This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, which includes Unalaska and other Aleutian islands. The refuge is one of 500 in the country, created to preserve unique eocsystems and wildlife.
As the federal sequester looms, the Interior Department is anticipating big cuts for all refuges -- and even some closures. In this segment, refuge manager Steve Delehanty shares his plans for the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge.
Preparations are officially underway for the Kulluk drill rig’s trip to Asia.
Early Tuesday morning, three tugboats maneuvered the Shell rig out of its berth in Unalaska and onto the deck of the Xiang Rui Kou heavy lift vessel. More than a dozen residents headed down to the beach along Captains Bay Road to watch the operation.
Before crews got started, marine pilot Carter Whalen said they would have a hard time moving the Kulluk because of its domed shape.
Shell's Kulluk drill rig is almost ready to leave Alaska waters.
The heavy lift vessel that will take the damaged oil rig to Asia for repairs arrived in Unalaska on Sunday afternoon. The Xiang Rui Kou was escorted to its anchorage in Captains Bay by three tugs.
The Kulluk has been in Unalaska for about two weeks, waiting for the 700-foot heavy lift ship to sail in from China. Marine pilot Carter Whalen says it will take about seven hours to load the Kulluk onto the Xiang Rui Kou this Tuesday. The lift vessel will fill its ballast tanks and sink below the Kulluk, and tugboats will pull the Kulluk into position on the deck of the Xiang Rui Kou.
What makes someone a resident of Unalaska? That question isn’t answered clearly in city code, and a disagreement over the definition could derail City Council’s attempt to fill a vacant council seat.
Earlier this week, Earl “Skip” Southworth and Doanh Tran both submitted applications asking to be appointed to city council seat “F,” which was vacated by Zac Schasteen last month.
Now, Southworth is questioning whether Tran is eligible to fill the seat. At issue is whether Tran fulfills the requirement in city code that reads “No person shall hold the elective office of City Council or be eligible to seek election thereto unless at the time of declaration of candidacy they are a voter in the city who has resided within the city for a period of no less than one (1) year. A member of the City Council who ceases to be a voter in the city immediately forfeits office.”
The Aleutians East Borough is moving ahead with a plan to replace the hovercraft that runs between Akutan and the airport on nearby Akun Island, but the timeline for swapping out the vessel is still up in the air.
Borough administrator Rick Gifford says the hovercraft has actually been more reliable than expected, “but it still has its limitations. A conventional vessel probably would be more reliable.”
Two people have applied to fill an empty seat on Unalaska’s city council. Skip Southworth and Doanh Tran both submitted letters of interest by the Tuesday night deadline.
Southworth is a former city councilor, and he writes in his letter that he’ll be retiring as a longshoreman in a few months, and would like to, “use this free time to continue working hard as a member of the City Council.” He also notes in his letter that he is a homeowner and 33-year resident of the community.
The most debated issue at this week’s city council meeting wasn’t on the agenda. A 2012 ordinance that prohibits truckers from driving with their fifth wheel in a raised position resurfaced. Councilor Dennis Robinson asked the city manager to revisit the rule, saying it was taking too much time for truckers to constantly adjust the wheel.
"The guys that are driving the trucks are going to stop and they’re not going to go until that fifth wheel is down," Robinson said. "And with a 700-move ship, you do the math -- five minutes a piece."
Tonight, city council will dig into the budgeting process for fiscal year 2014.
City manager Chris Hladick will present a list of financial goals for council to consider. In a memo, Hladick says the city will have to plan around federally-mandated updates to its utilities. The projects will drain the enterprise budget, and that might carry over to the personnel budget. Hladick says Unalaska will have to bring on two new full-time employees to manage and operate the utility plants. To help out, Hladick says the utilities should aim for self-sufficiency as soon as possible. Right now, they run at a loss.
Two oil companies with offshore leases in the Alaskan Arctic both clarified their plans for future development last week, shortly after the announcement that Shell Oil wouldn't be drilling in the region this summer.
Conoco Phillips says it isn’t backing off its plan to drill in the Alaskan Arctic in 2014, as Reuters reports. A Conoco Phillips spokesperson told Reuters that the company is taking Shell’s experiences into account, but that its own drilling program is substantially different.
