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As our nation and the world experiences the life-altering impacts of the novel coronavirus pandemic, I wanted to take a moment to speak to you directly. If you’ve followed our many press conferences this week, you know that Alaska is rapidly preparing for an outbreak, and that an emergency was declared prior to our first confirmed case. Now that the inevitable first case has occurred, our schools are safely closed, testing requirements have been liberalized, and steps have been taken to protect our seniors. Visitation has been suspended or l...
The Petersburg School Board adopted a policy on Tuesday in its second and final reading that addresses the Petersburg School District's pandemic and epidemic emergency readiness. Board policy 6114.4 was recommended to the school board by the Association of Alaska School Boards. Since its first reading in February, School Board Vice President Sarah Holmgrain said parents have had some concerns over the extent that the district would be able to quarantine students; as a result, language within...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — House lawmakers plan to turn their attention to the check residents receive from Alaska's oil-wealth fund and begin reviewing proposals that would change how the Permanent Fund dividend is calculated. Whether any new formula can be agreed upon is unclear. Debate over the size of the dividend has dominated recent legislative sessions. Many lawmakers believe the existing formula, last used in 2015, is unsustainable and at odds with a law seeking to limit withdrawals from Permanent Fund earnings for government costs and d...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A federal commission has issued the final environmental impact statement for the $40 billion Alaska LNG Project. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission released the document Friday that largely affirmed the plan proposed by the state-owned Alaska Gasline Development Corp., The Alaska Journal of Commerce reported. The Alaska LNG Project is the latest attempt to commercialize large volumes of North Slope natural gas. State and energy company officials have tried since the 1970s to compile a plan to produce and sell the...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Gov. Mike Dunleavy is freezing the hiring of state workers not essential to health or safety as oil markets roil, and state lawmakers are making plans to prepare for how they will handle their work should there be a confirmed case of the new coronavirus in the capital city. Restrictions also have been ordered on state employee and legislative travel. Sen. Gary Stevens, chair of the Legislative Council, said some things that could be looked at as part of the Legislature’s preparations include whether to close the Cap...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has suspended out-of-state travel for state employees, with his chief of staff citing a need to control spending amid oil market volatility. Concerns with the new coronavirus have roiled markets along with a price war between Saudi Arabia and Russia over oil. Alaska relies on oil revenue and earnings from its oil-wealth fund, the Alaska Permanent Fund, to help pay for government expenses. Dunleavy Chief of Staff Ben Stevens, in a memo dated Monday, said a hiring freeze also will be in effect b...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A funding injection to prepare for a new virus cannot erase years of budget cuts in Alaska, officials and legislators familiar with the state’s public health system said. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy proposed $13 million in new spending this week to monitor and prevent the spread of the virus that causes the disease called COVID-19, The Anchorage Daily News reported Thursday. No virus cases have been found in Alaska, but Dunleavy asked the Alaska Legislature for the expenditure that includes $4 million in state fun...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, seeking to assert calm concerning the new coronavirus threat, said Monday he sees the fall in oil prices as a “momentary issue’’ that with the stock market will work itself out. The virus has affected global energy prices, with North Slope oil prices around $45 a barrel at the end of last week. The state, which has struggled with a long-running deficit, relies on oil revenue and earnings from its oil-wealth fund, the Alaska Permanent Fund, to help pay for government. Alaska Permanent Fund Co...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The group attempting to remove Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy from office is 30% of the way toward its goal, an official said. The group reached the mark two weeks after beginning its effort to gather enough signatures to put the recall to voters, The Anchorage Daily News reported Monday. To call a statewide vote to recall the Republican governor, petitioners need to gather signatures from 71,252 registered Alaska voters. Recall Dunleavy said Monday it had gathered 21,678 signatures. Campaign Manager Claire Pywell did not p...
Sen. Bert Stedman told the community while attending the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce banquet on Saturday that the future of the Alaska Marine Highway System depends on how negotiations go with Gov. Mike Dunleavy. Stedman said that legislators will discuss the AMHS and present possible scenarios to the governor when Dunleavy releases his operating budget; however, without enough votes to override the governor's anticipated vetoes, negotiations won't be too aggressive. "If you don't have the...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities will use one or more private companies to operate ferries during an ongoing breakdown in state service, the governor said. Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy said the state needs private companies to operate ferries to coastal communities, The Anchorage Daily News reported Wednesday. “We’re going to have to rely on the private sector as a stopgap to some degree,” Dunleavy said Wednesday. Only one of the state’s fleet of 12 ships is operating, with four laid up i...
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — A campaign to recall Alaska’s governor has started with the distribution of petition booklets that will be used to collect signatures. The Alaska Division of Elections delivered the booklets that organizers will use to try to gather the minimum of 71,252 signatures required to initiate an election to recall Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy, KTOO-FM reported. Organizers received the booklets Friday before mailing about 60 packages to supporters. The recall group said Dunleavy, who took office in late 2018, violated the law...
Decades ago, the Alaska Marine Highway System was a pillar of the state’s transportation network. Alaskans and visitors alike piled onto ferries running up and down the Inside Passage for a trip that was a little adventurous, a little luxurious — Dining rooms! Staterooms! Bars on board! — and close enough to the cost of driving through Canada that they were a strong contender for traveler dollars. Fast forward to the present, and the system is in grave danger of falling to pieces. Its only operating vessel until early March is the MV Lituy...
With the M/V Matanuska going out of service last week, ferry service via the Alaska Marine Highway has completely shut down. According to a press release from the Alaska Department of Transportation, new issues have been found with the ferry's reduction gear system. The Matanuska, at the time of writing, is being towed to Ketchikan for repairs. "AMHS is aware of travel needs for upcoming school and community tournaments in March and is exploring options for alternative service in the event...
Editor's Note: The following was received from Sen. Bert Stedman's office. January 28, 2020 Honorable Governor Mike Dunleavy Office of the Governor Dear Mr. Dunleavy, Welcome back to Juneau. We extend our best wishes in the upcoming session. As the Mayor of the City of Kake, I would like to show our support for the Kake Access Road. Having a road connection to Petersburg is very important in keeping Kake viable in these important times. It will give us an opportunity to increase the quality of...
Stedman should put ferries first To the Editor: As residents of the towns near the proposed Kake Road, we firmly oppose it. The $40 million raised for this "road to nowhere" should instead support the return of the Alaska Marine Highway System to our coastal Alaskan communities struggling without ferry service. It is one thing to waste taxpayer money on a project no one is asking for, and another to do so while claiming funding for vitally needed and popular ferry services doesn't exist. This...
Governor Mike Dunleavy's planned visits to two Southeast Alaska communities, Petersburg and Wrangell, have been cancelled due to bad weather. Cold temperatures plus snow and rain have made travel around the region difficult. The planned meetings, for Feb. 3 and 4 in Petersburg and Wrangell respectively, were to be part of a town hall series where the governor could receive input on the PFD, services valued, and other topics. "I want to hear your thoughts, understand your concerns, and see your...
(Juneau, AK) – Today, Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy announced his Conversations with Alaskans town hall series, to further engage with the public on their vision of Alaska’s future, beginning Monday, February 3rd. Governor Dunleavy will be holding meetings with community leaders, business groups, non-profits, school districts, tribes, and the general public in communities across Alaska. “I am looking forward to engaging with Alaskans from every corner of our state in the crucial decisions for Alaska’s future,” said Governor Mike Dunleavy.... Full story
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — With an aging fleet, fewer riders and major budget reductions, the Alaska Marine Highway System is feeling the hurt. Six of the state's 11 ferries have been taken out of service as of Dec. 9 and service to coastal communities has been reduced multiple times. Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have said they believe ferries are a vital economic engine for Southeast Alaska, but how to keep that engine running is up for debate. One proposal, or at least the idea of it, has gotten the attention of a number of stakeholder g...
January Following the shutdown of the U.S. government on Dec. 22, 2018, the U.S. Coast Guard stated it would continue offering essential services. The borough assembly approved $600,000 for a new baler. The USCG located debris from an overdue medivac aircraft that had three people onboard that was due to land in Kake several nights before. A decrease in air cargo coming into Petersburg affected the timely arrival of residents' packages after the retirement of Alaska Airlines' combi 737-400...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A project that maintains seismic monitoring stations in Alaska needs more funding to continue fully operating, officials said. Scientists, lawmakers and federal agencies are promoting the permanent installation of the Transportable Array Network, The Anchorage Daily News reported Tuesday. The National Science Foundation project was installed temporarily beginning in 2014. The stations can monitor earthquake activity and track weather, wildfires and volcanoes. The system can also detect North Korean nuclear testing, o...
They say good things come in small packages and that’s the case for Alaska cod fishermen heading into the new year. A small cod fishery will occur in Gulf state waters (out to three miles) for 2020, putting to rest speculation that no cod would be coming out of the Gulf next year. A catch quota of about 5.6 million pounds, down from 10.2 million pounds, will be split among five regions: Prince William Sound, Cook Inlet, Kodiak, Chignik and the South Alaska Peninsula, with limitations on gear and staggered openers. That will be a relief to thous...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) _ The trans-Alaska pipeline has reached a milestone of 18 billion barrels pumped, officials said. The pipeline carrying Alaska's oil from Prudhoe Bay to the shipping port of Valdez reached the milestone on Friday, KTUU-TV reported Monday. Pipeline operator Alyeska Pipeline Service Company said $145 billion in revenue from North Slope crude oil has been raised for Alaska. The pipeline hit the 17 billion barrel mark five years ago, officials said. The new level was reached as the Alaska Department of Revenue released a...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — Alaska’s latest revenue forecast has estimated a $200 million decrease in oil revenue after an excess of the resource contributed to lower prices worldwide, state officials said. The state Department of Revenue released the forecast Friday revealing both prices and production are running below expectations presenting challenges for state officials planning next year’s budget, officials said. The Alaska North Slope oil price is forecast to decline from the $66 originally projected in the spring to $63.54 a barrel befor...
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The trans-Alaska pipeline has reached a milestone of 18 billion barrels pumped, officials said. The pipeline carrying Alaska’s oil from Prudhoe Bay to the shipping port of Valdez reached the milestone on Friday, KTUU-TV reported Monday. Pipeline operator Alyeska Pipeline Service Company said $145 billion in revenue from North Slope crude oil has been raised for Alaska. The pipeline hit the 17 billion barrel mark five years ago, officials said. The new level was reached as the Alaska Department of Revenue released a fall...
