"Alaska's First Online Newspaper"
'News of the North’ content copyright of Alaska Broadcast Communications Inc. and Juneau Alaska Communications LLC. Any unauthorized use will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
------------------------------------------------
[Tuesday, May 201, 2013 13TH EDITION 3:30 P.M.]
UPDATE: Parnell signs oil tax and gas line bills
(AP & KINY) - Gov. Sean Parnell has signed into law several bills,
including an overhaul of Alaska's oil tax structure.
Parnell championed the overhaul as a way to increase oil production and
referred to the bill Tuesday as the "More Alaska Production Act."
Critics fear the plan gives away too much to oil companies with no
guarantee about what Alaska might see in return. Protesters gathered
outside the venue where Parnell spoke and signed the bill in Anchorage.
The passage of the bill during the last legislative session led those
who oppose it to start a petition aiming to get a referendum on the
ballot next fall to repeal the tax overhaul.
Juneau and Southeast Alaska Representative Beth Kerttula offered
reaction, saying the bill is a terrible thing and contains nothing that
guarantees that Alaskans will see a return on their resources wealth,
which is supposed to be guaranteed in the state constitution.
Kerttula's hopeful that people will sign the petition to get the
referendum on the ballot and then vote for it.
She says it's hard to be so critical, but if she's ever going to be
critical of the Governor this is going to be the day. It's a bad bill
and a bad thing for Alaska, she says, and Alaskans should not stand for
it.
It's got to be repealed, she says, otherwise the fundamental things we
depend on in Alaska like schools roads and hospitals won't be available
in the future.
Juneau Valley Representative Cathy Munoz is more optimistic, saying
she's hopeful that the production levels will go up as we're facing a
sharp decline in oil production.
They're encouraged that companies are starting to look at Alaska again
for investments, Munoz says, and he's hopeful that the changes put forth
in the oil tax overhaul will continue us on that path.
Parnell also signed bills involving permitting and a gas line project.
Parnell says taken together, the bills are part of an historic package
aimed at moving Alaska forward.
Republicans took over the Senate after last year's elections, putting
the GOP in control of the House, Senate and governor's office for the
first time in years.
UPDATE: Governor signs budget bills, Juneau's
capital budget approved in its entirety
(AP & KINY) — Gov. Sean Parnell has signed state budgets totaling $13.2
billion.
The operating and capital budgets constitute about $1.1 billion less in
unrestricted general fund spending compared with the current year.
Unrestricted general funds refer to money that isn't restricted in its
use by the law, constitution or something else.
Parnell vetoed $2.5 million, much of which was attributed to a
calculation error. He called his reductions "modest."
Juneau's capital budget of over $83 million was spared any reductions or
vetoes from the governor.
Juneau Representative Cathy Munoz indicated that all of Juneau's
projects were approved by the governor and she's very appreciative to
Parnell and his administration for their support of our community.
Projects that were funded under the capital budget for Juneau include
the State Library Archives and Museum building, which Munoz says
received $20 million.
The Juneau Access Project also received $10 million in the budget.
Munoz says there is a wide variety of projects funded in the capital
budget for the Capital City and it will bring a lot of benefit to the
community.
Parnell, who earlier in his term vetoed a record $400 million in
spending, says lawmakers this year stuck to the spending limit that all
sides had agreed to.
Juneau's other State House Representative, Beth Kerttula, expressed some
concern with the state budget, saying it was very reduced this year.
If you consider that the state's dipping into some of its savings,
Kerttula says we're all ready in deficit spending.
Kerttula says the budget, again, has not kept up with inflation for
education.
There were areas that were all ready not keeping up with inflation or
maintaining what the base line funding should have been, she says, and
they didn't see those increases this year either.
UPDATE: No injuries reported in apartment fire
on Douglas
Capital City Fire Rescue responded to an apartment fire on Great Western
Street on Douglas Island this morning.
Fire dispatch initially said it was at a
Lawson Creek Road address.
The alarm came in at about 8:15, according to Fire Chief Rich Etheridge.
He told us at about 8:45 that the fire was knocked down.
Everyone in the building was evacuated. No injuries were reported.
Fire Marshal Dan Jager said one resident was sleeping at the time and
alerted by a smoke detector.
The fire was contained to a bedroom on the first floor of the two story units, although the Fire Marshal says there is heat and smoke damage throughout. He did not have a damage estimate, but described it as extensive.
The cause of the fire is under investigation. Jager says
interviews will be done with the tenants in the attempt to pinpoint the
cause.
Docks & Harbors Board to review rejection
of boat launch permit at meeting
A special meeting of the CBJ Docks and Harbors Board of Directors is
scheduled for Thursday to take up last week's rejection by the Planning
Commission of a permit for a new two lane boat launch ramp and
associated parking at Statter Harbor in Auke Bay.
Port Director Carl Uchytil was among the guests on Action Line Monday.
He said they feel they are in a "Catch 22" situation. Uchytil said they
went through a four year environmental assessment process where working with
regulatory agencies agreed that this was the best that the Army Corps of
Engineers would permit.
Residents complained to the Planning Commission that there's
insufficient green space, pedestrian access, and vegetative barriers
which compromises harmony in the adjacent neighborhood.
He said the Corps will only permit that which is necessary to meet the
needs of the boating public while the Planning Commission wants more
park space.
Board member Eric Kueffner joined Uchytil on the program and
expressed disappointment with the Planning Commission decision. He said
it effectively stops the project.
Thursday's meeting is being held to map out the next steps for the Docks
and Harbor's Board.
The matter is scheduled to come back on reconsideration during the
Planning Commission's May 28th meeting.
If the commission fails to approve the permit, the Docks and Harbors
Board could opt to appeal the commission decision to the Assembly.
Thursday's Docks and Harbors board meeting is scheduled for 5 p.m. in
Assembly Chambers at City Hall.
Former Anchorage police officer charged
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A former Anchorage police officer is accused of
misusing his authority when he was on the force and improperly accessed
records.
Mark J. Moeller is charged with criminal use of a computer, misuse of
confidential information and official misconduct. Moeller was served
with a summons on Tuesday.
It's not immediately clear if the 25-year-old man has an attorney.
Police say Moeller used the Alaska Public Information Safety Information
Network to run queries on his sister-in-law, as well as a 23-year-old
woman he arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence in
December. Police say he also ran queries on the woman's former boyfriend
and obtained information about the man from Alaska State Troopers.
Moeller was hired by the police department in October 2011 and resigned
in February.
Ex-state worker charged with workers' comp fraud
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A former Alaska state employee and his supposed
masseuse are accused of worker's compensation fraud.
Scott A. Groom and Laurayne K. Fischer are charged with 93 counts
including perjury, theft and falsification of business records.
The Anchorage Daily News says the two are currently living in Wisconsin.
Prosecutors say Groom and Fischer defrauded the State of Alaska out of
more than $20,000 of worker's comp benefits.
According to prosecutors, Groom was an operator at a state Department of
Transportation weigh station when he was injured on the job in 1999.
Years later, Groom settled a worker's compensation claim with the state
for $201,500.
Prosecutors say Groom never got massage treatment from Fischer as
claimed and that the two submitted fraudulent workers' compensation
reimbursement and later lied about it.
(Anchorage Daily News)
German climber dies on Alaska's Mount
McKinley
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Officials say a 59-year-old German mountaineer
has died of cardiac arrest while climbing Alaska's Mount McKinley.
National Park Service officials say Klaus Bielstein of Muenster,
Germany, was climbing North America's tallest peak with an 11-member
expedition team Sunday evening when he suddenly collapsed at the
13,500-foot level of the roughly 20,000-foot mountain.
Expedition guides radioed for help and began CPR on the unconscious man.
Officials say rangers reached the team within an hour and a nurse
pronounced Bielstein dead.
Bielstein's body was recovered and taken to a local funeral home.
Officials say the death is the first major incident in this year's
climbing season at Denali National Park and Preserve.
According to officials, 920 climbers are registered to climb Mount
McKinley, known locally as Denali.
UPDATE: Stolen jeeps recovered
The two jeeps stolen Sunday were recovered Monday.
Police Lieutenant Dave Campbell says they got a call at around 10:30 a.
m.
reporting that blue Jeep Cherokee was spotted in the Lemon Creek area.
The caller said it had been parked there and thought it might be one of
the two reported missing.
The 1990 Cherokee was stolen before 1:30 Sunday morning from the 400
block of West 10th Street downtown.
It was towed to the police department. There was no damage.
The other jeep stolen Sunday afternoon was
found later in the day Monday on 7th Street downtown. downtown.
The vehicle with North Carolina plates was reported missing at 4:30 p.m.
from Garnet Street in the Mendenhall Valley. It has North Carolina
plates.
Police say there was minor damage around the vehicle's ignition.
Snow storage and affordable housing highlight COW agenda
The Juneau Assembly received
an update from the Juneau Affordable Housing Commission and a report
from staff on snow storage during its meeting as the Committee of the
Whole Monday night.
The Commission's report included an update on their activities and a
number of recommendations for steps that city government can take to
alleviate the housing shortage in Juneau.
High among the commission's concern was the absence of available land
for development. Commission member Justin Shearer told the committee
that new incentives should be put in place to spur new development, on
city and privately held land.
Mayor Merrill Sanford asked the commission members to keep in touch with
the Assembly, noting that the goals of the two entities are mostly in
line, but that that there is not always effective communication between
them of their separate activities.
Engineering Director Rorie Watt addressed the committee on the topic of
snow storage. The Assembly has considered using the former Public Works
site near the Juneau-Douglas bridge as a park. Since that area is
currently used for snow storage, the Assembly needed to consider new
facilities for storing snow downtown.
Watt noted for the committee that snow disposal is regulated by State
water quality standards. Snow on the ground can pick up a number of
contaminants between the time it falls on roads and parking lots and the
time that it is scooped into trucks and brought to another destination.
Work is underway on a storage area next to the Juneau Douglas Waste
Treatment Center in Thane. Completion of that facility is projected by
August 1 of this year.
Panel collects details of Shell towing
procedures
DAN JOLING,Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A Coast Guard panel investigating the December
grounding of a Shell drill barge off the Alaska coast focused questions
Tuesday on the vessel's previous trip across the Gulf of Alaska.
Panel members Tuesday questioned Capt. Marc Dial, the towing master for
Kulluk (KUL'-uk), about the trip north in June 2012 from Seattle to
Dutch Harbor.
Members quizzed Dial about how he would detect stress on the steel
cable, buckles and shackles that made up the tow line between the Kulluk
and the towing vessel, the Aiviq (EYE-vik).
Dial says the funnel-shape hull of the Kulluk makes it unique. He says
the vessel oscillated in an elliptical orbit but the motion did not
affect towing load.
Dial says the Aiviq and its towing equipment was more than adequate for
the job.
ArtPlace America makes donation toward Walter
Soboleff Center
The fundraising drive to construct the Walter Soboleff Center in
downtown Juneau has received a $475,000 donation from ArtPlace America.
Most of the donation will go toward construction of the building,
although a portion will be for monumental art for the building,
according to Sealaska Heritage Institute President Rosita Worl.
She says her organization was selected for the award from among 1,225
applications across the country. The institute was one of 54
organizations selected.
Three master-apprentice teams will create Tlingit, Haida and
Tsimshian masterpieces which Worl says will include a clan house screen
and house posts for a ceremonial space inside the center.
She says when people came into the building and see it, they are going
to be in awe of the master work.
Worl explains that the institute will also be reinstituting the
master-apprentice system, which almost disappeared. She says they have
seen more and more people using it more recently and want to make sure
it survives. Worl says that's because it's probably the best way for
their young artists to train under master artists.
The institute must still raise another $4 Million, plus $250,000 in
matching money for a Rasmuson grant to complete construction of the $20
Million center.
Worl says a groundbreaking is expected soon.
ArtPlace America awards Perseverance
grant of a quarter of a million dollars
Juneau's Perseverance Theatre has won an ArtPlace America Grant.
The $250,000 grant was awarded for the theatre's Rainforest Festival
which is described as a six week, three play theatre festival.
Perseverance Artistic Director Art Rotch
says the productions will take place at its facility in Douglas, the
Juneau Arts and Culture Center and possibly the University of Alaska
Southeast.
Along with the three productions, it is said the theatre will utilize
its artists to provide professional training opportunities, to engage in
play development work, and to present public readings of works in
progress.
Application deadline for Docks and Harbors board
seats set for Wednesday
Officials with the City and Borough of Juneau are encouraging members of
the public to apply for one of three open seats on the local Docks and
Harbors Department's Board of Directors before a Wednesday deadline.
Port Director Carl Uchytil talked about the vacant seats on Action Line
Monday, saying the board membership is made up of nine community members
who are assigned by the Assembly for three year terms.
Each term can be renewed twice, he says, so a board member can serve
nine consecutive years before they have to stand down.
Outgoing board member Eric Kueffner says board members have two areas of
responsibility: the docks, which are the cruise ship docks downtown, and
the harbors where people keep their private, commercial and fishing
boats.
Kueffner says those are areas they've divided up because of their
natural differences, although there's not necessarily a division between
the two.
Uchytil says that because he works for the board, it's not really his
place to say who he'd like to see on it. That being said, the Port
Director thinks the board is well served by a diverse membership.
They've got a lot of different activities going on, Uchytil says, from
cruise ship docks downtown, to launch ramps, tideland leases and
moorage.
Uchytil says he'd also venture throw out that pedestrians need
representation as the seawalk is an important part of what Docks and
Harbors manages.
To have someone who can represent all the harbor patrons would be an
ideal fit, he says.
You can find more information on applying for one of the CBJ's boards or
commissions at www.juneau.org.
Again, the deadline for applications to be on the Docks and Harbors
Board of Directors is Wednesday.
Alaska volcano's ash prompts flight
cancellations
RACHEL D'ORO,Associated Press
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — An Alaska volcano eruption is prompted regional airlines to cancel flights
Monday to nearby communities, including a
town that reported traces of fallen ash.
The Alaska Volcano Observatory says Pavlof Volcano has released ash
plumes as high as 22,000 feet. Clouds obscured the volcano Monday, but
scientists say seismic instruments at the volcano 625 miles southwest of
Anchorage show continuing tremors.
Geologist Chris Waythomas says the abrasive ash has not risen enough to
threaten international air traffic passing over the volcano-rich
Aleutian arc. Ash emissions have reached high enough, however, to affect
flights of some smaller planes.
Anchorage-based regional carrier Penair has canceled a dozen passenger
and cargo flights to several communities. They include Sand Point, which
reported a dusting of ash Sunday.
Ace Air Cargo canceled two flights.
Minor flooding reported in Fort Yukon
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — Low-lying areas of Fort Yukon were flooded
after ice broke on the Yukon River, leaving 15 homes uninhabitable in
Circle.
The Yukon River moved past Fort Yukon late Monday morning, and village
officials reported to the National Weather Service that the frontage
road was impassable and water was up to the steps of the tribal hall.
The ice had jammed about 15 miles upriver from Fort Yukon until it
partially broke Monday morning.
A flood warning in Fort Yukon has been extended to 10 p.m. Tuesday.
Residents in Circle took refuge at the post office, school and store
when the Yukon River flooded Sunday. There were no injuries, but a group
of elders were rescued from a stranded vehicle.
Some fishermen found guilty of illegal fishing
BETHEL, Alaska (AP) — A Bethel judge has ruled against some of nearly
two dozen Yup'ik Eskimo fishermen cited for illegal fishing of king
salmon in the Kuskokwim River during a poor run last year.
Several of the fishermen were found guilty Monday after their trials by
judge resumed.
Magistrate Bruce Ward adjourned the cases last month until he could
determine whether the fishermen have a spiritual right to fish for king
salmon when restrictions are in place, as they claim.
KYUK Radio says Ward found the state's need to restrict kings supersedes
the fishermen's religious rights.
Fishermen are being fined $250. The trials for the remaining fishermen
continue.
The trials began in April with specialists on Yup'ik culture testifying
for the fishermen, who say bans on their subsistence lifestyle violate
their spiritual freedoms.
(KYUK-AM)
Scientists: Don't drop federal wolf protections
TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. (AP) — Groups of scientists are urging federal
officials not to remove protections for gray wolves across the Lower 48
states.
In letters to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service this week, carnivore
specialists say the wolf population has only begun to recover and is
absent from most of its historical territory after being driven to
near-extinction in the past century.
They say there's enough habitat and prey to support wolves in other
parts of the country.
The wolf remains on the endangered species list except in the Northern
Rockies and western Great Lakes, where the combined population is about
6,000.
A draft proposal to drop remaining protections except in the Southwest
surfaced last month. Government attorneys said in court papers Monday a
final decision has been postponed. They provided no explanation.
Kenai couple wins Nenana Ice Classic,
$318,500 jackpot
FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP) — A Kenai couple has the only winning ticket in
this year's Nenana Ice Classic.
The ice on the Tanana River went out at 2:41 p.m. AKST on Monday,
tripping the tripod in Alaska's favorite guessing game. The game uses
standard, not daylight savings time.
No one predicted the exact minute the tripod would fall. But Warren and
Yvonne Snow of Kenai were a minute off, guessing the time at 2:40 p.m.
on Monday, meaning they were the closest.
Ice classic manager Cherrie Forness says the Snows win the $318,500
jackpot.
The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports this was the longest breakup on
record for the 97-year-old guessing game. It was three hours longer than
the previous record, set at 11:41 a.m., May 20, 1964.
Money stolen after village bingo hall
burglarized
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska State Troopers say a large amount of
money was stolen after the Brevig Mission bingo hall was burglarized.
Troopers say the money was stolen from numerous organizations that
operate in the building.
Troopers say the theft was discovered last week.
Brevig Mission is an Inupiat Eskimo village of about 415 people 65 miles
northwest of Nome.
Bail denied for defendant in Coast Guard
killings
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A federal judge has denied bail for a
61-year-old man accused of killing two men at the Coast Guard station on
Kodiak Island.
James Wells wanted to be released to detention and electronic monitoring
to third-party custodians as he awaited trial for the fatal shootings of
Coast Guardsmen Petty Officer 1st Class James Hopkins and retired Chief
Petty Officer Richard Belisle in April 2012. Wells is charged with
murder and is set to go on trial in February 2014.
KTUU says Wells appeared before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge
John D. Roberts in Anchorage Monday.
Roberts said he was not "at all convinced" that bail was appropriate in
the case.
Wells' arrest in February came after an investigation led by the FBI and
the Coast Guard Investigative Service.
(KTUU-TV)
Court-martial begins Wednesday at JBER
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska (AP) — A general court-martial
will be held this week for a chief warrant officer accused of sexual
contact.
Chief Warrant Officer Guillermo Castillo will face the military trial
beginning Wednesday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage.
The military in a release says the alleged sexual contact took place
Oct. 6. He's also charged with twice violating orders of commissioned
officers and driving under the influence.
The 33-year-old Castillo is from California. He joined the Army in
January 2000. He was an enlisted soldier until graduation from Warrant
Officer Candidate School in November 2009.
He was assigned to the 4th Airborne Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry
Division, and has served one tour in Afghanistan.
Juneau high school senior baccalaureate set for
tonight
Baccalaureate for all graduating high school seniors is tonight at
Thunder Mountain High School.
It's scheduled for 7 p.m. in the auditorium.
We're told seniors need to report to the auxiliary gym no later than
6:45.
They are requested to wear their gown, if they have it. Caps are not
required.
The keynote speaker will be University of Alaska Southeast Chancellor
John Pugh.
If they're able, people are asked to bring a plate of cookies or fruit
to share.
For more information call Andi Story at 789-4292.
Alaska Pacific University OKs tuition cut
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A private liberal arts college in Anchorage is
lowering its tuition by more than 30 percent.
The president of Alaska Pacific University says the change will make a
college education more affordable for Alaskans, and hopefully, boost
enrollment.
KSKA Radio reports the school's board decided last week to reduce
tuition by nearly $10,000 per year, from $29,600 to $19,950. President
Don Bantz says that will make Alaska Pacific more competitive with
out-of-state colleges.
Tuition at the University of Alaska Anchorage is still cheaper, around
$4,000 for Alaska residents and $14,000 for out-of-state students. The
University of Alaska system is public.
Alaska Pacific has enrollment of about 600 students. The tuition cut
will apply to undergraduate tuition and take effect beginning in the
fall of 2014.
(KSKA-FM)
Moniz sworn in as energy secretary
MATTHEW DALY,Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Physicist Ernest Moniz has been sworn in as the
nation's new energy secretary.
The 68-year-old Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor took the
oath of office Tuesday at the Energy Department. He replaces Steven Chu,
who served as energy secretary in President Barack Obama's first term.
Moniz served as an energy undersecretary in the Clinton administration.
Moniz said on Twitter that he is honored to be back at the Energy
Department, adding that he is "looking forward to hitting the ground
running."
He faces an array of challenges, including whether to approve a host of
applications to export liquefied natural gas. Moniz has says he'll
promote renewable sources of energy such as wind and solar power, along
with traditional fuels such as oil and coal.
Obama opposes GOP bill on Keystone XL oil
pipeline
MATTHEW DALY,Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House says President Barack Obama opposes a
House bill that would speed approval of the proposed Keystone XL oil
pipeline from Canada to Texas.
The White House said Tuesday that the bill "seeks to circumvent
longstanding and proven processes" by removing a requirement for a
presidential permit. The legislation also says no new environmental
studies are needed.
House Republicans say the bill is needed to ensure the long-delayed
pipeline is built. The project, which first was proposed in 2008, would
carry oil extracted from tar sands in western Canada to refineries along
the Texas Gulf Coast.
Opponents say the pipeline would carry "dirty oil" that could trigger
global warming, while supporters say it would create jobs and bolster
North American energy resources.
A House vote is expected Wednesday.
Utah Gov. Herbert rails against US Land
management
WASHINGTON (AP) — Utah Gov. Gary Herbert says his state does a better
job than federal managers and has a bigger stake than the bureaucrats in
protecting the natural resources and rugged beauty that drives Utah's
outdoor recreation and tourism industry.
Herbert, the chairman of the Western Governors' Association, was the
lone witness to testify in Washington on Tuesday before a congressional
subcommittee examining the role of state and federal governments in
managing national parks, forests and public rangelands.
The Republican governor says no one understands state challenges and
demographics better than the people who reside and govern there. He says
federal managers are hamstrung by regulatory and statutory frameworks
that keep them from effectively addressing pressing needs, including
rapid declines in the health of national forests and rangelands.
Murkowski announces staff change
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has a new legislative
aide.
Her office announced Tuesday that Allison Nyholm will serve as the
legislative assistant responsible for appropriations, surface
transportation, aviation and water project infrastructure.
Nyholm's prior experience includes serving as associate director for the
office of the governor in Washington, D.C.
She was raised in Soldotna and is a graduate of the University of Alaska
Southeast in Juneau.
Nyholm will replace Jeremy Price, who left in March to work in the
private sector.
Horizon Air flight with blown tire lands safely
SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — A Spokane International Airport spokesman confirms
that a Horizon Air flight landed safely in Spokane despite a blown tire
on its landing gear.
KXLY-TV reports that Horizon Flight 2358 was en route from Portland,
Ore., to Spokane on Monday afternoon.
Its scheduled 4:30 p.m. arrival time was pushed back briefly after it
declared the problem. Airport spokesman Todd Woodard says fire and
rescue crews were dispatched to the runway, where the plane touched down
shortly before 5 p.m.
Woodard says the Bombardier Q400 aircraft has two tires on each set of
landing gear as a redundancy measure.
Horizon is a subsidiary of Alaska Air Group.
(KXLY-TV)
Gitga'at evict Northern Gateway crew
conducting spill response survey@
HARTLEY BAY, B.C. - Members of the Gitga'at Nation say they have evicted
a Northern Gateway Pipelines crew from their territory on the north
coast of British Columbia as it tried to conduct oil spill response
surveys.
The small First Nation of Hartley Bay says the crew showed up uninvited
to carry out work on a project that has not been approved — and that the
Gitga'at continue to oppose.
Coun. Marven Robinson says Calgary-based Enbridge (TSX:ENB), the
proponent of the 1,600-kilometre pipeline and oil tanker port, has
"screwed-up" relations with First Nations and continues to do so.
Consultation with native bands has been a major stumbling block for the
(Canadian) $6-billion project that would connect the Alberta oil sands
to Asian markets.
Many in the industry are hopeful that a surprise Liberal victory in
B.C.'s provincial election this week renews hope that the much-maligned
project may yet go ahead.
The federal review panel weighing the project will begin hearing final
arguments next month in Terrace, and must issue its report to the
federal government by the end of the year.
(The Canadian Press) (from Broadcast News Ltd.)
'
News of the North' content copyright of Alaska Broadcast Communications
Inc. and Juneau Alaska Communications LLC. Any unauthorized use will be
prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.