 and doesn’t have the entry, permits, financing, public assist, or disposal websites wanted to proceed,” mentioned Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski. “As Senator (Ted) Stevens as soon as mentioned, it’s the ‘incorrect mine within the incorrect place,’ and doesn’t deserve to maneuver ahead — for good cause. To be clear: I oppose Pebble. To be equally clear: I assist accountable mining in Alaska, which is a nationwide crucial. This willpower should not function precedent to focus on another venture in our state and have to be the one time EPA ever makes use of its veto authority beneath the Clear Water Act in Alaska.”

• “I opposed the Pebble Mine following the Trump administration’s thorough, honest, and goal course of — primarily based on science — which finally denied Pebble’s allow software,” mentioned Republican Sen. Dan Sullivan. “The Trump administration denial was primarily based on the regulation and the particular and detailed venture software in entrance of the federal companies, and the significance of the world-class salmon useful resource that exists within the area At present, the Biden administration is doing one thing totally different — utilizing a pre-emptive veto, which raises severe authorized questions and has the potential to determine a really troubling precedent for useful resource growth on State of Alaska lands.”

• “After many years of regulatory uncertainty, I hope that this ruling offers the individuals who dwell and work in Bristol Bay the steadiness and peace of thoughts they deserve and the arrogance that this unimaginable salmon run will now not be threatened,” Democratic Rep. Mary Peltola mentioned. “I additionally perceive that some Alaskans may be upset by this resolution. To all of you, know that I’m dedicated to our state’s growth and to serving to native communities construct strong economies with good-paying jobs.”

• “The State stays dedicated to defending its property rights, together with its proper to develop its mineral curiosity for the good thing about all Alaskan residents,” mentioned Alaska Lawyer Common Treg Taylor. “EPA’s resolution has short-circuited the State’s regular course of for environmental evaluation, and has as an alternative substituted the opinions of purported ‘specialists’ positioned in Washington, DC. The way forward for Alaska’s mineral growth ought to be determined at residence, by Alaskans. Washington’s overstep into the State’s course of was unwarranted and shouldn’t be allowed to proceed. As such, the State intends to problem EPA’s resolution. The State introduced robust authorized and coverage arguments outlining why EPA’s resolution is incorrect and we stay up for assembly EPA in court docket.”

• • •

Source link

Alaska

Nearly 70 years ago, the world’s first satellite took flight. Three Alaska scientists were among the first North Americans to spot it.

Published

4 hours ago

January 17, 2025

Press Room

Nearly 70 years ago, the world’s first satellite took flight. Three Alaska scientists were among the first North Americans to spot it.

Sputnik 1 orbits Earth in this artist’s rendition by Gregory Todd. (Creative Commons image)

On any clear, dark night you can see them, gliding through the sky and reflecting sunlight from the other side of the world. Manmade satellites now orbit our planet by the thousands, and it’s hard to stargaze without seeing one.

The inky black upper atmosphere was less busy 68 years ago, when a few young scientists stepped out of a trailer near Fairbanks to look into the cold October sky. Gazing upward, they saw the moving dot that started it all, the Russian-launched Sputnik 1.

Those Alaskans, working for the Geophysical Institute at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, were the first North American scientists to see the satellite, which was the size and shape of a basketball and, at 180 pounds, weighed about as much as a point guard.

The Alaska researchers studied radio astronomy at the campus in Fairbanks. They had their own tracking station in a clearing in the forest on the northern portion of university land. This station, set up to study the aurora and other features of the upper atmosphere, enabled the scientists to be ready when a reporter called the institute with news of the Russians’ secret launch of the world’s first manmade satellite.

Within a half-hour of that call, an official with the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C., called Geophysical Institute Deputy Director C. Gordon Little with radio frequencies that Sputnik emitted.

In October 1957, researchers from the Geophysical Institute track the Sputnik 1 satellite from the Ballaine Lake Tracking Station on the UAF campus. From left are Bob Merritt, Joe Pope, Pete Michelow, Gordon Little, Glen Stanley and Ernest Stiltner. (Photo provided by Geophysical Institute)

“The scientists at the Institute poured out of their offices like stirred-up bees,” wrote a reporter for the Farthest North Collegian, the UAF campus newspaper.

Crowded into a trailer full of equipment about a mile north of their offices, the scientists received the radio beep-beep-beep from Sputnik and were able to calculate its orbit. They figured it would be visible in the northwestern sky at about 5 a.m. the next day.

On that morning, three of them stepped outside the trailer to see what Little described as “a bright star-like object moving in a slow, graceful curve across the sky like a very slow shooting star.”

For the record, scientists may not have been the first Alaskans to see Sputnik. In a 1977 article, the founder of this column, T. Neil Davis, described how his neighbor, Dexter Stegemeyer, said he had seen a strange moving star come up out of the west as he was sitting in his outhouse. Though Stegemeyer didn’t know what he saw until he spoke with Davis, his sighting was a bit earlier than the scientists’.

Charles Deehr, an emeritus professor at UAF’s Geophysical Institute, created this image of Dexter Stegemeyer, perhaps the first man in North America to see the Sputnik 1 satellite in October 1957. From the book “Alaska Science Nuggets” by T. Neil Davis.

The New York Times’ Oct. 7, 1957 edition included a front-page headline of “SATELLITE SEEN IN ALASKA,” and Sputnik caused a big fuss all over the country. People wondered about the implications of the Soviet object looping over America every 98 minutes. Within a year, Congress voted to create NASA.

Fears about Sputnik evaporated as three months later the U.S. launched its own satellite, Explorer 1, and eventually took the lead in the race for space.

Almost 70 later, satellites are part of everyday life. The next time you see a satellite streaking through the night sky, remember the first scientist on this continent to see one was standing in Alaska. And the first non-scientist to see a satellite in North America was sitting in Alaska.

Source link

Alaska

Western Alaska storm and southerly flow drives warmth back into the state

Published

12 hours ago

January 17, 2025

Press Room

Western Alaska storm and southerly flow drives warmth back into the state

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Gusty winds and heavy snow has begun to spread into Western and Southwest Alaska, with a surge of warmer air. Temperatures in Southwest Alaska is already 10 to 35 degrees warmer than yesterday morning. This warmth will spread across the rest of the state through the weekend, with some of the most pronounced warmth along the Slope. We’ll see many areas this weekend into next week remaining well-above average.

SOUTHCENTRAL:

Temperatures are slowly warming across Southcentral, with many areas seeing cloud coverage increasing. While we could see some peeks of sunshine today, most locations will see mostly cloudy conditions. While we can’t rule out light flurries for inland locations, most of the precipitation today will occur near the coast. Snow looks to be the primary precipitation type, although later this evening a transition to rain or wintry mix will occur. This comes as temperatures quickly warm across Southcentral.

We’ll see highs today in the upper 20s and lower 30s for inland areas, while coastal regions warm into the 30s and 40s. The southerly flow aloft will remain with us for several days, pumping in the warmth and moisture. As a result, Kodiak could see over an inch of rain today, with gusty winds.

While most of the precipitation this weekend remains near the coast, inland areas will see the best chance for wintry mix Sunday into Monday. Little to no accumulation is expected.

The key takeaways for this weekend, is snow transitioning to rain, with some gusty winds likely for parts of Southcentral this weekend.

SOUTHEAST:

Another fairly quiet day is expected across Southeast today, outside of some light snow near Yakutat. We’ll see a mix of sun and clouds with temperatures remaining on the cooler side. Parts of the Northern Panhandle may stay in the upper 20s today. The stretch of quiet weather will stay with us through the first half of Saturday, followed by an increase in precipitation and winds. This upcoming system may bring some heavy snowfall to Southeast, so be prepared for that potential this weekend. Temperatures warm into next week, back into the upper 30s and lower 40s for many areas.

INTERIOR:

While temperatures this morning have bottomed out as low as -30 near Fort Yukon, temperatures will warm into the weekend. A wind advisory for the Alaska Range goes into effect at 9 Friday morning, where winds up to 60 mph will warm the Interior. Temperatures today for many locations will warm into the single digits, with some of the greatest warming arriving Saturday through next week. It’s likely we’ll spend most of next week with temperatures in the 20s and 30s, with the warmest locations near the Alaska Range. While we will largely stay dry, there is a chance for some light snow arriving Sunday night into Monday.

SLOPE/WESTERN ALASKA:

Temperatures will remain slightly above average for parts of the Slope today, with warming winds to build into the Slope this weekend. This comes as our area of low pressure in the Bering Sea continues to move farther north. Be prepared for gusty easterly winds along the Slope, leading to blowing snow and reduced visibility. We’ll see temperatures quickly warm well above average, with highs climbing into the 20s and 30s along the Slope into next week. While some snow is possible through the weekend, the heaviest activity will occur for the Brooks Range. We’ll see the potential for 4 to 12 inches of snowfall, with the highest amounts occurring along the southern slopes of the Brooks Range near Kobuk Valley. Winds could gusts as high as 45 mph, leading to greatly reduced visibility.

Heavy snow is impacting Western and Southwest Alaska this morning, with winds gusting up to 50 mph. Numerous winter weather alerts, as well as a coastal flood advisory is in effect. The heaviest snow will fall for the Seward Peninsula and east of Norton Sound, where up to a foot or more of snow is to be expected. The heaviest amounts will fall today, with the activity set to lighten up through Sunday. In addition to the snow, gusty winds will lead to areas of blowing snow. Visibility could be reduced down to less than half a mile at times. As southerly flow continues to pump in warmth, we’ll see a transition from snow to rain later today into Saturday for parts of Southwest Alaska.

ALEUTIANS:

Gusty winds and heavy rain will fall through the Aleutians today, where up to .75″ of rain is possible. As the area of low pressure moves north, we’ll see a new low form just south of the Eastern Aleutians. This will lead to additional rain and winds into the weekend. Winds could gusts upwards of 50 mph through the Eastern Aleutians and through the Alaska Peninsula. With ridging to our east, more rain and winds remain with us into early next week. There is the potential that the Pribilof Islands see a return to snow Sunday, as colder air moves into the Bering Sea.

OUTLOOK AHEAD:

Well above average warmth will stay with us as we close out January. While one more short-lived cold snap is possible, we may have to wait until February before we tap into warmer conditions. Temperatures through the close of January will keep average monthly temperatures 5 to 12 degrees above average for much of the state. The overall trend still favors a wetter pattern, although with warmer weather the southern parts of the state will favor more rain or a mixed bag of precipitation.

Have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend.

See a spelling or grammar error? Report it to web@ktuu.com

Source link

Alaska

Alaska governor, ally of Trump, will keep flags at full-staff for Inauguration Day • Alaska Beacon

Published

20 hours ago

January 17, 2025

Press Room

Alaska governor, ally of Trump, will keep flags at full-staff for Inauguration Day • Alaska Beacon

Alaska will join several other Republican-led states by keeping flags at full-staff on Inauguration Day despite the national period of mourning following President Jimmy Carter’s death last month.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced his decision, which breaks prior precedent, in a statement on Thursday. It applies only to flags on state property. Flags on federal property are expected to remain at half-staff.

Flags on state property will be returned to half-staff after Inauguration Day for the remainder of the mourning period.

The governors of Indiana, Idaho, Iowa, Texas, Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, North Dakota, Nebraska, Montana and Alabama, among others, have announced similar moves.

U.S. Speaker of the House Mike Johnson, a Republican from Louisiana, said on Tuesday that flags at the U.S. Capitol would remain at full-staff on Inauguration Day.

Their actions follow a statement from President-elect Donald Trump, who said in a Jan. 3 social media post that Democrats would be “giddy” to have flags lowered during his inauguration, adding, “Nobody wants to see this, and no American can be happy about it. Let’s see how it plays out.”

Dunleavy is seen as a friend of the incoming president and has met with him multiple times over the past year. Dunleavy and 21 other Republican governors visited Trump last week in Florida at an event that Trump described as “a love fest.”

Since 1954, flags have been lowered to half-staff during a federally prescribed 30-day mourning period following presidential deaths. In 1973, the second inauguration of President Richard Nixon took place during the mourning period that followed the death of President Harry Truman.

Then-Gov. Bill Egan made no exceptions for Alaska, contemporary news accounts show, and no exception was made for Nixon’s inauguration in Washington, D.C., either.

A spokesperson for Dunleavy’s office said the new precedent is designed to be a balance between honoring the ongoing mourning period for former President Jimmy Carter and recognizing the importance of the peaceful transition of power during the presidential inauguration.

“Temporarily raising the flags to full-staff for the inauguration underscores the significance of this democratic tradition, while returning them to half-staff afterward ensures continued respect for President Carter’s legacy,” the spokesperson said.

GET THE MORNING HEADLINES.

Source link