Homer Tribune » Point of View

Parents are not an ‘intrusive mandate’

Editor — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:50:33 +0000

By Barnabas Firth
Let’s suppose some 12 year old — we’ll say J.S. in order to protect the identity of this imaginary character — wins $100,000.
J.S. gets wide eyed and wants to dash for the nearest retail outlet — not a home improvement store like his Dad would probably choose. But Dad sits down with J.S. and tells him about saving and making decisions that will pay back in the long run. J.S. listens, and in 10 years, he returns to thank Dad.
Now suppose the government decided that J.S. should really spend the money as he wants, with no advice from Dad. They set up special, secret accounts for kids who win big, just so the kids can spend all the money on whatever they wish without anyone knowing.
We all recognize that children are born immature and depend on others for protection and guidance until they are old enough to care for themselves. It is self-evident that the way to perpetuate a free society is by parents exercising their rights as guardians of their children and bringing them up to be responsible adults. This is the basic function of the family unit; the basic building block of a society.
Sadly, government activists stepped in with an agenda in 2007, when the Alaska Supreme Court struck down Alaska’s Parental Consent law. This law, passed by large margins, required parental consent in the case of a minor’s abortion.
In response, tens of thousands of concerned people across Alaska pulled together to get a parental notification measure on the ballot. They seek to affirm parental rights and protect the young people left vulnerable by the court decision.
Opposition to this initiative is being led and heavily funded by Planned Parenthood. They and their allies have and will, in the following weeks, raise some objections which must be seriously considered by each of us.
Their major argument is that most minor girls do communicate with their families, and that if a minor chooses not to, this is likely an indication of a bad home environment, in which opening up about the crises in her life could be dangerous. They argue that this hypothetical scenario proves why every girl of any age should, in this one case, be allowed to make a serious medical decision without her parents knowing. They admit that it would be a very rare case where the girl’s safety and well-being would depend on secrecy. It is not a baseless objection, but consider this:
After the court struck down our law, any girl, regardless of age, can walk in anytime, or even be brought to the clinic by anyone without parental knowledge. Friends, school administrators and even sexual predators could bring a young girl in, having convinced her that this is the right option. It seems the court decision actually serves to help keep potential bad situations secret. This court ruling is not adding to the minor’s safety by any stretch of the imagination, and has created a serious potential for harm. It has made it so that the people who are legally responsible to care for the minor — to protect her and raise her, the ones most able to guide her through the situation, help her seek better options and support her through it — are given no say or authority. If this initiative is adopted, it will strengthen protection for at-risk minors, making Alaska the state which has taken this issue most into consideration. The initiative will allow a minor to obtain permission to bypass the parental notification measure if an adult sibling or connected adult, such as a social worker, verifies that the home situation is dangerous. The idea is that a closely associated adult would still be involved in the girl’s crisis, while making her safety a prime consideration. If a dangerous environment is identified through this provision, the law instructs that authorities be informed. Thus the initiative goes beyond parental notification, in that it also actually seeks to help minors in dangerous situations. Those concerned for the well-being of children in dangerous home environments should rightfully support this. Another objection is simply that it is a new government mandate. Actually, it is the people of Alaska coming together to support a law that was struck down by out-of-touch judges. Affirming parents’ right to be the central influence and authority in their child’s life, and protecting vulnerable minors, is the opposite of an intrusive mandate.
Who is really lining up to defend young girls in crisis? Planned Parenthood — who is pouring their money into defeating this initiative, knowing that they stand to reap great financial profits from young girls disconnected from their parents; or the tens of thousands of our fellow Alaskans who put their signatures to this initiative simply because they believe in it?

Barnabas Firth is a local guy who calls himself a sourdough and proves it to himself by pursuing his outdoor astronomical studies on clear winter nights. He firmly believes that our nation’s founders knew what political freedom means and is dedicated to the recapturing and preservation of their vision. You can send him your thoughts and input at icefield76@gmail.com

Gov’s veto denies healthcare to vulnerable

Editor — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:40:21 +0000

By Bettye Davis
Gov. Sean Parnell’s veto of Senate Bill 13 was at the expense of Alaska’s most vulnerable citizens. Going against the overwhelming bipartisan support of 52 of 60 legislators in favor of the bill, his veto was shortsighted, socially and fiscally irresponsible and denies an additional 1,277 poor children and 218 pregnant women eligibility to health insurance under Denali KidCare. The irony is that SB 13 simply re-establishes the income eligibility to the level it was 10 years ago, raising it from 175 percent to 200 percent of the federal poverty guideline. Alaska remains only one of four states in the United States below 200 percent of the federal poverty guideline for its State Children’s Insurance Program, which is 70 percent funded by federal matching funds.
The governor claims he did not know the federal Medicaid/Denali-KidCare program funded reproductive counseling and services. While it might have been anticipated that a few more unavoidable and medically necessary induced terminations of pregnancies allowable under the law would be funded under SB 13, he must have known that all state Medicaid programs must continue to pay for public health, nutritional and reproductive counseling and medical services for pregnant women. This is not new information.
Medicaid finances 51 percent of all births in Alaska, and at least four in 10 of all births nationally (see “Medicaid’s Role for Women,” Kaiser Family Foundation, October, 2007). Worse, the veto shreds a federally funded nationwide health safety net which will cost the state $1.6 million in lost federal matching dollars in 2011 alone; $23.7 million over the next 10 years.
Gov. Parnell’s veto — which denies comprehensive health insurance to additional children and pregnant women under Denali KidCare — will force many of these individuals to seek medical assistance in largely uncompensated emergency rooms or other service agencies where the follow-up is negligible. The veto denies routine checkups at doctors’ offices, prenatal, dental, vision, mental health, speech, physical and occupational therapy services, as well as substance abuse treatment.
Parnell’s veto of SB 13 was not about money and it clearly was not about family values, because it harms those among us who are least able to protect themselves. His veto has exacerbated early detection of health problems among the young, inflicted greater financial burdens on individuals, families, hospitals and the state, and has resulted in a loss of the public trust. In his self-described act of conscience, Gov. Parnell’s veto does not seem like the decision of someone who purports to be a public servant for all the families of Alaska. No bill was ever more pro-family, pro-life, and pro-Alaska than SB 13.

Sen. Bettye Davis represents District K – Anchorage, and currently serves as Chair of the State Health, Education and Social Services Committee.

‘Unrecognizable as human beings …’

Editor — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 17:38:49 +0000

By Maka Fairman
In my life of changes, the hardest part has always been to say goodbye. Homer has been my small lot of paradise for over 20 years now, and it has equally been my hell. All that gives a soul a real sense of balance. It’s hard to concentrate on living the simple senior lifestyle in Homer when that sense of good balance becomes compromised by scheming wealthy outsiders who bring magic to dazzle our senses with great feats of engineering. Money can put a railroad car and a small ship on the side of a mountain and call them “bed and breakfasts,” but can money give anyone the key to respect and consideration for other human beings? Evil begets evil, and it can make itself look like the frosting on the cake — until we are fooled by the taste it leaves in our mouths.
Our government — to whom we pay allegiance (and our taxes) — the government who supposedly takes care of its people — has decided to change the face of Homer to a more sophisticated design of blatant wealth to attract even more wealth. The Cosmic Hamlet by the Sea is quickly turning into a controlled cash cow for the city, borough and state. And it has no shame in flaunting its vastness in the face of its citizens to accept: keep up, or leave.
I have no money and no promise of money to come in the future. I am a lowly artist. My one little acre in Homer was once most pristine in every way. It was totally wild, until the grinding wheels of corporate progress decided to remove the nature of the land, and all people like me who will soon not meet any requirements for living in Homer. They deplete the land’s resources in every way calling it progress, for only the few to reap the spoils.
In Webster’s dictionary, hate is defined as “an intense feeling of dislike.” Truly, I am not a hateful person by design, nor do I wish to believe others are naturally hateful either. We become hateful by circumstance of dislike for something that’s happened to us, or something that offends us deeply.
I am offended deeply. It is now a crime to dislike being offended. I am offended by people representing themselves as Christian. Christians that will kill other humans are not Christian. Christians who will kill animals when they are not hungry are not Christian either. Let us not be fooled. Now I understand why all religious cultures and sects around the world tell us in ancient records that this world will die and be replaced by a new world. We have become unrecognizable as human beings, living on a planet that we have killed.
Humans don’t deserve the gift of life; the gift of plants and animals to love, to understand and to care for. We are not here to redesign and/or destroy God’s green earth. Much of our planet today is uninhabitable because of mankind’s own destructive energies. Until we can learn to think in higher realms of energy, control what we do to harm the house in which we live (Planet Earth), and care about each other — we are doomed to genocide.

Maka Fairman is a longtime Homer resident.

How we can save our MRI

Editor — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 17:35:14 +0000

By Milli Martin
What follows is my humble effort to make the South Peninsula taxpaying public aware of a situation brewing on the Assembly level that will impact whether South Peninsula Hospital gets a modern, up-to-date MRI unit, or has to muddle through with one that is outdated and should have been retired last year.
At the July 6, Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meeting, the Mayor brought forward a resolution requesting sole source approval for the new addition to the hospital to properly house the MRI unit. (This, a full year after the Assembly approved the bid award for a new MRI, fully expecting the new addition to be completed as soon as possible.)
At the finance committee meeting, I gave a presentation that included a history of the new MRI and proper housing for it. I requested support from the Assembly to get the project moving, because of the increasing cost to the taxpayer by not doing so. Instead, the resolution was postponed.
On Aug. 3, 2010, Assemblyman Mako Haggerty will present to the Assembly an alternate resolution concerning the SPH MRI, calling for a change order to the contractor who has been on site throughout the remodeling of the hospital. At the administration’s request, that contractor gave estimates for the construction, making amendments as requested by the administration.
After the July meeting, I was informed that since the first of this year, the Operating Board of SPH specifically asked if a formal bid would be necessary, and up until several weeks before the Mayor came to the Assembly, they were assured by the administration, and the Mayor, that this only required a change order; which it should. That is what Assemblyman Haggerty will present, with the justification and support for it.
In the meantime, I hear that the Mayor’s Chief of Staff has requested a bid package be made ready to put on the street on August 2. Who is supposed to pay for that? Of the money at hand, every penny is dedicated. It would put the current contractor at a huge disadvantage. The Chief of Staff advised she expected the bids to close within two weeks, and have something to the Assembly in September. In the first place, her dates are unreasonable, but worse, it means another construction season lost, and huge increases in costs. The MRI company which was awarded the bid (in July, 2009), has indicated they will only honor that bid until year’s end. And, they require three months to build it. If we lose that bid, it will mean an increase of at least $180,000, just for the MRI. Never mind the $30,000-per-month lease fee now being paid for an outdated MRI. And that money is being paid to a leasing agency with no interest in the community, that should, and could, be going toward the payment of the new, up-to-date equipment. Costs could run up to at least $500,000 more. I look at this and ask myself, “Why does the Mayor want to sabotage this project,” because that is what he and his Chief of Staff are doing. And it is at the expense of taxpayers.
It is my view the Assembly has an obligation to support what the administration has done so far, as well as support the taxpaying public.
I am asking the public to please take a moment and contact all borough assembly members, and the Borough Mayor, to ask for their support of Assemblyman Haggerty’s resolution on Aug. 3. Contact information is online at www.borough.kenai.ak.us/
Thanks so, so much for your help.

Milli Martin is a resident of Homer and formerly served on the Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly.

The truth about ‘biker’ parties

Editor — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:31:12 +0000

By Valerie DeLaune
I never thought I’d go to a “biker party” in my lifetime. But with all the rumors about the Hoka Hey and whether or not it was a scam, I was curious. I’d had a chance to check these bikers out some; they went to the laundromat just like me, they bought groceries just like me. They didn’t look so scary, they just looked tired.
The event organizers were at the celebration and seemed very sincere to me, as I watched them address the bikers who had made it. They grieved those who had fallen along the way. Jim’s Durham’s grandfather, Chief Red Cloud — who had hosted riders somewhere along the way — said a prayer in Lakota over a Skype call. It was very somber and emotional, and there was clearly a lot of pain. From what I was able to gather from the address, the event was a fundraiser. Money is to go to several projects and organizations, such as bringing water to those who don’t have it on the reservation, and mothers of soldiers who did not come home. I can’t remember the names of the other beneficiaries, but there was ample acknowledgement that the event had concluded with a very high price. They said they had no intention of putting on the event again; from the beginning, it was a one-time thing.
I made a point of talking to the bikers, to see who they were and how they felt about the ride. It turns out, they have day-jobs just like me. But instead of putting on ski goggles and skis in their recreational time, they put on leathers and jump on a motorcycle.
As for the Hoka Hey event, many were riding in memory of fallen war comrades, and for them it was never about getting to Homer first. As to the questions about the route, one rider told me that if a rider followed the maps and checkpoints, he felt it was very clear.
He said, “It was all about integrity,” noting that staff did check ending mileage, riders did take lie-detector tests, and hair samples were taken to make sure riders had not taken amphetamines or other drugs to stay awake. DMV checks are still in process to ensure that riders hadn’t been ticketed along the way. All entrants were well-warned in advance that they needed passports to get into Canada, as well as the country’s strict denial of access to anyone with any kind of legal violations. About 56 riders were turned back at the border.
As I watched riders interact, I could see bonds that had been formed over the course of the ride. There was a lot of hugging going on. Riders kept expressing how wonderful people had been along the way, and how well they have been treated by the people of Homer. They were amazed at how welcome they felt.
As for my fears about going to a “wild biker party,” a few others and I closed the party around 1:45 a.m. Almost all the bikers had either gone to bed or were sitting quietly around scattered campfires near their tents. Most of the remaining crowd were die-hard Homer fans of Three Legged Mule, who had played much later than expected.
So overall, my impression from listening to everyone was that the organizers tried to do a good thing, did their best to anticipate what they could and gave fair warning to riders. It says a lot to me that the organizers completed the ride to Homer, stood before the crowd and acknowledged that some things did not go as well as hoped. The celebratory finish-line party was exactly as promoted. The riders who made it to Homer were glad they did it, and it was a positive experience for them. If it had been a scam, the promoters would not have come to Homer, and the party would have been nonexistent. They would have had nothing to gain by doing anything past the point of promoting the event and collecting the entrant fees.
I do think having the prize money for the first legitimate finisher isn’t such a good idea, because riders will focus on that and drive past the point of safety no matter the rules, which then endangers other people on the highways. And motorcycles are inherently more dangerous to drive than a car; statistically they have more accidents, partially because they are less visible to other motor vehicles. But it appears that to me that the organizers did not deserve to have their integrity attacked.
I felt I needed to speak out as an impartial observer, and I’m glad I went and found out for myself.

Valerie DeLaune is a Homer resident

‘Tour boat’ or ferry?

Editor — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 17:29:23 +0000

By Tim Cashman
Several years ago, Seldovia Village Tribe went to the federal and state government with a request and a promise. The request was for more than $12 million in taxpayer money. The promise was to build and operate a vehicle, freight and passenger ferry and to provide daily, year-round transportation service to several communities in Kachemak Bay that they claimed were unserved or under-served. These communities included Homer, Halibut Cove, Peterson Point, Jakolof Bay, Tutka Bay, Seldovia, Port Graham and Nanwalek.
Without permission or approval, SVT took the money entrusted to them and built a “for-profit tour boat” valued at $3.3 million. This tour boat almost exactly duplicates existing services and is severely harming a significant number of locally owned private businesses.
On June 20, 2010 the Homer Tribune ran a “Point of View” opinion by Sara Richardson. Ms. Richardson is paid by the tribe, with federal and state tax dollars, and was tasked with improving their badly tarnished image over the new tour boat that never should have happened.
• “SVT received $2 million dollars for a feasibility study.” (Sara Richardson, June 30, 2010).
The requirement of the feasibility study was to determine if the vehicle, freight and passenger ferry should be built and operated by SVT. It was not intended to be a way to justify any project they wanted. Unfortunately for the taxpayers, the Tribe and BIA had received most of the money before SVT released the results of the study. In March of 2010 the Bureau of Indian Affairs told me the remainder of the money should have been returned to the treasury as soon as the feasibility study showed the original project as being too costly. Why it was not returned is currently under investigation.
• “SVT still believes in the original plan which was to provide a transportation system for all of Kachemak Bay.” (S.R.).
The original plan was the requirement of the funding. Instead, they operate summer only to the very location that already has two daily tour boats, water taxis, a state ferry and hourly air traffic. Two of their three daily trips go from Homer to Gull Island before going to Seldovia via Eldred Passage. These are tours not ferry service.
• “The City of Seldovia also told SVT they preferred that the new ferry not compete with the Alaska Marine Highway System.” (S.R.).
A recent survey showed 80 percent of the residents of Seldovia said “no” to the tour boat and 91 percent said they would not pay more to go on it. It seems that information was deliberately left out of the feasibility study.
• “Seldovia has been struggling economically.” (S.R.).
Seldovia has approximately 300 residents, the majority of which are non-Native. This money represents more than $42,000 per Seldovia resident. This amount of public money could have been spent more wisely and done far more public good.
• “The Kachemak Voyager is an environmentally friendly passenger-ferry.” (S.R.).
The Kachemak Voyager burns approximately 100 gallons of fossil fuel per hour. This is over four times the amount burned by the Discovery and Rainbow Connection. Furthermore, when cruising at 28 knots, there is little chance to avoid a collision with an unsuspecting otter or whale.
• “Did SVT get approval from the state and federal officials to change the scope of its project from a ferry to a ferry/tour boat?” (S.R. June 30).
Absolutely not.
The Inspector General of the Interior Department made this fact crystal clear. The director for the BIA in Alaska was transferred as a result of this, and other projects with similar lack of oversight. Rep. Paul Seaton, Congressman Don Young, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski have all said this was not the project they supported.
• “More money is needed because the cost of the docks was more than we anticipated.” (S.R.).
Instead of getting on a slip list like everyone else, SVT found a way to bypass it by promising the City of Homer a new ramp and other improvements. SVT also chose not to use the space available in the Seldovia Harbor, even though the City of Seldovia offered to pay for improvements to accommodate them. SVT is now using tax dollars to build their dock just outside the breakwater in Seldovia Bay on land they own. The CEO of their Association said they intend to build a large visitors center in Seldovia.
• “All profits from this project (if there are any) will be plowed back into the project into lower fares and expanded service.” (S.R.).
Millions of dollars have already been extracted though salaries, oversight, management, benefits and travel. The Kachemak Voyager was transferred into a “for-profit limited liability corporation.” All stated goals for the LLC are “for profit for the members” and not “expanded service.” This document is on file with the State of Alaska.
This boat is not a year-round vehicle, freight, passenger-carrying ferry servicing outlaying communities in Kachemak Bay. This boat is equipped with special loaner binoculars, Bose speakers, flat screen TVs and an onboard naturalist.
Despite the fact that our congressional delegation steadfastly denies supporting funding for the result of this project, nothing has been done to rectify the situation. SVT recently requested and received an additional $675,000 of stimulus funds to cover ongoing operating losses and to construct additional, unneeded facilities. Our country is experiencing an economic crisis, millions of unemployed people are losing their homes and our tax dollars are being wasted on a government subsidized tour boat which will ultimately run local private operators out of business and their employees out of work.
Documentation was obtained through the freedom of information act, which supports the facts stated above.
Tim Cashman is vice president of Alaska Coastal Marine, and has 23 years of operating a small business in Homer. He is also captain of M/V Discovery.

Cyclists: you are being watched

Editor — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:28:07 +0000

By Chase Warren
There are many perspectives and attitudes surrounding bicycles. Seems like no matter where you stand on biking, in the Homer area, you’re likely to find conflict. If you’re into trail riding, you’re bound to annoy some hikers or enrage a worried landowner over liability issues.
Just a commuter trying to get to work because your car broke down? Try explaining that you’re really just biking until your car is fixed to the vehicle that nearly forced you into a mailbox while passing inconsiderately close. Unfortunately, a lot of times, people seriously suffer from these interactions.
But what about the other side of the issues, from the driver’s point of view? To some, cyclists are a nuisance; popping out of seemingly nowhere just to swerve into traffic, demanding half the lane. Believe it or not, in this state, bikes are legally considered vehicles. As such, the person operating a bike should treat it as one. Check out what the state has to say online right now if you have any doubts. Just type in “bicycle laws Alaska” on your preferred search engine.
This year’s bike-to-work week registered more cyclists than ever before. More than 100 commuters showed up before 9 a.m. to be counted. These people represent only a portion of our biking commuting. The idea that bikes are strictly toys is now neighbored by the thought-provoking possibilities of bikes as tools. This is not a call to eliminate gas-powered machinery from the roads or our community. This is a point to notice. Homer, so far, has been lucky to have avoided any fatalities involving cyclists, (at least that I have been told). Is that what it will take for people to consider bikes in the road as more than a hindrance: to see that there is a person operating that machine? That person, who could be a father, a son, a neighbor, a grandmother or daughter is alive, yet could be dead in a moment.
Bikers are not always innocent. How often do you see a cyclist cruise past a stop sign or turn without signaling? If we want respect on the roads for all who use them, we all must behave appropriately. Want to do more? Join the Homer Area Cycling Club. Send your name and some general information to homer-area-cycling-club@googlegroups.com. We meet at the library on the first Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m. So, with all that said, “Hey cyclists! Stop acting like you’re above the rules of the road just because you can’t go as fast or for whatever reason.” And for the rest of you, “Just like a truck or car, a chainsaw can be a tool for many things. You could use it to provide for your family or go on a zombie killing spree.”

Chase Warren is a member of the Homer Area Cycling Club.

The children must come first

Editor — Wed, 07 Jul 2010 17:26:41 +0000

By Larry LeDoux
The recipe for a successful system of public education is community engagement in the schools, emotionally and physically safe schools where students feel they belong, and quality schools that prepare students for 21st-century careers and post-secondary education.
Those are the guiding principles of the Alaska Education Plan, created by hundreds of Alaskans in November 2008.
We all know that some schools are struggling to achieve student proficiency in reading, writing and math — the core subjects that are the basis for critical thinking and problem-solving in daily life and on the job. In some schools, the percentage of proficient students is in the low double digits. It has been this way for years.
When I travel around the state — whether in a village or city — kids tell me of their dreams for the future. Children rely on adults to help them achieve their dreams. We must not have a lesser vision for children than they have for themselves.
The state has a responsibility to help struggling schools build their capacity to improve student achievement. Our task is to balance local control with state support. Success depends on the ability of the state, schools and communities to work collaboratively.
The Alaska Department of Education and Early Development has developed, and is continually refining, the State System of Support, which is directed by the deputy commissioner. The Legislature has provided funds for increased support. An independent organization gives us feedback from school districts about our interventions.
The State System of Support provides tiers of services to school districts based on their need. All districts have access to training in the best practices of effective schools. Districts that are not making sufficient student progress are provided with coaches who are experienced Alaska educators, to help them fulfill their improvement plans.
The state intervenes more rigorously and explicitly in districts that have the greatest need. The state strives to intervene to the least degree necessary to set struggling schools on a positive track.
Some keys to the State System of Support include:
• Schools make sure their curriculum and instruction align with the state’s academic standards. Principals are instructional leaders. The school district’s in-school trainings for teachers are focused on the school’s needs. Educators look at assessment data, their classroom observations and their own assignments, and they collaboratively decide what each student needs.
• Specialists in academic content work directly with teachers, observing them in the classroom, modeling good instructional strategies, providing feedback to teachers on lessons and ensuring that the state’s content standards are taught.
• Coaches work with school boards, principals and the superintendent to make sure the right conditions are in place to implement the district’s improvement plan. They also coordinate state support. Coaches and mentors work with new principals and teachers.
• Intervention also includes developing early childhood learning programs, implementing sound reading programs and providing parent, community and cultural understanding to educators.
• Parents also play a vital role in student achievement. Parents are the primary teachers of children. They are responsible for their child’s attendance at school. Among their many roles in a busy day are to send their children to school rested and fed and ready to learn, and monitor homework after the school day ends. More fundamentally, parents communicate to their children a vision of the future that includes success in school and career.
We have no greater responsibility than creating paths for our children to find their places in society as adults; whether that’s holding a job, practicing subsistence, or raising a family — and sometimes all three. Schools play a role in this task, as do parents and communities. Our goal is for the parents, schools and communities to work hand-in-hand. The children must come first.

Larry LeDoux is Alaska Commissioner of Education and Early Development and a former principal and superintendent in the Kodiak Island Borough School District.

New bill to reform disaster response

Editor — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:54:09 +0000

By Lisa Murkowski
We’re entering the third month of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and the 22nd year since the Exxon Valdez hit Bligh Reef. In the Gulf of Mexico, as much as 3 million barrels of crude have already spilled from the blown-out well, and in Prince William Sound there is still oil hiding under rocky beaches.
These disasters share more than environmental damage. As was the case in Alaska, the economic and social impact in the Gulf of Mexico also continues to rise. In an all-too-familiar scenario, the closure of one-third of Gulf waters is depriving fishermen, shrimpers and others who make their living on the sea of their livelihoods. The consequences are rippling through businesses of all sizes — from hotels to family restaurants — and will be felt for years to come.
I saw this devastation firsthand during my recent visit to the Gulf Coast. For anyone familiar with the impacts of the Exxon Valdez, it brings back horrible memories. As we know all too well, our state has not fully recovered from that tragedy, and it took an astounding 20 years to resolve the legal fight over compensation. For too many, justice delayed was justice denied.
Determined to make sure that the Exxon Valdez’s unacceptable aftermath isn’t repeated in the Gulf, and to make sure that history never repeats itself in Alaska, I’ve developed legislation — the Oil Spill Compensation Act — to assist spill victims and hold oil companies fully responsible. This measure was informed by weeks of hearings and meetings, and it offers a chance to reform a system that has clearly failed.
• First, my legislation would establish an expedited and independent claims process to ensure that all who are harmed by the Gulf spill — particularly those who need immediate help — promptly receive the money owed them. To guarantee that compensation actually goes to victims, lawyers’ fees would be limited to no more than 5 percent of settlements.
• Second, my legislation would require the president to set strict liability for each offshore project based on risk factors such as the operator’s safety record and water depth. This process would establish proper accountability for producers and reflect the reality that some operations are more dangerous than others.
• Third, to ensure that taxpayers never pay for a spill, my legislation would require the industry as a whole to cover all costs that an individual company may fail to meet. This is similar to the approach used with great success in the nuclear industry. It will provide strong financial incentives for offshore companies to police each other and report bad actors.
• Fourth, my legislation would dramatically improve oil-spill research and technology development. Our ability to contain a spill in deep water has lagged far behind our ability to drill for oil in deep water. It’s time to reverse that trend, and the best way to do so is by providing the Coast Guard with funding and authority to bring our response capacity into the 21st century.
• Fifth, in recognition that coastal communities face very real risks and impacts from offshore production, my legislation would require substantial revenue sharing with coastal states. Returning a fair share of revenues will not only promote economic development, it will also allow states to improve their ability to respond in case of a future spill.
• Finally, my legislation includes the set-up of a 24-member Gulf Regional Citizens Advisory Council, where local residents and stakeholders will issue recommendations for changes to policy and practices in the offshore energy field. This council is modeled after the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council, which I believe has been a success. It is critical that those who live and work on the water, and therefore know it best, are able to provide input on response-planning and best practices before — not after — any incident occurs.
By necessity, much of my bill focuses on helping those affected by the Deepwater Horizon spill. But it’s also critically important to the future of Alaska as well. As a coastal state with substantial offshore resources, we must do everything possible to minimize the risk of another spill occurring in our own waters. We’ve lived through one before and seen the devastation that results when the tragedy of the spill is exacerbated by being poorly contained, poorly cleaned up and poorly compensated. My bill is designed to make sure those things never happen again — in the Gulf of Mexico, in Alaska, or anywhere else.

Sen. Lisa Murkowski is Alaska’s senior senator and the top Republican on the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

Seldovia responds to ferry questions

Editor — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 17:51:20 +0000

By Sarah Richardson
I am writing in response to questions raised about the Kachemak Voyager Ferry recently commissioned and launched by the Seldovia Village Tribe.
The debate about the Seldovia Bay Ferry is currently focused on whether SVT complied with the intent of state and federal appropriations. SVT believes that it has complied fully with the appropriations requirements and the intent of those appropriations.
The original grant application was to build a complete intermodal transportation system for Kachemak Bay: a small passenger and automotive ferry that would serve Halibut Cove and Jakoloff, paving the dirt road from Seldovia to Jakoloff and opening up the logging road from Kachemak Bay to Prince William Sound. This would enable residents of Nanwalek and Port Graham to also access the ferry by road in Seldovia.
Alaska’s congressional delegation was interested in helping the Alaska Marine Highway System become more sustainable and pointed Seldovia towards the Lockheed Martin ferry model that has since been built for the Mat-Su Borough.
Tom Briggs was the acting director of the Marine Highway System and thought a series of smaller ferries where all of the employees lived in the communities they served and none slept overnight on the ferries would substantially reduce the employee costs and also the costs of diesel as the smaller ferries would be much cheaper to operate.
The Lockheed Martin ferry was budgeted to cost $28 million and being that ours was estimated to be less than one half of the size it was estimated our smaller ferry would cost $14 million. Senator Stevens was chairman of the appropriations committee and said that he would champion our request in the Senate and Congressmen Young would take care of it in the House. They said that the road portion of our request would have to wait until after we completed the ferry.
SVT received $2 million dollars for a feasibility study, which after a while, clearly showed the negatives of building the Lockheed Martin style of ferry. The cost of the Mat Su ferry has ballooned from $28 million to over $70 million. Senator Stevens was able to get SVT another $6.5 million dollars and then was dumped as appropriations chairman when the Republicans lost the majority in the Senate and we were told that there would be no more additional funding.
The Congressional delegation received books, reports, updates, and in-person meetings with their staff regarding the only direction the project could now afford, which was a passenger ferry with a boom that was capable of handling light freight that could serve Seldovia’s freight needs. The State of Alaska provided the required matching funds.
SVT still believes in the original plan which was to provide a transportation system for all of Kachemak Bay. The Seldovia Bay Ferry is the first step in that plan, and while SVT is disappointed that we were unable to accomplish our original plan we still hope to, in time.
The City of Seldovia also told SVT that they preferred that the new ferry not compete with the Alaska Marine Highway System. As well, the new ferry director, Robin Taylor opposed the concept of smaller ferries and stated publicly that he would compete against any private automotive ferries. The City of Seldovia complained about the ferry going to Jakoloff Bay.
Seldovia has been struggling, economically. The feasibility study showed how we could build the ferry and the shore-side facilities for a project that we could afford, a project that could achieve sustainability over time and a project that substantially increases economic activity in Seldovia. We didn’t keep this feasibility study secret. This study was presented to all the stakeholders and received extensive community participation and review. We implemented our best management practices and appropriate responsibilities to develop and build a sustainable project that would not be plagued by cost overruns.
This project is meant to provide an economic stimulus for Seldovia. That means that by docking the ferry in Seldovia the GM, accountant, captain, crew, ticket takers and employees are Seldovia based. That alone significantly increases the economic stimulus to Seldovia. The ferry has the capability to run during the winter and off-seasons and this also could help Seldovia. And let’s not forget that in the event the Alaska Marine Highway System goes away for the winter again, we’ll still be able to get freight to Seldovia.
Unlike some other smaller rural Alaska towns Seldovia still has hope to grow into a small prosperous town by attracting tourists to our absolutely beautiful location. And yes, we really miss the good old fishing days but we just can’t plan our future on what we’ve lost.
How did state and federal officials monitor the project? From the inception of the project quarterly reports were sent to the Bureau of Indian Affairs, the lead agency designed to monitor the funds. Yearly joint meetings were held in Juneau with the BIA and the federal Department of Transportation. Each year the Congressional delegation was updated. Meetings were held in Juneau with the head of the State Department of Transportation and meetings were held with the head of the Alaska Marine Highway System, with both Tom Briggs and Robyn Taylor. Representative Seaton was involved in and attended the public meetings conducted by Greg Dronkert of Hornblower Marine Services that cleary, very clearly, discussed the current configuration (passenger only vessel).
Did SVT get approval from state and federal officials to change the scope of its project from a ferry only to a ferry with a tour component? The scope of the project did not change. We did a good job of following our feasibility results, which clearly showed that without help and funding support from the Alaska Marine Highway System that a passenger ferry, with light freight capabilities, working along side the “Tustumena” would provide the biggest economic boost to Seldovia. The federal government received many, many reports detailing this plan. And as for the State of Alaska, on the cover of the book to describe the project sent to the state was a picture of Allen Marine’s passenger only ferry. And, again, public meetings were held about a passenger only ferry.
Is a tour boat allowed under the state and federal grants?
The Kachemak Voyager is an environmentally friendly passenger-only ferry. This is the only environmentally friendly passenger ferry in Kachemak Bay and yes, we hope to attract tourists and Seldovia residents alike.
How much did SVT receive, how much did it spend and why does it need more federal money to build Homer dock improvements?
After the feasibility funding approximately $8 million was received for ferry boat construction, docks in Seldovia and Homer, parking areas and terminals in Homer and Seldovia. Terminals need offices, which need accounting systems, web sites, permits, environmental impact studies, reservations systems, computers, and desks and all of the other stuff, which is a lot of money. About half of the money went for the boat and outfitting the boat. More money is needed because the cost of the docks was more than we anticipated. Also, we originally thought we wouldn’t have to build new docking facilities in Homer. Please note as well, that the dock we’re constructing is ADA-compliant and that it will be one of the only docks capable of serving people with disabilities.
In summary, all profits from this project (if there are any) will be plowed back into the project into lower fares and expanded service. We still believe in our original plan which is a Kachemak Bay wide intermodal transportation project and hope this passenger ferry is only the beginning.

Sarah Richardson is the public relations and marketing specialist for the Seldovia Village Tribe.