Category Archives: news

Alaska Speaker Chenault has words for Begich after Begich has words for Legislature

Alaska Speaker of the House Mike Chenault sent a message back to U.S. Sen. Mark Begich following Begich’s annual address to the Legislature on Monday. In a press release, Chenault said that he “wished to correct the record and call for clarity and results for Alaska, instead of more Beltway-style speeches.”

The move was unusual for Chenault, who, although a Republican, is normally more conciliatory.

In his speech, Begich highlighted a variety of federal legislative successes, including keeping the F-16s at Eielson Air Force Base, increased funds for the Arctic, and fighting federal government overreach.

All of that likely would not have rankled the Republican dominated Legislature. However, a large chunk of Begich’s speech was devoted to state education issues. Among other things, he came out against a resolution that would let the public vote on changing the constitution to allow for public money to go to private institutions.

“Public dollars are for public schools, period,” Begich said.

If two-thirds of the Legislature passes the resolution, the question would be on the ballot in the general election, and would likely be a huge poll-draw for religious conservatives, who are also likely to vote against Begich.

In Chenault’s rejoinder, among other things, he blamed the federal government and Begich for shorting the Anchorage School District of funds. He criticized Begich for his refusal to say where he stands on the oil tax repeal, and as is requisite among Republicans, brought up Begich’s vote on ObamaCare.

“We need a senator that stands up for us, not one who only says he will, then votes with his party against Alaskans,” Chenault said.

Read the release in full below:

After sitting through a speech today delivered by Alaska’s junior senator, Alaska Speaker of the House Mike Chenault has a message back to Mark Begich: less talk, more action. Speaker Chenault, following the senator’s annual address to legislators, wished to correct the record and call for clarity and results for Alaska, instead of more Beltway-style speeches. Speaker Chenault cited the following remarks and responses to questions from legislators during and after his address:

Education funding
Sen. Begich said it should come down to increasing the Base Student Allocation. “Anchorage, where he was mayor, has lost $46 million over the past two years due to federal sequestration and loss of stimulus money. That’s from its own financial officer. He should be working to secure federal funding for schools to fill that gap, not asking the state to pay even more than we already do. We’ve well-funded schools on our end, and have more than doubled inflation. He should be making sound decisions and know the facts before he speaks,” Speaker Chenault said. “The federal government shorted the Anchorage School District, not we the legislature. Why is he letting the federal government do that to Alaskan kids, increasing the financial burden at the state and local level?”

Oil taxes
Sen. Begich wouldn’t say which way he would vote on the Senate Bill 21 referendum, citing only that he supports “certainty” in the tax system. “I would hope the senator realizes that that is exactly what SB21 provides, that certainty. Changing the system again would lead to uncertainty. Sen. Begich should be supporting SB21 like a majority of Alaskans, leading to jobs and more exploration, not stagnation,” Speaker Chenault said.

ObamaCare
Sen. Begich admitted that he had reservations about President Barack Obama’s signature piece of legislation, despite being the 60th vote needed to pass it. “He can’t have it both ways. Don’t vote for a bill if you know it’s a bad bill. Don’t vote for a bill if you don’t know what’s in it, or the consequences to Alaskans. Now, Alaskans are saddled with a subpar system, a web portal that didn’t deliver, and having to live with the disingenuous statements made by Sen. Begich and President Obama: ‘you can keep your plan or you doctor if you like’ is what they told us. Well, that’s clearly not the case. Sen. Begich is back-tracking. Alaskans deserve better than that,” Speaker Chenault said.

Speaker Chenault said it comes down to taking responsibility and showing accountability. “Instead, what Alaskans heard today was more spin from Sen. Begich, and few solutions. We need a senator that stands up for us, not one who only says he will, then votes with his party against Alaskans,” Speaker Chenault said.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Loose Lips: The Democrat edition

18955141_m Democrats sometimes tell me that I write more about Republicans than I do about them. If that’s true, it’s because we have more Republican elected officials than we do Democrats. Besides, Dems are less willing to dish than are Republicans. That’s not to say that Democrats aren’t worthy of attention. And if Republicans continue with what can be viewed as a radical social agenda, and if more Democrats at least pay lip service to being pro-business, which they might, I suspect that the majority will slowly whittle away.

Anyway, last week was a big one for Democrats in Juneau. So this Loose Lips is devoted to them.

–Sam Kito III took the oath of office and filled the Juneau house seat vacated by former Rep. Beth Kerttula. He has made no secret of the fact that he will run in the 2014 election cycle to keep the seat. In related news, Jesse Kiehl, who was also on the short list of applicants sent to the governor to be considered for appointment, is now telling folks that he has decided not to challenge Kito in the election. Kiehl sits on the Juneau Assembly, is an aide to Sen. Dennis Egan and is said to be very popular in Juneau, the perfect candidate to run for Senate when Egan retires.

–Democratic gubernatorial candidate Byron Mallott met with House and Senate Democrats last week to discuss his campaign and get their thoughts on his activities and the upcoming election. Word is the talks were cordial and productive. They centered around how well the campaign is doing at raising cash and the campaign’s need to slow down their campaign cash burn rate.

–In the 1990s Democrats trumpeted the great work they were doing to fight corruption by passing campaign reform. One of the laws that passed forbids a gubernatorial candidate from campaigning and raising money in Juneau during the legislative session. They likely didn’t figure that one of their own would be from the capital city. Byron Mallott lives in Juneau and his campaign is based in there. For now, pending an official ruling from the Alaska Public Offices Commission, the same rules apply to him as to Gov. Sean Parnell. While in Juneau, he can’t raise money. Consequently, Mallott lost a whole week of fundraising while he helped his wife, Toni, recover from knee surgery. He’s flying to Anchorage this week to continue campaigning efforts and to attend at least one fundraiser.

–About 100 people showed up at a fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Mark Begich on Friday evening at the home of former Gov. Bill Sheffield. Begich was joined by the junior senator from West Virginia, Joe Manchin, who was elected in a special election to fill the seat of Robert Byrd and will become the senior senator for the Mountain State when Jay Rockefeller retires in 2015.

–The same night, developer Mark Pfeffer, who lives next door to Sheffield, had a fundraiser for U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Word is that Manchin, the senator from West Virginia, crashed the party just as Murkowski was giving a speech, which stopped her in mid-sentence. What was he doing there, she wanted to know? “I’m next door at my friend Mark Begich’s fundraiser, and I just wanted to let your folks know they ought to come over to Mark’s event,” he said. The crowd loved it.

–Southeast Alaska Democrats held their annual Bartlett-Gruening Dinner Sunday evening at the Juneau Convention Center. State Sen. Dennis Egan served as the evening’s master of ceremonies. The evening speakers included Phil Smith who gave a brief presentation on the historical role that Bob Bartlett and Ernest Gruening played in the state. Democratic gubernatorial candidate Byron Mallott spoke. (It was noted that a table of labor leaders failed to clap when Byron enthusiastically talked about repealing SB 21). The evening’s keynote speaker was U.S. Senator Mark Begich. Although sometimes Begich keeps his distance from his party, he was all Dem on Sunday, as he proudly pointed out that each state has two statues in the U.S. Capitol and Alaska’s are both Democrats – – Bartlett and Gruening.

–And Begich gave his unequivocal support for one Democratic cause during his annual address to the Legislature on Monday. “Public dollars are for public schools, period,” he said, as momentum is building to put a vote to the public on whether or not the state’s constitution should be changed to allow for private schools to receive money. With Begich’s words come the full-throttled support of the NEA.

–Begich declined, however, to weigh in on another issue that’s near to the Dems. Should the public vote to repeal the oil tax bill passed last session? He said it was a state issue. Let’s be honest: this one is a loser for him either way, at least right now. On one hand there’s the Democratic base which is lockstep on repeal. On the other is business and the huge hunk of independents who are undecided on the issue. Ask him again in a few months. His answer should be a good barometer on how the independents are leaning.

–Rumor has it that Anchorage lawyer Walter Featherly is preparing to run against Rep. Mike Hawker, who has gotten some bad press lately for his role in the Anchorage Legislative Information Office fiasco. Besides having a name straight out of Dickens, Featherly is the managing partner for Patton Boggs’ Anchorage office, got his law degree from Harvard, and is Alaska’s Honorary Consul of the Republic of Croatia.

(From the did you know department: Alaska has honorary consuls to 18 countries. Former Attorney General Talis Colberg is the consul of Latvia.)

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

The weekly wrap: Cheers to the natural gasline, war on women gets reinforcements, Mayor Sullivan in the crosshairs and more.

Below is an excerpt from my weekly column in the Anchorage Daily News:

It’ll be the biggest, most expensive, and most important project in the state’s history. The large diameter natural gas pipeline, as being discussed, will outlive us all and our children and our children’s children. It’ll outlive Rep. Les Gara’s outraged moralism, and Rep. Lora Reinbold’s fears of gays getting married. It’ll outlive Mike Chenault’s tenure as speaker of the House and it will outlive Rep. Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins. The gas will still be flowing down the pipe when archeologists unearth Sen. Lesil McGuire’s shoe closet keeping time with Sen. Click Bishop’s bolo collection. It might even still be flowing when Rep. Don Young decides to retire.

A big, complicated project comes with a complicated contract that our legislators are trying to come to grips with. So much to learn and understand in 90 days. The tax structure, for instance, is clear as drilling mud. Then there are questions about what in the world TransCanada’s role will be in the process, other than to serve as a funding source. Once, the company was going to build the line. Now, it appears that in essence, it’s a bank, to which the state will guarantee a 12 percent rate of return on equity, a rate of return that even the Permanent Fund doesn’t get and a rate of return that almost any Alaskan would salivate over.

Whatever. It’s an election year. Gov. Sean Parnell can’t have independent candidate Bill Walker be the gas line guy. And no Republican legislator wants to be antidevelopment.

***

Continue reading here.

Quote of the day: Women will decide the fate of the U.S. Senate

From Doyle McManus in the LA Times:

Democratic campaign rhetoric this year bristles with female-friendly ideas. The party hasn’t merely reprised its long-standing endorsement of abortion rights; it’s also calling for pay equity for women, stronger protections for pregnant women in the workforce, broader paid sick leave and family leave measures, and universal early childhood education. Are any of those ideas likely to move forward in a bitterly divided Congress that’s already turned from legislating to electioneering? Not a chance. But passing new laws isn’t the point. The point is to send a message to female voters — especially unmarried women and working mothers — that the Democrats are on their side… ‘Women will determine the Senate,’ Democratic pollster Celinda Lake told me.

Celinda Lake is U.S. Sen. Mark Begich’s pollster. Continue reading →

Legislative action on abortion makes way for issue to take larger role in U. S. Senate race

On the heels of several anti-choice votes in the Alaska state Legislature, Planned Parenthood Votes Northwest and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund have launched a campaign to educate voters about candidates’ positions on women’s health issues. The campaign, the organization said, will be modeled on campaigns waged in the lower 48 that have brought attention to women’s health issues and have helped get pro-choice candidates elected.

Not only will the campaign target state lawmakers, it will also focus on the upcoming U.S. Senate race in Alaska, which Planned Parenthood has named as one of its “top electoral priorities.”

This past week, the House Finance Committee passed a bill that limits state funded abortions for poor women. It also stripped money for family planning for poor women, 90 percent of which would have been paid for by the federal government. Sen. John Coghill, a conservative from Fairbanks who has long been fighting to end abortion, said that he didn’t support the family planning money because that money would make its way to Planned Parenthood, which supports “population control” rather than family planning.

Until 2013, abortion and other social issues had for years taken a back seat in the Legislature, mostly because the majority in the Senate was bipartisan and the predominant issue was oil taxes. That’s changed since the last election, when two Democrats lost their seats and the majority turned Republican.

This legislative session, Republicans have also been holding hearings on how the state chooses its judges, and whether or not to change the state’s constitution to allow for school choice, all of which have been on the agenda of social conservatives in Alaska for years, and all of which, when mixed with abortion, will provide fodder for Planned Parenthood to label those conservatives as extremists who are “waging a war on women,” a phrase that’s been used successfully in political races across the country.

The Legislature’s actions on abortion have also opened the door to make the issue a larger one in the upcoming U.S. Senate than it likely would have otherwise been.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Mark Begich has been consistently pro-choice and hasn’t shied away from saying so. Three Republicans—Joe Miller, Dan Sullivan and Mead Treadwell—are vying for the Republican nomination. Miller is considered the more conservative among the three, but Treadwell has been running as the “pro-life leader.” Sullivan, who is Catholic, says he’s pro-life but has kept the issue on the sidelines.

Sullivan’s silence on abortion, however, will continually get more difficult as Planned Parenthood and other groups press the issue.

Indeed, it appears that the state is more pro-choice than the state’s Legislature’s actions would suggest. A 2009 poll was the last big one that I could find on how Alaskans feel on the issue. In that poll, Celinda Lake, who is Sen. Mark Begich’s pollster, was hired by Planned Parenthood to poll 675 likely registered voters in the state. The poll found that 58 percent of Alaskans could be categorized as pro-choice, while only 37 percent could be classified as pro-life. (The full findings are below, as are the definitions of pro-life and pro-choice.) These numbers appear to be in the ballpark of current opinion, according to local pollsters.

Women also vote in greater numbers than do men. About 257,000 men were registered to vote in Alaska’s 2012 general election. Only 147,588 voted. In that same election, about 248,000 women were registered to vote and 152,075 did so.

Here’s the full findings from the Planned Parenthood poll:

Abortions should be legal and generally available and subject to only limited regulation: 28%
Regulation of abortion is necessary, although it should remain legal in many circumstances: 30%
Abortion should be legal only in the most extreme cases, such as to save the life of the woman or in cases of rape and incest: 28%
All abortions should be made illegal: 8%
Don’t know: 5%

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Begich helps deliver $41 million for rural mobil services

U.S. Senator Mark Begich announced today that the FCC will be awarding two Alaska telecom companies $41 million to improve cell phone and broadband service in rural Alaska.

“This is a great day for rural Alaska,” said Begich. “Today’s FCC auction results mean that Alaska companies will now be able to provide sorely needed telecommunication services across our vast state. From Eek, to Nunam Iqua, to Unalaska, several rural communities will soon be better connected.”

The funds came from a program called the FCC Tribal Mobility Fund Phase I Auction, which is part of a larger effort to expand mobile broadband coverage to rural and unserved areas of the country.

All told, $49 million was doled out across the United States under the Tribal Mobility Fund. Alaska’s GCI and Copper Valley were among five companies nationwide that received contracts to provide the services.

Begich is a member of the Senate Commerce Committee with jurisdiction over the FCC. According to a press release from his office, Begich has been “an active participant in ensuring that the national plan works for Alaska.”

The same press release quotes GCI’s general counsel Tina Pidgeon, who said that Begich’s efforts with the FCC have been “critical to ensuring that rural Alaskans have access to mobile services that are comparable to those available throughout the country.”

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Federal delegation reacts to Pebble Mine announcement

Here’s how the ADN sums up EPA’s announcement regarding Pebble Mine: “A federal agency announced Friday it is taking steps to protect the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon fishery, the largest in the world, under the Clean Water Act. The actions could lead to a virtually unprecedented administrative veto of the proposed Pebble mine even before developers formally submit plans.”

It’s rare for the EPA to take such an action. It’s only done so 13 times since 1972 even though some 80,000 wetlands fill permits are issued each year.

As of 4 p.m Eastern time, Northern Dynasty’s stock fell to $1.00, from an opening of $1.47. Northern Dynasty’s sole asset is Pebble.

As expected, Rep. Don Young called it an “expansive, jurisdictional power grab.” Sen. Lisa Murkowski called it a “terrible precedent,” and Sen. Mark Begich is “skeptical.” The full reactions are below:

Sen. Mark Begich:

While I am a strong supporter of responsible resource development – including mining – I have said the Pebble Mine is the wrong mine in the wrong place. However, I am skeptical of federal overreach from an administration that has already demonstrated it does not understand Alaska’s unique needs. The residents of Bristol Bay and Alaska Peninsula need certainty to plan their future and I will be making sure the administration does not take any actions that could have unintended consequences down the road for this region or other development projects in Alaska.

Rep. Don Young:

I have always been clear about the severity of the EPA’s unwarranted involvement in the proposed Pebble Mine project, especially this early in the process. This expansive, jurisdictional power grab proposed by the EPA severely jeopardizes not only Alaska’s sovereignty, but the rights of states and all private property owners nationwide.

Today’s announcement for review under section 404(c) of the Clean Water Act shows an agency corrupted by politics, one with no regard for the state or federal permitting processes found in statute. Instead, the EPA seeks to broaden its reach until their tentacles encumber every aspect of American life.

My concern for this process is much bigger than the Pebble Mine, in my eyes this isn’t even about the Pebble Mine. For the EPA to preemptively oppose a project located entirely on state land, a project already subject to a rigorous state permitting process, is a serious threat to any future projects on State of Alaska, Alaska Native, or even individually owned private land.

Annually, the Army Corps of Engineers issues tens of thousands of 404 permits. These projects range from pipelines, electrical transmission lines, roads, railways, agriculture, renewable energy projects like wind and solar, to commercial construction projects, parking lots, and even home development. I will be very clear, this overstep by the EPA today could mean the loss of our state to the federal government.

From Sen. Lisa Murkowski:

I understand that many in Bristol Bay strongly oppose this potential mine. I have spoken with dozens of local residents, including a large group who traveled all the way to Washington, DC, this week to make their case. It is out of respect for their concerns, livelihoods, and culture that I have reserved judgment on the mine itself – and made a commitment that we will not trade one resource for another. I do understand the importance and value of the fisheries resources that are an integral part of the Bristol Bay region. But even with that in mind, for the sake of sound law and policy, I have no choice but to remain strenuously and unequivocally opposed to a preemptive veto by EPA.

For the past three years, I have urged the agency not to prejudge this potential project before its developers sought permits or presented an official description of it. I have also called on the project’s owners to present their plan so that Alaskans have greater certainty about its expected benefits and impacts. Both parties must respect and abide by the permitting process. Neither should be allowed to subvert or circumvent it.

Today, however, EPA continued to move toward a premature veto based on what it assumes may happen with this project. We already have undeniably grave problems with federal agencies blocking resource production on federal lands in Alaska. Now to see a federal agency overstep its authority and move prematurely to block even the consideration of a permit for potential activity on state lands is something I simply cannot accept.

When and if a permit application is submitted – for Pebble or any other project – an independent scientific review is exactly what happens under the environmental review process that NEPA and the Clean Water Act provide. For any project, Alaskans and all Americans deserve a fair and unbiased environmental review of the project once a project description has been submitted.

If EPA’s action today in effect prejudges this project, the process EPA has outlined could establish a terrible precedent that only further detracts from investors’ willingness to bring capital and jobs to Alaska. It will also open the door to preemptive vetoes on this and other projects, putting development on all of our state’s lands – and both public and private lands across the nation – at risk. EPA asserts that this situation is ‘unique.’ If this action is allowed to stand, where will the next ‘unique’ circumstance arise? EPA’s actions here could have potentially widespread consequences for any development project, including airports and other infrastructure, anywhere in the nation.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Q&A with Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Mike Navarre

Mayor-Navarre-0021
Because the work they do is so important and we know so little about that work, I’ve begun a series of Q&As with mayors across the state, which I’ll be posting periodically as they roll in. Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Mike
Navarre kicks off the series. Navarre started his political career in 1984 when he was elected as a Democrat to the Alaska House of Representatives. He kept that seat until 1996, when he was elected mayor of the Kenai Borough and served one term. He was later elected to his current term. He has served as chair of the Governor’s Oil and Gas Policy Council and president of the Alaskan Conference of Mayors. He serves on numerous community and civic boards. He was born in 1956, is single and graduated from Eastern Washington University.

Q: What is the biggest challenge you face as mayor of the Kenai Borough?

A: Probably time management. The Kenai Peninsula Borough (KPB) is a large area with a relatively small population (55,000). It’s a strong mayor structure, so the mayor is the full time manager. In addition to the financial and administrative responsibilities, there is always an additional demand for attendance at community events and meetings.

Q: Last year, there was some talk about you running for governor. Why did you decide not to run?

A: A variety of reasons but primarily because the demands and responsibilities of the mayor’s job are such that I could not manage both at the same time.

Q: Do you support SB 21 or support repeal and why?

A: Tough question to answer but I’ll give it my best shot… I’m not sure, yet, because I was part of the legislative process for 12 years and I trust the process – with some reservations, of course. I tried to follow and evaluate SB21 as it was progressing through the legislature but simply did not have the time to devote to fully understand what is a complex change in the tax structure. In short, I wasn’t there so it’s tough for me to judge. I think changes to ACES, particularly the progressivity component, were necessary; but, I’m concerned that the wholesale changes in SB21 may be too great.

Q: Nikiski appears to have been selected to be the terminus of the state’s new proposed gas pipeline. What impact do you see this having on your borough?

A: The potential impacts will be huge. We will see our population increase with a big spike during construction and more modest long term increase, both of which will create a demand for public services such as education and public safety. Additionally, there will be social impacts associated with any construction project of this size, including drug use and other crimes. Of course, there will be opportunity also for residents and businesses. Depending on how the enabling legislation is structured, the facilities located on the Kenai Peninsula will significantly increase the tax base and revenues of the KPB.

Q: What is your proudest accomplishment as borough mayor?

A: Responsibly managing the budget. The KPB had been using reserves (fund balances) to support the general fund budget and we had a surplus last year (FY13) for the first time since FY09.

Q: As a Democrat, who is your favorite Republican in the Legislature?

A: I’m going to go with Peter Micciche because he is a personal friend and we’ve served together on the KP Boy’s & Girl’s Club Board for nearly 20 years.

Q: What is the biggest change you’ve seen in politics in the last 25 years?

A: The use of technology, including social media. 2) I think there is far too much polarization in politics and it’s gotten much worse in the last 25 years. The focus seems to be more on the next election than on the job of governing.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Pot makes the ballot

Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell announced today that the campaign to legalize pot received enough qualified signatures and met all the other requirements necessary to be on the primary ballot.

Here’s the press release from the “Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska,” or the CTRMLAIA for short:

Lieutenant Governor Mead Treadwell announced today that the Campaign to Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol in Alaska has met the constitutional and statutory requirements for its initiative to be placed on the 2014 primary ballot. According to the final report provided by the Alaska Division of Elections, the campaign qualified 36,030 signatures with just 30,169 being required.

“A bipartisan tidal wave of public support for regulating marijuana like alcohol in Alaska has pushed this initiative onto the ballot, and we will be running an aggressive campaign designed to build on that momentum,” said Taylor Bickford, a spokesperson for the campaign.

Earlier this month, a major poll was released showing that 55 percent of Alaska voters are in favor of regulating marijuana like alcohol, with just 39 percent opposing the concept.

“Marijuana prohibition has failed and the majority of Alaskans believe it is time for a more sensible approach,” said Bickford.

In summary, the proposed initiative makes possession of limited amounts of marijuana legal for adults 21 years of age or older and establishes a system in which marijuana is taxed and regulated similarly to alcohol.

More information about the campaign, including a summary and full text of the initiative, is available at www.RegulateMarijuanaInAlaska.org.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Loose Lips: Pruitt gets tough, DeVries prays, and Grasser has loose lips!

Loose Lips –There’s a lot of interest in the newly created state Senate district in the Mat-Su Valley. Former legislator and now Palmer city council woman Edna DeVries is running and has even posted on Facebook that she’s praying to find a good campaign manager; however, to date, there have been no indication that prayers have been answered. Other candidates that have expressed interest include Rep. Shelly Hughes, Palmer Mayor DeLena Johnson, and possibly even Rep. Bill Stoltze. Many who know the area say that the seat is Stoltze’s for the taking if he wants it. However, rumors have it that a poll is being conducted just in case. Expect some announcements or movements in this race soon.

–Calling all artists: In a time of budget crunches, did you see the 44-page request for proposal from the Alaska’s Department of Military and Veterans, calling for an artist to draw and frame approximately 15 past and present Adjutant Generals of the Alaska National Guard? Artists will be given photos to draw from, presumably ones without lollipops.

–Former Democratic legislator and always upbeat Joe Hays who was UAF Alumni director left the University and has resurfaced as a contract lobbyist for Golden Valley Electric Association.

–The Safari Club raised north of $500,000 at their auction Saturday night. The head count was about 850 people, which has to make it one of the most well attended fundraisers in the state. About 20 legislators showed, as did Gov. Sean Parnell, Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell, Mayor Sullivan, and DNR Dan Sullivan. Independent gubernatorial candidate Bill Walker was there with running mate Craig Fleener. The biggest auction item? A Cape Buffalo Hunt in Africa that went for $19,000. Rep. Bill Stoltze won a gun, as did Treadwell. Sen. Pete Kelly won a gun and was named Safari Club International Alaska Chapter legislator of the year. His prize? A big, sloppy kiss from Eddie Grasser. Joke! If only!

–More on the Pebble Mine death watch. From a story on from Dillingham public radio station KDLG:

A member of the Northern Dynasty Minerals Board of Directors has resigned. Stephen Scott is the General Manager with Rio Tinto’s copper division and he was appointed to the Northern Dynasty Minerals Board in 2007… It’s unclear if the resignation of Stephen Scott from the Northern Dynasty Minerals Board of Directors is a precursor for Rio Tinto making an announcement about divesting itself of the 19-percent interest in Northern Dynasty.

–From a comment made on this site about the Koch brothers attacking Sen. Mark Begich for hurting the economy following Koch Industry’s announcement that it’s closing its Flint Hills refinery in North Pole, a mainstay of Interior Alaska’s economy:

I own property near North Pole. The sulfolane plume has been expanding from the North Pole Refinery for years so that now it contaminates ground water sources over several square miles. This contaminate has been found as deep as 300 feet. Why was this spill allowed to propagate over such a large area? I understand Flint Hills knew that the contamination existed when they purchased the refinery and that Flint Hills has spent money mitigating the impact; however, purchasing bottled water, treating some water, and handing our water filters will not eliminate significant pollution as long as the source remains. I would like to know why the state utterly failed to protect the residents of the North Pole community over the last several years by demanding that the source be eliminated. Recently Flint Hills has proposed raising the allowable contamination level in the people’s well water from the current 14 parts per billion to 362 parts per billion. That certainly is one way to reduce your responsibility for clean up – increase the allowable level of pollution.

–From a statement that Rep. Lance Pruitt made during a House committee hearing on Flint Hills and possible legal avenues available to the state to make the refinery clean up the sulfolane plume:

I am very pro-development, but you’re not going to come to my state, rape the land and then leave. If they’re responsible, we need to go after them.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Rail link from Point MacKenzie to Houston well underway

As the state is struggling with declining budgets, as social services and teachers are being cut, the 32-mile rail extension between Point MacKenzie to Houston is well underway and rails are being laid on the track. The port is envisioned to serve hypothetical mines, a hypothetical natural gasline and a hypothetical cement plant in Fairbanks. According to the Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman, the work is over two-thirds funded and under construction. The Mat-Su borough has already received $171 million for the work, and but still needs $101.5 million to finish it. “The project includes six bridges and crosses enough trails that a $600,000 contract was awarded for just to work on trails,” the paper reports. The borough asked for $60 million in the next state budget. Parnell’s budget contains $5 million for the project. Continue reading →

Parnell misses bipartisan ObamaCare talk at NGA

Gov. Sean Parnell skipped the winter meeting of the National Governors Association in Washington D.C. held this past weekend. Had he been there, he would have heard governors from both sides of the aisle saying that although many have problems with ObamaCare, it’s the law of the land and is here to stay.

According to the AP:

(G)overnors from both parties say a full repeal of the law would be complicated at best, if not impossible, as states move forward with implementation and begin covering millions of people — both by expanding Medicaid rolls for lower-income residents or through state or federal exchanges that offer federal subsidies to those who qualify… Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin, a Republican, said many governors still have concerns about the program, but outright repeal would be “complicated.”

The meeting wrapped up on Monday. On Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said that more than 4 million Americans have signed up for ObamaCare since October. Continue reading →

Koch brothers continue attack on Begich after North Pole refinery shutdown

Americans for Prosperity, the Koch brothers’ funded political group, pulled a $100,000 ad buy against U.S. Sen. Mark Begich after it was announced that Koch Industries was closing the Flint Hills Refinery in North Pole Alaska earlier this month. Perhaps attacking Begich for hurting the economy after it announced it was shuttering a mainstay of Alaska’s Interior economy didn’t make for good optics.

The refinery has left about 300 households and businesses with tainted water, and a sulfolane plume that’s 3 miles long and 2.5 miles wide. About 80 people who worked at the refinery are losing their jobs, and other entities, including the Alaska Railroad, also relied heavily on the refinery and are now considering layoffs.

Apparently, AFP is counting on the short memory of Alaskans, because the ads are back. This one, like a prior ad, first goes after Begich on healthcare and then jumps into the meat: his alleged support of a carbon tax. According to AFP, such a tax would cost the average family $2,000 a year and cost thousands of Alaskans their jobs.

Let’s get this straight: Begich has said publicly that he opposes a carbon tax. He did, however, vote on a non-binding amendment that said if such a tax were passed, revenue from it would be “returned to the American people in the form of federal deficit reduction, reduced federal tax rates, cost savings or other direct benefits.” The vote would not have created or defeated a carbon tax. Begich also voted against an amendment that would have required a vote of three fifths of the Senate to approve a carbon tax. That, vote, however, was intended to send a message to Republicans about procedure. It was not about the carbon tax.

The one thing that appears to be true in this whole situation is that Flint Hills was repeatedly warned about the sulfolane plume throughout the years. It failed to do anything about it. Now, hundreds of North Pole residents can’t drink from their faucets and at least 80 people are out of a job. And it’s unclear if Flint Hills or the state will shoulder the costs of the cleanup.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Bill gives private businesses a 15 percent raise paid for with state funds

A bill introduced by Anchorage Republican Sen. Cathy Giessel would give private businesses which expedite Department of Motor Vehicle services a pay raise of 15 percent from state revenues. If it passes, SB 127 would cost the state at least $1.2 million a year.

The companies say they need the extra money to process credit cards and to expand their businesses. Critics say that the state would be giving additional money to businesses for doing work that’s already profitable. The state DMV is neutral on the bill. Currently, there are eleven businesses that contract with the state for this service in Alaska, not all of whom appear to have valid Alaska business licenses.

Since 2000, the state has allowed private companies to provide titles, transfer of titles, and commercial services historically done through DMV. They set up offices away from DMVs and the lines are much shorter. The companies provide the paper work, but DMV still does the processing.

Such services provide convenience for consumers. In exchange, the companies have been allowed to charge whatever the market will bear for the convenience, above and beyond the standard DMV fees. They’re also allowed to charge for things, like handicap license plates, that the state doesn’t charge for.

In fiscal year 2013, they collected more than $11.4 million in fees from 193,697 transactions.

Fees charged to the consumers can vary dramatically depending on the business and the service. One of the largest of such businesses, Alaska Tags & Titles, processed 341,000 transactions from 2004 until 2013. According to legislative testimony, the company charges consumers $20 for a registration renewal, $2 for a transfer of title, and $30 for commercial fees.

This is a service fee above and beyond what the state charges.

If the bill is passed, in addition to those service fees, companies will get an additional $2 for a duplicate registration, $5 for a duplicate tag or plate, and $115 for a registration for transfer of title from the state, according to Melissa Cucullu, the general manager of Alaska Title and Transfer.

That money will come from the general fund.

Giessel said that it would encourage more private sector involvement and would save the state money, though she has not offered any documentation for the latter claim.

The bill passed out of State Affairs Committee and was referred to Finance.

Contact Amanda Coyne at amandamcoyne@yahoo.com

Quote of the Day: Gay marriage ban is ‘blot’ on state constitution

“We have a blot, a stain upon our state constitution, a blot that [this resolution] seeks to erase. We can wait, if you wish for the day, and I think the day is coming soon when the U.S. Supreme Court rules that state prohibitions on same sex marriage are inconsistent with freedom, with justice, with liberty and equality. Better yet I believe it should be erased by our own actions, by passing this resolution and submitting it to the voters.” –Alaska state Sen. Hollis French on the Senate floor, speaking on a Senate Joint Resolution to allow voters to vote on amending the state constitution to allow for same sex marriage. Continue reading →