EPA Study on Pebble Mine Relies on Report from 'Admitted Data Fakers'

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Photo Credit: Getty Images The Environmental Protection Agency’s revised draft assessment of an Alaska mine project cites research from environmental consultants who admitted falsifying a report in an environmental lawsuit.

The EPA’s new review of the potential Pebble Mine in Bristol Bay, Alaska, relied on research from Stratus Consulting and Ann Maest, the company’s managing scientist. Stratus recently admitted to providing false statements in a decades-long $19 billion lawsuit against the oil company Chevron.

Maest and Stratus claimed earlier this month that they had been misled by a plaintiffs’ lawyer when they provided an environmental report detailing the damage done by Chevron subsidiary Texaco to areas of Ecuador. They disavowed the report as “tainted.”

The environmental impact report used against Chevron was supposed to be written by an independent expert, but was instead written by Stratus, which was employed by lawyers representing Ecuadorian villagers.

Read more from this story HERE.

Bethel Native Sets Several US Powerlifting Records (+video)

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Photo Credit: Calista CorporationBethel Regional High School graduate, Natalie Hanson, is now the American powerlifting record holder in three of the sport’s biggest events. At 23-years old, Hanson set the official record for bench press, squat and total weight lifted for her age group and size. As of now, no one in the USA under 23-years old weighing under 75 kilos has ever officially lifted as much weight as she has.

“I’m in shock,” says Hanson about her record breaking performance, “it still doesn’t feel like that.”

Hanson broke the records at the Alaska State Championships for Power Lifting held in Anchorage, an event sanctioned by the USA powerlifting.

Hanson set the records in the Junior Division for ages 20 – 23.

Watch video here:

Read more from this story HERE.

Anchorage Daily News 'Mocks' Profound Texas Tragedy; Gov. Perry Attacks

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This week, the Anchorage Daily News published a cartoon that mocks the tragic explosion of the fertilizer plant in Texas that killed and injured dozens.

The tasteless cartoon portrays Texas Governor Perry on the left stating that, “Business is BOOMING in Texas.” The right frame then shows a massive explosion.

The cartoon was originally published by the California-based McClatchy newspaper empire, owners of the Anchorage Daily News and other Alaska media outlets.


In response, Texas Governor Rick Perry blasted the California-based media empire, stating that it

was with extreme disgust and disappointment I viewed your recent cartoon. While I will always welcome healthy policy debate, I won’t stand for someone mocking the tragic deaths of my fellow Texans and our fellow Americans. Additionally, publishing this on the very day our state and nation paused to honor and mourn those who died only compounds the pain and suffering of the many Texans who lost family and friends in this disaster.

Despite this criticism, the Anchorage Daily News (as of the publication date of this Restoring Liberty post) has not removed the offensive cartoon.

Advocates Eye Legalizing Marijuana in Alaska

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Photo Credit: APAlaska, known for its live-and-let-live lifestyle, is poised to become the next battleground in the push to legalize the recreational use of marijuana.

The state has a complicated history with the drug, with its highest court ruling nearly 40 years ago that adults have a constitutional right to possess and smoke marijuana for personal use in their own homes. In the late 1990s, Alaska became one of the first states to allow the use of pot for medicinal reasons.

Then the pendulum swung the other direction, with residents in 2004 rejecting a ballot effort to legalize recreational marijuana. And in 2006, the state passed a law criminalizing possession of even small amounts of the drug — leaving the current state of affairs somewhat murky.

Supporters of recreational marijuana say attitudes toward pot have softened in the past decade, and they believe they have a real shot at success in Alaska.

The state is reviewing their request to begin gathering signatures to get an initiative on next year’s ballot. The proposal would make it legal for those 21 and older to use and possess up to 1 ounce of marijuana, though not in public. It also would set out provisions for legal grow operations and establish an excise tax.

Read more from this story HERE.

Rabid Wolf North of Fairbanks Prompts Health Warnings

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Photo Credit: Charles Jeffrey DanoffAlaska health and wildlife officials are issuing warnings after a trapper killed a wolf that tested positive for rabies.

The wolf was killed near Chandalar (CHAN’-dah-lar) Lakes about 185 miles north of Fairbanks. The carcass was transported to the Matanuska-Susitna Borough and discarded in a forested area.

The incident has state officials concerned because rabies had not been detected in the area south of the Brooks Range.

Read more about the rabid wolf HERE.

Fort Wainwright, Alaska Soldiers Ordered to Remove Bible Verses from Scopes

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By Todd Starnes. The U.S. Army is directing troops to remove a Bible inscription that a vendor etched into the serial numbers of weapon scopes, Fox News has learned.

Soldiers at Fort Wainwright in Alaska told Fox News they received a directive to turn in their scopes so the Bible references could be removed.

The scopes were made by Trijicom and referenced New Testament passages in John 8:12 and Second Corinthians 4:6. The verses appeared at the end of the scope serial numbers – “JN8:12” and “2COR4:6.”

“The biblical verse (JN8:12) must be removed utilizing a Dremel type tool and then painted black,” read instructions on how to remedy the matter.

After the letters and numbers were scrapped off, soldiers were directed to use apply black paint to ensure the verses were totally covered. Read more from this story HERE.

Here are the Bible verses that are cited on the ACOG scopes:

John 8:12 – When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

2nd Corinthians 4:6 – For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.

Alaska-Based Soldier Gets 16 Years in Spy Case

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Photo Credit: U.S. Army Alaska

An Alaska-based military policeman will serve 16 years in prison and will be dishonorably discharged for selling military secrets to a Russian agent, who was an undercover FBI agent, a military panel decided Monday.

A panel of eight military members from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage recommended a 19-year sentence for Spec. William Colton Millay, but that was dropped to 16 years because of a pretrial agreement. He will receive credit for the 535 days he’s been jailed since his Oct. 28, 2011, arrest. The panel also reduced him in rank to private and he will forfeit all pay and allowances.

Millay pleaded guilty last month to attempted espionage and other counts. A sentencing panel of male military members began deliberations late Monday afternoon.

Military prosecutors painted Millay as a white supremacist who was fed up with the Army and the United States, and was willing to sell secrets to an enemy agent, even if that would cost his fellow soldiers their lives. Defense attorneys said Millay was emotionally stunted, was only seeking attention and was a candidate for rehabilitation.

Millay’s attorney, Seattle-based Charles Swift, said they understand and accept the sentence. However, “We do intend to seek further clemency as this case goes forward for the reasons that were set forth in the trial: his mental state, his emotional age, and the motivation for it, and the circumstances.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Arctic Man Fatality: Nine Year Old Fairbanks Boy Killed After Falling into Glacial Crevasse

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photo credit: vasile23

FAIRBANKS, Alaska – Climbers descended into an estimated 200-foot-deep crevasse on an Alaska glacier to reach a 9-year-old boy, who is feared dead after crashing his snowmobile.

Investigators believe the boy is under the machine in deep snow in the hole, Alaska State Troopers spokeswoman Megan Peters said.

She said that crews were on the scene late Sunday night and would attempt a recovery.

The climbers spotted the snowmobile driven by Shjon Brown of Fairbanks.

Peters said she didn’t have further details of the recovery effort.

Read more from this story HERE.

UPDATE: Eleonore Falke Waller commented on Facebook concerning her 9 year old son that she was able to “hug & kiss our little man goodbye tonite. He looked so peaceful & it eases my heart that he did not suffer at all. Thank you to the US ARMY Black Rapids Mountian Rangers for all they did to bring him to me. I am forever grateful.”

ACLU Asks Governor For Records Concerning State Interference With Pro-Life Protest

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After Restoring Liberty first publicized the State’s interference with a pro-life demonstration in Juneau last week, a number of national outlets including Life News and Western Journalism picked up the story.

Although the Alaska media has remained silent on the controversy, with several minor exceptions, the ACLU of Alaska recognized the First Amendment implications of using state resources to restrict political expression. As a result, the ACLU issued a Press Release this week calling on the Governor to release all information relating to the state’s interference with the protest.

In the ACLU’s accompanying Public Records Request (you can see it HERE), the group notes that it is “pleased” with the Governor’s statement that he “immediately directed the Department of Administration to look into the [interference with the protest] and ensure it doesn’t happen again” and that he “reiterated [his] support for the constitutional right to free speech.” But the ACLU says it remains “concerned about how the Department of Administration came to block this peaceful protest.”

To get to the bottom of what happened, the ACLU has asked under the Public Records Act for any records concerning

• The Department of Administration’s discovery of this protest;
• The sending of the Department of Administration’s vehicles to the protest, including the blocking of the protestors;
• The removal of these vehicles from the protest;
• The discovery by members of the Office of the Governor, including Governor Parnell, of (a) the protest and (b) the Department of Administration’s sending of vehicles, blocking protestors, and removal of vehicles;
• The direction by Governor Parnell or his Office to the Department of Administration “to look into the matter”;
• The Department of Administration’s “look[ing] into the matter”;
• Governor Parnell’s direction, or the direction by his Office, to the Department of Administration to “ensure it doesn’t happen again”;
• Guidelines, rules, or similar policies about protests, which were effective on Tuesday, April 2 or Wednesday, April 3, 2013; and
• Guidelines, rules, or similar policies about protests – including those that are being developed and have not yet been implemented – that post-date April 3, 2013.

Surprisingly omitted from the ACLU’s requests is any question related to the removal of a pro-life sign from the street adjacent to the capitol as well as to the alleged assault of a disabled man by a government employee.

The ACLU should also seek any information sent by Department of Administration computers to news sites, such as Restoring Liberty, defending the State’s efforts to block the protest or to criticize the publicity given to the State’s interference with the pro-lifers. Restoring Liberty has evidence that multiple submissions, critical of this site or defensive of the State’s actions, were made from Department of Administration computers.

Hopefully, the ACLU’s actions will help bring accountability to any in state government who used state resources to trample on the First Amendment last week.