The Transocean Polar Pioneer, a drill rig contracted by Royal Dutch Shell, has arrived in Dutch Harbor. The oil company plans to use the port as a hub this summer as part of their exploratory Arctic drilling effort.Tthere’s very little opposition in the tiny Alaskan town in comparison to that in Seattle, where some environmental activists went so far as to chain themselves to one of Shell’s Arctic drilling support vessels last month.
In the past year, a team of planners visited Unalaska to hear from the community about local land use. Since then, the planning department has been working to put together a land use plan. Anthony Grande is the city’s Planning Administrator. He said the new document outlines a long-term vision for Unalaska.
“The plan talks about what the land uses are right now as we speak today and makes recommendations about what the land use should be in the future," said Grande.
The Unalaska City council meets Tuesday for a regularly scheduled meeting.
The council will sear in a new officer to the police force. Taylor Carlson comes to Unalaska from Pulaski, Wisconsin where he attended a police academy. He will take part in an Alaska specific law enforcement training program sometime in his first year in the Far North.
Also on the agenda under new business is a resolution in support of funding for the sponsorship of the Alaska Arctic Council Host Committee.
Rallies to protest Shell’s plans for exploratory drilling in the Arctic this summer will take place in Anchorage and Juneau today.
The protests are organized by a self-described 'ad hoc grassroots group' that includes members of REDOIL, Alaska Rising Tide, Chukchi Sea Watch and the Alaska Climate Action Network.
Danielle Redmond is an organizer for the Network. She expects between 10 and 50 people to gather in front of Juneau’s federal building. In Anchorage, she says between 50 and 100 people are likely to gather in front of a Shell Gas station on Northern Lights Boulevard.
Construction season is in full swing on Unalaska and Amaknak Islands. Public Works Director Tom Cohenour expects this year’s summer road work to go a lot faster in comparison to previous years. He expects most of the work to take place this month and in July.
“The roads we’re looking at include the Coast Guard dock is one of the big ones. They’ll be doing salmon way. That’s from the Gas and Go all the way to Sea Lion drive," said Cohenour. "They’ll be doing King Street and West Broadway from Alyeska up to the four way stop and then East Broadway from about Alpha Welding all the way out to Holly Lane.”
A giant drill rig operated by Royal Dutch Shell undocked Monday morning from Terminal 5 in Seattle. The Polar Pioneer is headed for Dutch Harbor. It’s expected to arrive in 12 days.
According to the Coast Guard, 24 arrests were made as tugboats moved the rig out of port. A group of so-called "kayaktivists" formed a blockade in an attempt to stop the rig from departing. It's been docked in Seattle for the last month.
The 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled on Thursday in favor of the Department of Interior’s approval of two oil spill response plans for Arctic drilling put forward by Royal Dutch Shell. The company plans to explore for oil in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas this summer.
A handful of environmental groups brought the suit. They claim the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement didn’t do enough to review Shell’s plans.
Pollock ‘B’ Season opened today in the Aleutian Islands and Eastern Bering Seas Region. Mary Furness is a Fisheries Resource Specialist with the National Marine Fisheries Service in Juneau
“The total allowable catch is up for the Bering Sea Pollock fishery this year, about 43,000 metric tons and the allocation is divided by the A season which gets 40% and the B season gets 60%," she said.
The Unalaska City Council passed a budget amendment during a regular meeting last night that increases funding for the Wastewater Treatment Plant project by more than $3.4 million dollars.
City Manager Don Moore told the council the money was necessary to continue work on the project.
“This money is absolutely necessary to finish this project and not finishing it is not an option," he said.
