Monday Miscellany and Commentary
Over the weekend, we participated in Governor Sean Parnell’s Prayer Breakfast (NGP Photo, with Ravi Zacharias), in the Iditarod Dog Sled Race Startup, and in Fur Rendezvous events. See our notes and photos below and read why we include these items in ‘Northern Gas Pipelines’
In a Washington Times article last Thursday by Elizabeth Wong and Josh Brown our own Doug Smith and Mark Hylan and Rep. Scott Kawasaki took different sides in the debate of Alaska’s investment climate. We believe the evidence continues to mount that if Kawasaki’s position wins, Alaska loses; and, if the Smith/Hylan viewpoint prevails, Alaska wins. -dh
First. We frustrate the Enviro Activists aiming to shut down Alaska and they frustrate our efforts to save Alaska’s economy. Read this exchange between your publisher and a professor with Alaska Pacific University.
Second. The Enviros got their way. Last week when more average Alaskans turned out to testify in favor of OCS than the Sierra Club turned out with their call to action, the Wilderness Society director wrote a letter to the editor of the ADN complaining that her side was not well enough represented. We predicted this letter would quickly reach the Department of Interior’s Washington Headquarters where officials would respond to their constituents. Your federal government officials accomodated the request and sent private emails to a number of folks who came late to the meeting Friday. The email notes that a new hearing is scheduled for this coming Wednesday (day after tomorrow). This is amateurish if not very poor regulatory form. A Washington regulatory agency coming to Anchorage for input on whether it should shut down economic developent or not should schedule its hearings at reasonable times and locations and with sufficient notice. In the original announcement it should note the time and location of a follow-up hearing if one becomes necessary. It should never — as was done Friday night, February 25 — schedule a hearing for 7 p.m. on a Friday night (date night) and then, when its poor planning resulted in curtailment of the hearing before everyone had spoken — announced with 5 days’ notice a new hearing at 7 p.m. (school night) on Ash Wednesday. We can withhold judgment until Wednesday as to whether this jury rigging of public input sessions by the feds is a victory for the Enviros…or a pyrrhic victory.
Tip from a former regulator: Announce federal hearing well in advance during a combination of business and after hours to accomodate the broadest array of citizens (i.e. 2 p.m. – 10 p.m.). Announce that participants will be invited to testify in the order that they sign up on a sign up list to be located at the entrance of the hearing room. Note that those wishing to testify must sign up before 8 p.m. and that the sign-up list will be closed at that time. Note in the original announcement that the hearing will be ‘continued’ to (specific date, time, location) in the event that everyone who signs up before 8 p.m. cannot be heard. This sort of prior planning is even more essential when issues to be heard are more controversial. Taking the advice of Enviro actvists and calling on people in the order of the ‘stakeholder groups’ they represent skews the testimony in favor of teams of Outside Enviro lawyers and a minority of local networks of Enviro actvists against a larger majority of ordinary Alaska citizens. For example, by stakeholder group, a government agency might first call on "Pro-Ocs witnesses", then international environmental organizations, then local citizen advisory councils, then on university professors, then on Alaska businesses, then on public interest research groups, then on Ted Danson, etc…. Even if "Pro-OCS" and "Anti-OCS" witnesses were taken 50-50, 150 "pro" citizens representing every conceivable stakeholder interest from business, to government, to Native, to scientist would have less stature in the record (and be less noticed by the media who typically leave after the first few witnesses) than they deserved if they as a group were given equal time with a few dozen "anti" representatives. While Public hearings are good, effective prior planning, reliable sign up sheets and good enforcement of rules is what the public deserves of its regulatory agencies. And if the public is "disproportionally pro-drilling", then the hearing record should rightfully reflect preponderance of that viewpoint over a minority of anti-drilling oriented testimony.
Third, re: Gaslines. Representative Beth Kerttula wrote a gas pipeline Op Ed piece, recalling that: "My grandfather, Oscar Kerttula, used to say "don’t stop the person who’s doing something." While we have respect for Beth and affection for her Dad, former Senate President Jay Kerttula, and while we have not taken much time to opine on Governor Sarah Palin’s Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA), we would only amend Oscar’s philosophy by saying, "Don’t stop the person who’s doing something legal with his own money and not harming anyone else." * Then, Columnist Tim Bradner wrote that, "The state has committed up to $500 million in a subsidy to TransCanada in return for certain agreements by the pipeline company. So far the state has paid $134 million to TransCanada to reimburse it for expenses. Gov. Sean Parnell has included authorization for another payment of $160 million in the state’s fiscal year 2012 budget. The state subsidy is galling to lawmakers because it seems like throwing money away given the size of the shale gas surplus. What also rubs legislators is that the contract with TransCanada limits the state in helping an alternative gas project, at least one that would require enough gas that it might be viable.
Fourth. Yesterday, the Juneau Empire reported that, "The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation and Enforcement (BOEMRE) anticipates a revised Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) by late May with 45 days for public comment. BOEMRE anticipates requiring 70 days for response to public comment and issuing a final SEIS. We reported that story on Friday. Miss a day and miss a lot.
Fifth. Homer Gas Pipeline Comments.
-dh
Stories and photos below are under construction….
Governor’s Prayer Breakfast, 3-5-11. We include notice of this event because the theme dealt with public policy and the importance of leaders and constituents who base their definitions of good and evil on instructructions from the Holy Bible; the alternative is for individuals and leaders to create their own definitions to match their own comfort levels with changing situations. This may be the key reason our leaders and the populace do not — to the degree the ‘greatest generation’ did — enjoy the fruits of heavenly guidance and the comfort of knowing one’s family, one’s state, one’s nation are protected and moving in a direction blessed by Him. -dh (NGP Photos: Pastor Kent Redfern, Governor’s Prayer Breakfast Master of Ceremonies; and, former Lieutenant Governor Loren Leman and Carolyn Leman, one of the prayer breakfast organizers.)
Fur Rendezvous, 3-5-11. We include this brief Fur Rendezvous notice, for it and the Iditarod reflect the character and culture of Alaska that are enabled by a strong economy made possible by the exploration and production of Alaska’s natural resource bounty. (NGP Photo: Skating at Town Square in front of the Alaska Center for the Performing Arts).
Iditarod Dog Sled Race, 3-5-11. We include this brief Iditarod notice, for it and the Fur Rendezvous reflect the character and culture of Alaska that are enabled by a strong economy made possible by the exploration and production of Alaska’s natural resource bounty. (NGP Photos: an Iditarod sled dog raring to go and ExxonMobil’s Bill Brackin photographing the action.)
BOEMRE’s March 4 email (below) to selected citizens announced March 9 hearing extension. One reason that this is poor due process form is that even if the agency feels itself justified in extending the hearing, allowing for a curtailed notice period and notice given to a limited cohort of citizens denies the general public the opportunity to at least know of the event and plan to go to listen (even if they would be denied opportunity to speak). We eliminated names because the process is what is at issue, not the names of email recipients or BOEMRE representatives charged with sending out communications. -dh
Email To: ****Name of Citizen******
Subject: Invitation to share your testimony
Dear (First name of citizen):
We are contacting you and other participants that attended our public scoping meeting last Friday evening, 25 February, but had decided not to present comments at that time. We are pleased to inform you that we are providing another opportunity for you to present your remarks.
In an effort to hear from all individuals that wanted to present comments we have arranged to hold another scoping meeting, a follow-on, to take place from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Wednesday, March 9, 2011, at 3801 Centerpoint, in the 1st floor conference room – the same location we met in. We hope the date and time is convenient for you.
For your awareness, other attendees who’d indicated that they specifically wanted to offer remarks, but were unable to do so within the initial time allotted, have been contacted. They are being given speaking priority. Then, in turn, you will be invited forward to offer your remarks in the order that you’d previously signed in. As always, you are welcome to provide written input.
Please be advised, this meeting is ONLY for individuals, like you, who attended the 5-Year Scoping Meeting last Friday (25 February 2011).
Thank you. We look forward to meeting with you on Wednesday, March 9th.
Name of official
Name
Contact Information
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