State Presses BLM on Legacy Well Issue

Across the North Slope, there are over a hundred oil wells drilled by the federal government that are no longer operational. At some sites, there are abandoned drums sunk in oil seeps; other wells have gas leaking from them. On Wednesday, the Bureau of Land Management released a draft plan identifying 50 of these so-called “legacy wells” for clean up.

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Bud Cribley directs the BLM’s Alaska office. He says the plan is to start with the 16 wells in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska that pose the greatest risk to human and environmental health.

“It’s going to take time, but we are committed to accomplishing that clean-up.”

Cribley says that the timeline and the budget for the well clean-up are still being figured out, and that sequestration may affect the pace. Still, it’s possible that work on wells near Barrow could start as early as next year.

Of the remaining NPR-A wells, BLM has determined that 68 do not pose any risk to humans or the environment and that 18 are still in use.

Environmental groups like the Wilderness Society described the draft plan as a positive step forward, but a number of Alaska lawmakers say it doesn’t go far enough. Rep. Charisse Millette, a Republican from Anchorage, says she’s happy that the federal government wants to clean up some of the wells but that more should be targeted. She also has concerns about a recent proposal to use some of the revenue-sharing payments that Alaska gets for NPR-A oil to help pay for remediation.

“The BLM has not really come out with anything other than what they’ve been doing, patting the state on the head and then pulling our revenues away from us.”

Alaska’s congressional delegation also opposes the idea of making Alaska pay for remediation, since the wells were drilled by the federal government on federal land. Sen. Lisa Murkowski describing such a plan as “dead on arrival.”

The clean-up plan is expected to be finalized in the coming weeks, after key stakeholders get a chance to comment.

Sitka school board president Lon Garrison (r) congratulates student representative Jesseca Bartelds on her year of service on the board. The two agreed in principle — if not in practice — that absenteeism due to travel was a problem. (KCAW photo/Robert Woolsey)

The high cost of travel for extracurricular activities in Sitka’s schools has been an ongoing debate for years. Now, the school board is going to take a hard look at whether travel costs students and parents more than just money.

At its regular meeting Monday night, the board officially opened the question of whether Sitka’s students — and the teachers who coach them — spend too much time away from class.

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For some kids, it’s a trip here and a trip there. For junior Ryan Apathy, who participates in Cross Country in the fall, and then in Drama, Debate, and Forensics through early spring, it can be consecutive weekends of competition. If those events are out of town, Apathy and his teammates will likely miss Thursday and Friday of school for travel.

And Apathy is also in Music, which accounts for three out of a total of:

“Ten trips this year, and missed 22 days.”

Nevertheless Apathy is succeeding in school, and excelling in the activities he’s involved in. Sitka’s school board is concerned that Apathy, and kids like him, are the exception, rather than the rule.

“We had a math audit that said that by the time a high school student is a junior, they’re already a year behind in Math. In terms of the amount of time they have been in class if they’re involved in activities,” said board president Lon Garrison, who’s interested in exploring a policy implemented recently in the Unalaska School District. The policy limits students to twenty absences from school per year for activities.

“It’s not a policy coming from a district that is just kind of doing ho-hum. It’s a policy coming from a very remote district that deals with logistical issues like we do, but is also very high-performing.”

The Sitka School District doesn’t have a policy in place that specifically limits absences like this. It covers only excused and unexcused absences. Setting a hard cap is new.

Speaking from the audience, Sitka High activities director Mike Vieira wondered if it would have any impact. “I would be shocked,” he said, “if we had more than a handful of students who had missed twenty days.”

Student board member Jesse Bartelds, in her final meeting, wondered if the policy was missing the point.

“We already have a policy where if you have a certain grade in a class, then you can’t go on a trip. And I think it’s the student’s job to maintain that.”

Bartelds is also in a lot of activities, in which she excels. And she keeps up her grades. She and Ryan Apathy get that they’re not necessarily the kids the board is worried about. But they both have insight into the problem.

KCAW – Is it true that for some kids, being in class is a make-or-break thing for their grades?

Apathy – Absolutely. If you’re not there to hear what the content of the class is, you’re not going to do well on the test, or whatever it is you’re required to know to get the credit for the class.

Bartelds – I know that at the beginning of the year a lot of teachers were gone due to coaching activities, and it was tough not having them there, and needing them. The sub couldn’t really answer questions. I don’t want to be unfair in saying that there should be more restricted days for teachers than for students, but it is a detriment to the student body as a whole if teachers are gone as much as the students are.

Schools superintendent Steve Bradshaw agreed to collect data on how many students are gone, for how long, and for what reasons, before the board reopened the question of a hard cap on absences at a June work session.

Bradshaw has always expressed a belief in whole-student education. He has reservations about boxing students — and educators — into limits that may somehow backfire.

“I’m real concerned when we go down that path of setting hard policy, because normally it ends up trapping the school board, superintendent, and principals more so than the students. So you’ve got to be cautious with it.”

The Sitka School Board will hold a work session on attendance on Tuesday June 4, 7 PM in the district office board room.

Former Alaska Governor and U.S. Senator Frank Murkowski is laying blame on environmentalists for a range of U.S. problems.

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In an address to the Fairbanks Chamber of commerce on Tuesday, Murkowski said green leaning liberals driving federal policy are out of line with economic reality.

“They have the belief that they can create an ideal society and still support the government that tries to create it,” Murkowski said. ”Wealthy, liberal environmentalists simply ignore the reality of the soaring price of gasoline, if you’re working in Los Angeles and have to drive a hundred miles back and forth every day.”

Murkowski attributed everything from U.S. national debt to terrorism on environmentalists. He said they’re blocking resource development on federal lands that could break U.S. dependence on mid east oil that he said indirectly funds terrorists.

“Why don’t we prioritize the responsible development here at home? We’re sending our men and women over there in the military to protect the oil flow to the western world. Well, I’ve given you a few good reasons to move ahead in Alaska, in the arctic, ANWR, NPRA, OCS and so forth,” Murkowski said.

Murkowski said the three Alaska areas could fill the Trans Alaska Pipeline, but a government influenced by a powerful environmental lobby is preventing their development. He says the same thing is happening with logging in the Tongass National Forest, construction of the Keystone XL pipeline, and development of the Pebble Mine. Murkowksi said he’s devoting a portion of the summer to travel and speak on the issue.

A Southeast village Native corporation wants to export its cultural tourism expertise. It’s opened a consulting business to build on more than a dozen years in the business.

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Wrangell’s Shakes Island Clan House was rededicated over the weekend. Hundreds of visitors from across Alaska, Canada, and the Lower 48 poured into the small island town to witness the historic event.

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Bethel Cop Charged With DUI At Police Shooting Scene

Angela Denning-Barnes, KYUK – Bethel

The state is charging a former Bethel police officer with being drunk on the scene of a police shooting last fall.

State Leases Nearly 150,000 Acres To Oil, Gas Developers

Shaylon Cochran, KDLL – Kenai

The state of Alaska leased nearly 150,000 acres to oil and gas developers in a sale on Wednesday. The sale represents a continued interest in development in Cook Inlet that could focus on oil drilling in the coming years.

Federal Government Targets 50 Legacy Wells For Clean-Up

Alexandra Gutierrez, APRN – Juneau

Across the North Slope, there are more than 100 oil wells drilled by the federal government that are no longer operational.

How Much School Can A Student Miss

Robert Woolsey, KCAW – Sitka

The high cost of travel for extracurricular activities in Sitka’s schools has been an ongoing debate for years. Now, the school board is going to take a hard look at whether travel costs students and parents more than just money.

At its regular meeting Monday night, the board officially opened the question of whether Sitka’s students — and the teachers who coach them — spend too much time away from class.

Public Speaks Out On Public Testimony Ordinance

Daysha Eaton, KSKA – Anchorage

Last night, the Anchorage Assembly heard from the public on an ordinance that would change the way public testimony is conducted. Despite the issue being placed at the end of the agenda with testimony beginning after 9 p.m. many still lined up to speak.

Frank Murkowski Lays Blame On Environmentalists

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

Former Alaska Governor and U.S. Senator Frank Murkowski is laying blame on environmentalists for a range of U.S. problems. In an address to the Fairbanks Chamber of commerce on Tuesday, Murkowski said green leaning liberals driving federal policy are out of line with economic reality.

Southeast Village Native Corporation Looks To Export Cultural Tourism Expertise

Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska – Juneau

A Southeast village Native corporation wants to export its cultural tourism expertise. It’s opened a consulting business to build on more than a dozen years in the business.

Hundreds Gather For Shakes Island Clan House Rededication

Shady Gove Oliver, KSTK – Wrangell

Wrangell’s Shakes Island Clan House was rededicated over the weekend. Hundreds of visitors from across Alaska, Canada, and the Lower 48 poured into the small island town to witness the historic event.

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