Sea Ice Halts Shell Alaska’s Drilling of its Landmark Oil Well in Chukchi Sea

/0 Comments/in /by

Photo credit: NASA Goddard

Only a day after Shell Alaska began drilling a landmark offshore oil well in the Arctic, the company was forced on Monday to pull off the well in the face of an approaching ice pack.

With the ice floe about 10 miles away, the Noble Discoverer drilling rig was disconnecting from its seafloor anchor Monday afternoon in the Chukchi Sea, about 70 miles from the northwest coast of Alaska.

Company ice trackers had been carefully monitoring ocean ice and, when the wind direction changed and the ice floe began moving closer, they advised that the rig shut down and disconnect from the well, Shell spokeswoman Kelly op de Weegh told the Los Angeles Times.

Op de Weegh said that the ice floe, 30 miles long and about 10 miles wide, wasn’t an immediate threat but that engineers elected to halt operations as a precaution.

“The Arctic if anything is dynamic,” she said. “That’s why we have the capabilities we have to monitor sea ice, as well as the ability to safely alter our operations.”

Read more from this story HERE.

Alaska Feed & Food Prices Set to Soar

/0 Comments/in /by

I’m pretty sure that most readers here, don’t really live under rocks. And, they most certainly do not swallow the mainstream media news bites for everything. Nope, I am positive you all are very good at ferreting out your own news sources for reliable news and information.

So it should come as no shock to you that the drought, coupled with market factors, is going to have a deep and lasting effect on local food prices. In addition to a very poor harvest in some areas, the effects may cause problems with the coming growing seasons too, based on what I am reading lately. Read at AgWeb and other farming websites to gain an idea of the scope of the problems. There is also an excellent map showing drought conditions HERE.

So here is a tidbit that might have escaped your attention: The EPA issued new emissions standards a while back…..this time, they apply to maritime traffic. To lessen these emissions, they are requiring that the cargo ships use a low sulpher fuel mix, in place of the more typical (and much cheaper) bunker fuel that is typically used. TOTE has reached an agreement that allows them to continue to use the normal fuel, based on their promise to overhaul the ships…they are planning on converting to LNG over the next four years. What do you suppose it costs for such a conversion? We, the end consumers, will end up paying for that compliance to the new EPA rules, it’s a given.

Now, if you don’t know the intracacies of shipping to Alaska, that’s fine-but it helps to know a few things, so that when you hear about freight rates, surcharges, and so on, you’ll have an idea what it means on the grocery and feed store shelves. First, the major shipping companies establish a rate for containers, usually twice a year. I believe that this rate may be governed by regulation, but I am not positive. In addition, there is usually an added fuel surcharge. This is applied in addition to the rate, and has been running about 32 percent for the past couple of years. That is, base ship rate, plus 32 percent. (A few years back it was over 35, btw) So if the container costs you $5000 to ship, you will pay an additional $1600, or, $6600 for that container. Most containers have a limit as to weight, but in general, if you can “make weight” you will end up with the cheapest per pound price. Bulky, lightweight items end up costing more, on a per pound basis, due to volume. (Also known as cube if you are shipping LTL, or “less than load”) Now, there is an additional charge being added: Another 32 percent. What their rationale is for adding this, I have no idea but I presume it ties into the increased fuel and expected conversion costs.

So what does all this really mean? Scarce or nonexistent harvest, coupled with very high freight basically means we’re screwed. Royally and completely. Alaska gets over 90% of products through the port, via shipping containers. If you ask the folks working at the local WalMart, they are telling their customers to expect a price increase of as much as 40 percent on the very next shipment. This is due in small part to scarcity from the drought, but mostly due to freight charges. Just yesterday, a family member was told to expect as much as 140 percent increase in feed by spring. And no, that it not a typo. When the full effects of the drought are seen….it’s going to be pretty ugly. Many head of cattle were culled, meaning a temporary drop in price as the market was glutted-this is still ongoing, by the way. Same thing for hogs, and chickens. Now would be a very good time to stuff the freezer if you can. Next year, there will be a reduced number of livestock available, because much of what was slaughtered were producing females-due to either not having pasture, or no hay available, or feed costs prohibitive if shipped into a drought area.

Read more from this story HERE.

Outrage: Alaska’s Human Rights Commission Drives Christian Store Owner Out-of-Business for Religious Discussions with Employees

/9 Comments/in , , /by

Alaska’s Human Rights Commission (HRC), a government agency established to enforce the state’s human rights laws, recently heard a case involving Paul Kopf, the owner of Goldstream General Store in Fairbanks. A former employee, Lynn Dowler, alleged that she was forced to quit because she found the owner’s religious talk too offensive to handle. The HRC determined that Mr. Kopf had discriminated against his employee by speaking openly about his religious views and imposed a $75,000 fine against him.

When I first heard about this ruling several days ago, I was upset. So I sought out Mr. Kopf’s attorney in Fairbanks, Tom Wickwire. After talking to Mr. Wickwire yesterday, I became incensed.

Here’s what Mr. Wickwire told me really happened in the case:

Paul Kopf [also] hired employee Lynn Dowler’s daughter, knowing she was a lesbian. While the daughter worked for Kopf, she went through a very unhappy and stressful break-up of a relationship. It affected her job performance and absenteeism so much that Lynn Dowler recommended, or suggested that Kopf fire her daughter. He didn’t. Instead he kept her on, allowing her time to work through her emotional crisis. This showed compassion and sympathy for an employee with a lifestyle that many do not accept. Kopf also had several other employees who, I will say, lived on the fringes, if not outside of, mainstream society.

This “tolerance” made one of Ms. Dowler’s other allegations, that Mr. Kopf was vehemently intolerant of Catholics, even less believable. Mr. Wickwire continued:

While Dowler was in the hearing trying her best to convince the Admin law Judge that she had reached the point of not being able to take Kopf’s religious talk any longer, it became clear that she had never complained to Kopf that some of his talk was offensive, in fact had never told him she was Catholic. But in the hearing, [she] complained that Kopf was harshly critical of Catholics.

There is clearly established law in other areas that an employee who feels subjected to a hostile work environment has a duty to tell the boss what she finds offensive, so the boss knows and has a chance to stop before getting sued. I briefed this law to the Human Rights Commission and they apparently ignored it.

To make matters worse, after Ms. Dowler quit, she later submitted a list of grievances to Mr. Kopf. This list contained no complaint about religious talk. But the grievance list that was later submitted to the HRC was apparently altered to include a religious discrimination claim. Why? Mr. Wickwire stated that, “for Dowler to have a winnable case, she had to prove she quit because of religious discrimination.” He believes that she added the religious allegation “to the list when she learned, probably from talking to the Human Rights Commission after she quit , that this was the only way they would take her case on.”

Mr. Wickwire concludes:

It was disappointing that the Human Rights Commission did not realize that the First Amendment is what protects the right of a private business owner on his own property in speaking his mind. This right, and its limits, seems particularly important when our nation has embarked on a debate about Mormonism and what would it mean to have a Mormon President. We should not punish people for expressing their religious beliefs, including doubts or criticisms of other religions. The US Supreme Court has said in many First Amendment decisions that free, open vigorous debate of conflicting viewpoints is the surest and safest way to expose unworthy ideas and have the best ones gain acceptance. This case, and the HRC’s handling of it has set us back.

What was accomplished here?

Kopf is broke. His belief in America as a country that values differing religions and encourage lively religious debate is much shaken. If the HRC is right, it has taught Kopf that he can think what he wants but had better not talk about his faith.

An employer who had shown himself willing to hire people who were otherwise not likely to get decent paying jobs, is run out of business.

The Right of individuals to speak about their faith on their own property freely, without fear of persecution is now in question, at least in Alaska.

Rare Alaska Storm Packing 100mph Winds Takes Out Power to Half of Anchorage

/0 Comments/in /by

An overnight wind storm with gusts of over 100 miles an hour at high elevations knocked out power to at least half of Alaska’s largest city in the biggest outage in Anchorage’s center in decades, municipal and utility officials said on Wednesday.

“It’s incredibly substantial. A huge proportion of Anchorage is affected,” said Dawn Brantley, emergency program manager for the Municipality of Anchorage.

She said she did not know yet what percentage of the city overall had been affected but called the outage the biggest for downtown Anchorage in decades.

Electricity was cut to at least half of Anchorage, including nearly all customers of the utility that serves the central part of the city, the officials said.

Tens of thousands of homes and businesses remained without power by midday on Wednesday, Brantley said.

Read more from this story HERE.

Anchorage Pays Millions to Settle Lawsuits Over Rapes Committed by Decorated On-Duty Cop

/3 Comments/in /by

Anchorage has paid more than $5.5 million to settle civil lawsuits filed by victims of a former police officer convicted of raping women while on duty, city officials said.

The municipality agreed to pay 11 women who said they were victims of former police officer Anthony Rollins and accused officials of failing to properly supervise him, according to a statement released by the city late on Tuesday.

Rollins, once a decorated officer and spokesman for the police department in Alaska’s largest city, was convicted last year of committing four rapes and one second-degree sexual assault in 2008 and 2009, and sentenced to 87 years in prison.

Some of his victims were women he had arrested for offenses such as drunk driving, while others were women who accepted rides from Rollins in his police vehicle, according to trial testimony and court records.

Read more from this story HERE.

Restoring Liberty Milestone Reached: Site Surpasses Web Traffic of Most Alaskan Media Outlets

/3 Comments/in , , /by

Photo credit: The National Guard

I want to take this opportunity to thank the loyal readership of the Restoring Liberty website. Since July 4th of this year, when we launched our new website, the traffic to JoeMiller.us has skyrocketed.* Our readership now surpasses almost every Alaskan news outlet, save two Alaskan papers. And we’re closing in on them as well.

Yesterday, Alexa.com, the global leader in web analytics, rated Restoring Liberty at 15,578 out of the 100 million-plus websites in the United States.** In some Alaskan communities, our performance is far better with the website ahead of the national rankings of mainstays like Fox News and Amazon.com.

More importantly, our Restoring Liberty site’s Alexa.com ranking of 15,578 exceeds that of the Alaska Dispatch (18,270), the Juneau Empire (27,505), the Mat-Su Frontiersman (106,486), KTUU (19,772), and KTVA (89,468). As noted above, we’re rapidly closing in on the Fairbanks Daily News Miner and Anchorage Daily News, also.

Many Outside readers (an Alaskan term for those of you residing in the lower-48) may not be aware of the history of animosity between conservative-liberty oriented candidates and the Alaskan press. From the beginning of my race against Lisa Murkowski in 2010, my campaign was attacked relentlessly by each of the outlets described above. Repeated, libelous stories were publicized statewide. Despite demands for retractions, the Alaskan press rejected journalistic integrity in favor of the corrupt bidding of their corporate masters.

Reportedly, subscriptions to and viewership of these traditional “news” sources has declined significantly since our 2010 race. Why? Alaskans, and the country in general, are looking for honest reporting, unbiased by the corruption that is destroying our nation.

As the publishers of JoeMiller.us, Kathleen’s and my commitment to you is that we will continue to post liberty-oriented stories, even the unpopular, without regard to the expectations of the Establishment. We fired a shot across their bow with the start of our 2010 campaign on Lexington-Concord Day. The near-upset of their consummate insider, Lisa Murkowski, gave them a real scare. Little did they know that together, with you, our fight to unshackle our nation would continue.

*************************************************
*If you wish to advertise with Restoring Liberty, please click HERE or the “advertise” button at the very top of this page. Our rates are reasonable and competitive.

**The Alexa.com ranking fluctuates almost daily and reports both global and national rankings. Of course, only the national statistics are of value here. Curiously, some sites, like the online-only Alaska Dispatch, have a significant following (over 30%) in foreign countries and therefore have a much higher international ranking vis-a-vis Restoring Liberty. Significant foreign followings of unique, Alaska-oriented sites may indicate something other than normal traffic. For instance, employing foreign users to increase website traffic statistics is not unheard of. And given the Dispatch’s multi-million dollar budget, it has many tools available to it to artificially increase the appearance of readership.

We Don’t Need No Stinking Warrant: The Disturbing, Unchecked Rise of the Administrative Subpoena

/2 Comments/in /by

When Golden Valley Electric Association of rural Alaska got an administrative subpoena from the Drug Enforcement Administration in December 2010 seeking electricity bill information on three customers, the company did what it usually does with subpoenas — it ignored them.

That’s the association’s customer privacy policy, because administrative subpoenas aren’t approved by a judge.

But by law, utilities must hand over customer records — which include any billing and payment information, phone numbers and power consumption data — to the DEA without court warrants if drug agents believe the data is “relevant” to an investigation. So the utility eventually complied, after losing a legal fight earlier this month.

Meet the administrative subpoena: With a federal official’s signature, banks, hospitals, bookstores, telecommunications companies and even utilities and internet service providers — virtually all businesses — are required to hand over sensitive data on individuals or corporations, as long as a government agent declares the information is relevant to an investigation. Via a wide range of laws, Congress has authorized the government to bypass the Fourth Amendment — the constitutional guard against unreasonable searches and seizures that requires a probable-cause warrant signed by a judge.

In fact, there are roughly 335 federal statutes on the books passed by Congress giving dozens upon dozens of federal agencies the power of the administrative subpoena, according to interviews and government reports.

Read more from this story HERE.

Gigantic Footprint in Denali Park Sheds Light on Prehistoric Alaska

/0 Comments/in /by

Photo credit: Anthony Fiorillo

A recent discovery of an enormous, ancient footprint in Denali National Park is being seen as another indication of how busy the Alaskan landscape was with prehistoric animals coming and going for seasonal food hunting. Anthony Fiorillo is the curator of earth sciences at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science in Dallas. He says the first dinosaur print in Denali was found in 2005. He says that discovery, now on display at the Murie Science & Learning Center was the tip of the iceberg in terms of realizing how much dinosaur activity Denali once contained.

“Every year we’ve been going up there and every year we’ve been documenting dozens or hundreds of new localities. So at this point it’s safe to say that Denali national park actually has thousands of dinosaur foot prints throughout part of the park,” Fiorillo said.

Fiorillo says the new find, a Therizinosaur track was beyond Fang Mountain.

“Once you cross the sanctuary river and looked to the south side of the road, you would be looking all the way out to Toklat camp and even a little bit beyond that, you would be driving through some of the best dinosaur country, anywhere,” Fiorillo said.

Fiorillo says the feathered Therizinosaur was related to both Tyranasaurus rex and the chickadee, with four forward facing toes and peg like teeth suited for chomping vegetation.

Read more from this story HERE.

EPA’s Alaska Power-Grab Will Hurt the Nation

/3 Comments/in /by

Photo credit: NPCA Photos

That’s because the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is about to lock some of America’s poorest communities into a permanent economic depression as a favor to national environmental groups. If the EPA succeeds, what happens in Alaska won’t stay in Alaska – there will be huge economic and employment consequences for the rest of the country.

The Pebble Project is a proposed copper mine about 15 miles from my hometown of Iliamna in southwestern Alaska. The Pebble deposit contains one of the world’s largest discoveries of copper, and if the proposed mine secures more than 60 different regulatory approvals from about a dozen state and federal agencies, the project would create about 2,000 construction jobs and 1,000 permanent positions. For permitting, the developers will have to prove to regulators the project will not harm the surrounding environment, including Bristol Bay’s sockeye salmon population.

The Pebble Partnership has invested $120 million so far on environmental and socioeconomic studies that will be used to develop a formal permit application, which regulators will spend three to five years reviewing. But that’s not good enough for the national environmental groups who oppose the Pebble mine. Instead, they want the EPA to take the unprecedented and probably unlawful step of using Section 404 of the Clean Water Act to preemptively veto the project before any permit applications can be filed. The EPA appears to be following those marching orders, because in May the agency issued a draft report stating that a copper mine in the Bristol Bay Watershed would likely harm salmon populations. If the draft report is finalized, the EPA could then veto all mining activity in the region.

The State of Alaska is deeply troubled by this potential EPA power grab, as the Pebble site is located on state-owned land that’s been set aside for mineral development. The EPA’s draft report is essentially a literature review that contains no new or on-the-ground scientific research conducted as part of the assessment. Without a permit application, the EPA made up its own mine plan, assuming environmentally harmful technologies and practices “from the late 1800 and early 1900s” – historic examples that do not apply directly to a modern mine under current regulations , according to Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources. The draft report presents a “biased picture of only adverse impacts of a hypothetical mine,” and key sections “start with conclusions, and then subsequently follow with facts that support the conclusion,” which is “inappropriate for a scientific document developed by a regulatory agency.” But of all the State of Alaska’s criticisms, this was perhaps the most revealing: “No reference to, or consideration of, winter freezing or permafrost is provided in the risk assessment.” That’s right – the EPA wrote a report about Alaska and forgot the part about winter.

Read more from this story HERE.

Alaska Pursuing Shale Oil to Fill Pipeline

/0 Comments/in /by

Canada may have its Albertan oil sands, and North Dakota has its Bakken oil formation. But don’t count Alaska out when it comes to producing unconventional oil.

Alaska, which has fallen behind North Dakota in oil output and whose Prudhoe Bay oil fields are waning, is exploring the possibility of extracting oil from the source rock on the state’s North Slope. The state has leased more than half a million acres of its land to exploration companies, and even some environmentalists believe that the shale oil development could be the best way to increase output with relatively modest damage to the environment.

As in shale developments in Texas, North Dakota and elsewhere in the lower 48 states, the key to unlocking Alaska’s shale oil is a combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing, a method of injecting a mix of water, sand and chemicals at high pressure to free up captured oil and gas.

As in Canada and North Dakota, a pipeline is playing a key role in the public debate over this new technological frontier. But whereas a new pipeline — the Keystone XL extension — is needed to get oil to markets in the lower 48, the quandary in Alaska is how to fill the existing Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. That pipeline is operating at less than one-third of its total capacity, as the Prudhoe Bay fields decline.

For the moment, it remains unclear whether Alaska can replicate the shale oil boom that is reshaping North Dakota and parts of Texas. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) issued its first assessment of the North Slope’s shale rock resources in February, estimating that the region contained between zero and 2 billion barrels of technically recoverable oil, along with between zero and 80 trillion cubic feet of gas.

Read more from this story HERE.