As the Memorial Day weekend approaches, Clam diggers on the Kenai Peninsula will have to keep in mind a new set of rules for harvesting razor clams. For the first time in a decade, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is reducing the bag limit for razor clams from 60 per day all the way down to 25.

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The conical drilling unit Kulluk sits aground on the southeast shore of Sitkalidak Island about 40 miles southwest of Kodiak City, Photo courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard.

Wednesday, the man who was in charge of the Shell drilling rig Kulluk when it went aground New Year’s Eve testified at a Coast Guard hearing that he had never done a winter tow in Alaska, but he thought they were prepared for the weather ahead when they left Dutch Harbor to cross the Gulf of Alaska.

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Todd Case had worked for Noble Drilling for more than 20 years and can’t even remember how many tows he’s been involved with. He was aboard the Kulluk when it was towed through the Chukchi Sea in 2012, and he remembers weather bad enough to force the tugs pulling it to turn into the wind. He told investigators that the tug Aivik performed well during that trip. He arrived in Dutch Harbor a couple of days before the Kulluk was due to leave and he said he was confident they had a good tow plan and he and his tow master John Becker were looking at a window of good weather ahead.

“We talked about it in meetings. We didn’t none of us expect to have uh seas as rough as we had,” Case said.

And they did get rough. The Kulluk’s operations manual says if the waves start tipping the vessel more than six degrees, the tow should be slowed down. The vessel’s log book says on the 27th of December that pitching happened for hours, and Case said he couldn’t remember if Becker discussed slowing down with the master of the tug Aivik or not. At about mid-day, Case was on his way to a lunch break when he got word that the tow had broken. He told Coast Guard investigator Josh Mc Taggart what happened next.

Case: Out on deck to look at it. Everybody was informed at that time. Somewhere around 11:30 I believe the tow line…parted, and some time right after 14:00 we got it back on the emergency line.

McTaggart: To your recollection, what actually failed on that tow gear?

Case: Shackle

A shackle is a heavy metal loop that a chain or cable is fixed to. This shackle was never recovered. It wasn’t on the Kulluk’s gear and it wasn’t at the end of the line when the Aivik pulled it in.

This was the beginning of a series of problems that would see tows re-established several times, the failure of the Aivik’s engines, the arrival of more vessels, and a plan to try to get the rig to safe harbor somewhere around Kodiak Island.

Ultimately an emergency line to the tug Guardsman parted, the storm was intensifying, and the drift toward the shallows was accelerating. It was worse than any situation Todd Case had ever seen, and Barry Strauch of the National Transportation Safety Board asked the inevitable question.

Strauch: At any point in this did you believe that your life was in danger?

Case: Again, be hard to say but if you’re driftin’ toward the bank at three knots and its three hours away, yeah, you would wonder.

Strauch: Well, what did you do, you and the other crew members do when you realized that your life may be in jeopardy?

Case: Well, wasn’t much we could do but wait on other resources to get there. We didn’t start cryin’.

But they might have wanted to start crying, when the Coast Guard helicopter pilot told them the deck was pitching so badly that it was too dangerous to attempt to lower a basket to start evacuating the 18 crew members in the dark. They had to wait for first light. Then on Dec. 29 a couple of helicopter trips removed the crew and efforts went on to try to divert the drifting rig. It grounded on the 31st.

During this lengthy probe, each witness has brought another part of the story to light. Case was asked to speculate several times and declined. But when Strach asked him what hindsight had taught him he did not hesitate:

“Knowing what we know now, we know we should have had multiple tugs,” Case said.

He has never had to be rescued before, he said. When asked if he felt any pressure to leave Dutch Harbor quickly, Case said no, he did not.

House Bill 1964 would force the federal government to scrap its current management plan and environmental assessments for new ones. And it would require the federal government to hold annual lease sales in NPR-A

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Rep. Don Young cosponsored the bill, but was not there to explain his motives for it, because he’s big game hunting in Africa.

Jamie Connell, acting deputy director for the Bureau of Land Management, ticked off a list of reasons why the bureau opposes the bill, including:

“The timelines required by the bill, that my result in shortcuts to public involvement.” She added: “The suggestion that the Department pre-approve rights of ways on millions of ac res of land that industry may never seek to develop.”

Connell said the bill’s requirement of scrapping existing management plans for a new one undermines the work the agency has already done.

She told the subcommittee on mineral resources the BLM supports oil and gas drilling in NPR-A.

But that was met with disbelief from a troika of Alaskans who say the federal government is blocking development.

“Interior’s record of decision also made the ability to build a pipeline across NPR-A to pump station one of the Trans Alaska Pipeline more uncertain,” said Resources Commissioner Dan Sullivan.

North Slope Borough Mayor Charlotte Brower told the subcommittee she worries NPR-A will receive the same treatment as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.

“The concern that the North Slope Borough has is the record of decision that was made on the area that we felt would be better served for leasing and not made into a wilderness area,” she said.

And Richard Glenn, adding the corporate perspective, told the panel Interior did not involve tribes and Alaska Native corporations enough.

“Insufficient consultation with the Native landowners or municipalities in NPR-A,” he complained.

The future of the legislation is unclear. It needs to pass the House of Representatives – which is possible, then pass the Democratic controlled Senate, which is less certain.

As for the future of NPR-A, officials with BLM say it will hold another lease sale in November.

One last year drew bids from just two companies that totaled less than one million dollars.

An ice jam 12 miles upriver from Fort Yukon started to loosen Wednesday morning. Credit National Weather Service.

A massive ice jam 12 miles upriver from Fort Yukon partially let loose early this morning. National Weather Service Hydrologist Ed Plumb says the ice sheet hasn’t broken entirely, but water backed up behind it is starting to move downriver.

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“With the ice jam partially open and water being released, this is definitely a good situation because now we don’t have water being built up back behind the ice jam so this will lessen the threat of a sudden release of water coming down the Yukon River and water levels rising quickly in Fort Yukon,” Plumb said.

Low lying areas of Fort Yukon are still seeing some flooding. Ed Plumb says communities like Beaver and Steven’s Village further downriver still face a serious threat of high water.

“There is still the in place ice from the winter that has not moved yet, so until all the ice is out even below fort Yukon there is still the threat of more jamming,” Plumb said.

The National Weather Service and the Alaska Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management flew over the river at Fort Yukon on Wednesday morning. They will continue to monitor the situation, but they haven’t scheduled an afternoon Riverwatch flight.

Another sign of this year’s slow arrival of spring: green up will likely be the latest in Fairbanks recorded history.

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Sgt. Daniel S. Alsdorf fires his M4 carbine from a kneeling position during the weapons qualification event as part of the Pacific Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition, May 18. Photo by Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Vine.

A Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson soldier is competing this week in the Pacific Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition in Hawaii. The week-long competition began Saturday and will end with the awards ceremony Thursday.

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Sgt. Daniel S. Alsdorf orients himself with his compass during the land navigation course as part of the Pacific Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition, May 19. Photo by Army Staff Sgt. Joseph Vine.

The past week has been exhausting for Sergeant Daniel Alsdorf.

From before the sun rises until after it sets, he and 10 other soldiers have been putting their entire military skill-set to the test….from land navigation, to hand-to-hand combat, to their overall fitness and more.

According to Alsdorf, the Hawaiian heat and humidity coupled with a simulated battlefield atmosphere haven’t made the tests any easier.

“It’s amazing when you get to a competition how some of the simple tasks become hard, you add a little sleep deprivation and a little fatigue to that, you know, a 6.5 hour road march in Hawaiian conditions can be pretty intense, especially coming from Alaska…these boys have a 30 degree temperature advantage on me,” Alsdorf said.

Despite the difference in climate between Hawaii and Alaska, he says he’s feeling pretty good about the competition so far.

Alsdorf is a combat medic, and he was able to put his life-saving skills to work during the combat casualty care exercise…where competitors had to take care of two injured soldiers and move them to a helicopter before time ran out…all while under simulated combat conditions.

Sgt. Daniel S. Alsdorf, completed 72 pushups for the Army Physical Fitness Test, May 18. Photo by Army Spc. David W. Harthcock.

“The sounds of battle are real, the sweat is in your eyes, you’re running through jungle, you can’t see 15-20 feet in front of you, you don’t really know what’s happening until you get around the next corner. All the while, you know that there’s someone in there bleeding, and it’s your job to get to them and save their lives before they lose all their blood,” Alsdorf said.

Even though the two “casualties” are mannequins, Alsdorf says it doesn’t stop the soldiers from doing all they can to save them.

“You have to sort of think on your feet…make sure you’re running through your fundamentals like: are they breathing? Can we stop the bright red stuff from coming out of their body? Can we get them to safety? All those things are a lot harder than it sounds whenever you’ve got 50 caliber rounds blasting over your head…it’s pretty exciting,” Alsdorf said.

Competitors won’t know where exactly they stand in the competition until Thursday at the awards ceremony.

The winners will go on to the U.S. Army Reserve Command’s Best Warrior Competition in Fort McCoy, Wisconsin later this year.

Heavy cloud cover over the Alaska Peninsula is making it tough for scientists to monitor Pavlof Volcano. The Alaska Volcano Observary hasn’t been able to get a clear picture of the peak by satellite for almost two days.

According to pilot reports today, the volcano is still erupting, but the ash plume has dropped from 20,000 feet to 10,000 feet or less and is blowing out to sea.

That’s good news for regional airlines, which canceled flights to southwest Alaska this week over concerns that the ash would damage their planes. PenAir President Danny Seybert says the airline restored all of its routes today and started adding some extra planes to work off a backlog of more than 300 passengers.

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The Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority, or KABATA, wants an independent source to review findings of a state audit of revenue projections that almost swamped the Knik Arm Bridge project in the waning hours of this year’s legislative session.

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The Parnell administration says it will appeal the dismissal of its lawsuit over the roadless rule in the Tongass National Forest.

Meanwhile, faced with no participation by the state government, and limited participation by environmental groups, the Tongass Futures Roundtable group has decided to shut down. The organization was formed to resolve Southeast Alaska forest-issue conflicts.

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Individual news stories are posted on the APRN news page. You can subscribe to APRN’s newsfeeds via email, podcast and RSS. Follow us on Facebook at alaskapublic.org and on Twitter @aprn.

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Fish And Game Institutes New Razor Clam Harvesting Regulations

Aaron Selbig, KBBI – Homer

As the Memorial Day weekend approaches, Clam diggers on the Kenai Peninsula will have to keep in mind a new set of rules for harvesting razor clams. For the first time in a decade, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game is reducing the bag limit for razor clams from 60 per day all the way down to 25.

Man In Charge Of Kulluk During Tow Testifies At Hearing

Steve Heimel, APRN – Anchorage

Wednesday, the man who was in charge of the Shell drilling rig Kulluk when it went aground New Year’s Eve testified at a Coast Guard hearing that he had never done a winter tow in Alaska before, but he thought they were prepared for the weather ahead when they left Dutch Harbor ten days earlier, to cross the Gulf of Alaska.

Alaskan Officials Rip On NPR-A

Peter Granitz, APRN – Washington DC

The state of Alaska, North Slope Borough, and Arctic Slope Regional Corporation continue to pressure the federal government over its management of the National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska.

The Alaskan officials testified before a mostly-friendly House Committee about a bill that would reevaluate NPR-A.

Ice Jam Above Fort Yukon Loosens

Emily Schwing, KUAC – Fairbanks

A massive ice jam 12 miles upriver from Fort Yukon partially let loose early this morning.

Fairbanks Green Up Likely Latest On Record

Dan Bross, KUAC – Fairbanks

Another sign of this year’s slow arrival of spring: green up will likely be the latest in Fairbanks recorded history.

Assembly Postpones Public Testimony Decision

Daysha Eaton, KSKA – Anchorage

Tuesday night, the Anchorage Assembly voted unanimously to postpone indefinitely an ordinance that would have changed the way that public hearings are conducted.

JBER Soldier Competes In Best Warrior Competition

Josh Edge, APRN – Anchorage

A Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson soldier is competing this week in the Pacific Army Reserve Best Warrior Competition in Hawaii. The week-long competition began Saturday and will end with the awards ceremony on Thursday.

Cloud Covers Making Pavlof Observation Difficult

Lauren Rosenthal, KUCB – Unalaska

Heavy cloud cover over the Alaska Peninsula is making it tough for scientists to monitor Pavlof Volcano. The Alaska Volcano Observary hasn’t been able to get a clear picture of the peak by satellite for almost two days.

According to pilot reports today, the volcano is still erupting, but the ash plume has dropped from 20,000 feet to 10,000 feet or less and is blowing out to sea.

That’s good news for regional airlines, which canceled flights to southwest Alaska this week over concerns that the ash would damage their planes. PenAir President Danny Seybert says the airline restored all of its routes today and started adding some extra planes to work off a backlog of more than 300 passengers.

KABATA Wants Independent Source To Review State Audit

Ellen Lockyer, KSKA – Anchorage

The Knik Arm Bridge and Toll Authority, or KABATA, wants an independent source to review findings of  a state audit of revenue projections that almost swamped the Knik Arm Bridge project in the waning hours of this year’s legislative session.

State To Appeal Dismissal Of Roadless Rule Lawsuit

Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska – Juneau

The Parnell administration says it will appeal the dismissal of its lawsuit over the roadless rule in the Tongass National Forest.

Meanwhile, faced with no participation by the state government, and limited participation by environmental groups, the Tongass Futures Roundtable group has decided to shut down.  The organization was formed  to resolve Southeast Alaska forest-issue conflicts.