Southeast Alaska: Walker Administration Focusing on Transboundary Water Issues - In an effort to build on a positive working relationship that will expand a meaningful, responsible collaboration on transboundary resource issues, Lieutenant Governor Byron Mallott announced Friday that the Walker Administration will reach out to the provincial government of British Columbia, the Canadian mining industry and First Nation leaders during a visit to the region May 4–6, 2015.

“As neighbors, we have many things in common and I want to strengthen the relationships we Alaskans have with British Columbia,” said Lieutenant Governor Mallott. “I look forward to this trip and seeing first-hand the Canadian side of the transboundary issues.”

While in Victoria, Lieutenant Governor Mallott plans on meeting with British Columbia’s Ministries of Environment, Energy and Mining, and Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation.

In Vancouver, the Lieutenant Governor will attend the Vancouver Board of Trade’s annual luncheon for BC Mining Week, keynoted by the President and CEO of the Mining Association of British Columbia. He also plans to meet with representatives of the First Nations Energy and Mining Council, the Union of BC Indian Chiefs, and the BC Assembly of First Nations.

There are currently over 630 recognized First Nations governments or bands across Canada and they represent the various Aboriginal peoples. At the invitation of the Xat’sull (hat-shall) Nation, Lieutenant Governor Mallott will also travel to Williams Lake to tour the area around the recent Mt. Polley mining dam breach.

Three of Alaska’s most important salmon rivers: the Taku, the Stikine, and the Unuk are in watersheds that could be impacted by Canadian mines during the life of the mine, and through closure and reclamation. - More...
Saturday PM - May 02, 2015

Alaska: Legislators Choose to Leave Juneau with Unfunded Budget - Governor Bill Walker said on Thursday that he is disappointed the legislature voted to take a 12-day recess and leave the capital city without passing a fully funded budget. The vote in the House of Representatives was 24-13 with a 15-5 vote in the Senate.

The currently unfunded status could potentially jeopardize the state’s credit ratings, as David Teal, director of the legislative finance division, testified during yesterday’s House Finance hearing.

An unfunded budget creates uncertainty for school districts planning for the upcoming year, undermines the state’s ability to honor its contracts, and compromises the ability of state agencies to provide basic services like transportation and public safety.

“As a nonpartisan Governor, I urge legislators to come back to the negotiating table, set aside their political differences, and cooperate with each other in the best interest of Alaskans,” Governor Walker said. “This current climate of uncertainty is detrimental to Alaskans.”

Thursday, The Alaska House of Representatives voted to hold hearings on the governor’s new Operating Budget at the Anchorage Legislative Information Office and to recess floor sessions while those committees continue.

“Let me be very clear: this is an opportunity for members to go back and meet with their constituents,” Speaker Mike Chenaul t(R-Nikisk) said. “Every bill that is on the special session proclamation is sitting in our Finance Committee, with the exception of HB 44, which we passed to the Senate. Our Finance Committee is not taking a break. They will continue to meet and scrutinize the budget that was just introduced this week and tackle the issue of Obamacare’s Medicaid expansion.”

The House Finance Committee has two of the three bills on the proclamation: House Bill 1001, the governor’s new Operating Budget, and HB 148, the Medicaid expansion bill. The third bill, HB 44, Sexual Assault Prevention Programs, was passed by the House April 18, 2015.

House Concurrent Resolution 101 states that the full membership of both bodies is not required to meet for daily floor sessions during the time that the finance committees are conducting hearings.

“The goal of this resolution is to allow our finance colleagues time to do the due diligence of assessing these new budget numbers, and receive feedback from the public and experts,” Majority Leader Charisse Millett (R-Anchorage) said. “Those of us not on the Finance Committee will be following their work closely, as well as getting community input and perspectives.”

Senate Democrats (Minority) also expressed disappointment in the introduction and passage of a concurrent resolution by the House and Senate Republicans (Majorities) self-authorizing a two week vacation.

The “vacation resolution” was passed after the House and Senate Majorities blew past the voter mandated 90 day session by 8 days only to pass a partially funded budget that relied on a draining $1.3 billion from the Public Education Fund and starving the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation of needed funds to advance an Alaska Gasline. Governor Walker issued an immediate proclamation calling for a special session to pass a fully funded budget, Erin’s Law, and the expansion of Medicaid. - More...
Saturday PM - May 02, 2015

Fish Factor: Are sockeye salmon growing slower and smaller? By LAINE WELCH - Alaskan salmon producers are not buying the presumption that growing numbers of pinks are eating too much food in the ocean, causing sockeye salmon to grow slower and smaller.

That’s the claim of a new study by Seattle and British Columbia researchers, who say the race for food ultimately affects sockeye abundance and survival.

“Our data sets extend up to 55 years each. In terms of looking at productivity or survival of salmon, they’ve included 36 sockeye populations,” said Greg Ruggerone, a researcher at Natural Resources Consultants in Seattle and study co-author.

The project was aimed originally at finding causes for declining sockeye runs at British Columbia’s Fraser River in 2009, but has since broadened to include the whole North Pacific.

“Hatcheries in Alaska, Russia and Japan have continued to increase production of salmon, primarily chums and pinks. Up to five billion hatchery salmon are released into the Pacific Ocean each year,” Ruggerone said in a phone interview. “Concerns have been raised at fisheries conferences that the release of so many salmon is impacting the growth and survival of wild stocks, including salmon originating thousands of miles from those hatcheries.”