Unalaska, AK – A proposed Energy Star rebate program was brought before the city council Tuesday night per the council's request. The council wanted to spend another $225,000 to help residents deal with energy costs. This is in addition to a fuel tax suspension and electric utility bill rebates. The program would give residents money to help buy new energy star rated appliances and energy efficient light bulbs.

Unalaska, AK – Earlier this week the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service designated 5,879 square miles of nearshore waters as critical habitat for sea otters as part of their protection under the endangered species act. The area spans from the Western Aleutians to the Alaska Peninsula. KUCB's Anne Hillman in Unalaska found out how this might help the sea otters and affect the region.

For more information and to submit comments, got to the USFW sea otter website.

Unalaska, AK – The City Council will meet tonight to discuss new residential wind turbine regulations as one resident highlights the possibilities. Also on the agenda, a potential smoking ban. KUCB's Anne Hillman brings you more.

Unalaska, AK – The village of Nikolski has not had phone service since early November. Paula Dobbyn, the communications director for ACS, who provides service to the village, said the problem started with a blown switch.

"The village had some power issues that were related to fuel supplies. As fuel dwindled the generator had power surges; it experienced spikes," she said. "And that contributed to our switch partially burning up. Some electronic components in it actually got fried. And we had to go to the manufacturer and get them to build us new parts."

Unalaska, AK – The Marine Board of Investigations reconvened Wednesday for an additional day of testimony in Seattle about the sinking of the Katmai. Seven of the eleven crew members died when the catcher/processor went down on October 22 in Amchitka Pass, 100 miles west of Adak. Coast Guard public affairs officer Shawn Eggert attended the hearings. He said much of the testimony from the boat's owners and a former crew member focused on the history of the boat and the repairs that were done on it. The owners converted the Katmai from a shrimp boat to a cod boat before moving it from Oregon to western Alaska.

Unalaska, AK – Oil prices have dropped precipitously in the past month leading to cheaper gas through out the Lower 48. In some areas, unleaded fuel went from over $3 per gallon to only $1.50. Fuel prices in Unalaska are also going down, but at a slower rate. According to North Pacific Fuel, unleaded gasoline has dropped 62 cents to $3.95 and both types of diesel have dropped 30 cents to $3.89 for number one and $3.79 for number 2. An official from the company said Unalaskans should see further price reductions soon, once a new shipment of fuel comes in. He explained that until old inventories of fuel are sold and restocked, the prices will stay high. He would not say how much of a drop could be expected or how soon.

Unalaska, AK – The city is planning to build a new water treatment plant in Pyramid Valley in order to comply with new federal regulations. The 30-year-old plant needs an additional water disinfection system added to the current chlorine system before October 2014. The project will cost the city about $6.5 million and city staff are seeking grants to help with the cost.

City water supervisor Clint Hulling explained they will install a UV light system that can kill small organisms that the chlorine cannot. That includes cryptosporidium, a cyst that reproduces in the intestinal track of mammals. It only causes diarrhea in healthy people but can have more serious effects in people who are undergoing chemotherapy or have other immune system problems. There is no treatment for the infection. Hulling says the organism is not a problem in Unalaska. After a year of twice monthly tests on the filters that clean hundreds of thousands of gallons of water, only two cryptosporidium cysts were found.

Unalaska, AK – The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act is a federal law that requires museums and federal agencies to return human remains and other cultural items to their linear descendants. That means it's up to people like U.S. Fish & Wildlife archaeologist Debbie Corbett to locate all of the remains that were taken off of federal lands in Alaska, identify who they belong to, and try to get them home. But Corbett says the process isn't always straight forward for the dozens of remains she handles each year. The archaeologists and others who removed the bones, mostly during the 1930s and 40s, didn't always do it carefully.

Unalaska, AK – The North Pacific Fishery Management Council will adopt the 2009 pollock quota at their meeting later this week. Monday the council heard a recommendation from the Scientific and Statistical Committee. They suggested an 18 percent cut in quota for 2009, from 1 million tons down to 815 thousand. Though organizations like Greenpeace say the cut is not enough, it is supported by the Marine Conservation Alliance, a coalition of harvesters, processors, and communities. The fishery also maintains certification from the Marine Stewardship Council.