Pruitt – Medicaid Recipients Like “Children” With “Toy”
You may remember House Republican Majority Leader Lance Pruitt. You may not want to remember him, but there he is anyway. He’s the one who, on the floor of the legislature last session said it was important that we not let the American people believe that the United States Supreme Court was the final word, judicially. (let that sink in) Rep. Max Gruenberg, an attorney and person-who-must-have-taken-a-Government-101-class, gently informed him that YES the United States Supreme Court DOES, in fact, have the last word. Now, Pruitt has once again put his foot in his mouth – this time in an…
Shell Suspends Arctic Drilling, Begich Responds.
This morning Shell announced that it will not drill offshore in the Alaskan Arctic this year. The announcement comes after the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the federal agency in charge of issuing permits for offshore drilling in the U.S. intentionally downplayed the risks and impacts associated with drilling in the remote and vulnerable Chukchi Sea ecosystem off the northern coast of Alaska. The court ruled that the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) failed to conduct adequate impact assessments before issuing permission to drill. According to the findings of the court, the BOEM “based its decision on inadequate…
Brinkley Urges Obama to Stop Pebble Mine
Presidential historian and author Douglas Brinkley urged President Obama to take decisive and swift executive action on preventing the massive Pebble Mine project in Alaska on NOW with Alex Wagner, Monday. Brinkley noted that many decisive presidential actions could be taken immediately as the Obama Whitehouse seeks to establish a legacy as the President’s second term marches on with Republicans in Congress showing no signs of letting up on blocking legislation. Historically, President Obama has issued fewer executive orders than any President since Grover Cleveland, and has been comparatively reluctant to exert Presidential authority. Brinkley was clear in his suggestion to the President…
No Pebble Townhall Event – Anchorage, AK
No Pebble Townhall Event – Anchorage Monday January 27th at 6:30 pm Z. J. Loussac Public Library Wilda Marston Theatre 3600 Denali Street Join leaders from the sport fishing and commercial fishing industries, Bristol Bay Native Corporation and United Tribes of Bristol Bay for a town hall meeting to thank Senator Mark Begich for taking a stand on the Pebble Mine and hear more about the Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment and the fight to protect Bristol Bay jobs and salmon. Speakers include former Alaska Senate President Rick Halford, Alannah Hurley – Dillingham resident and United Tribes for Bristol Bay Director,…
Parnell’s War on Education
Our governor gave his State of the Colony speech this week. In it, he tied “school reform” (by which he apparently means amending the Alaska Constitution to allow spending public money on private and religious schools) to raising the state’s contribution to each student’s education. I guess taking hostages is now Standard Operating Procedure for Republican elected officials. And even if those of us who like our constitution just the way it is were to acquiesce, Gov. Sean Parnell’s proposed “increase” in education funding wouldn’t come close to replacing what schools have lost to inflation in just the last three…
Bird of the Week – Spruce Grouse
Sometimes overlooked among its more common cousins, the Spruce Grouse is arguably the most handsome of Alaska’s boreal chickens. This handsome fellow was strutting his stuff along Quartz Lake Road. Perhaps more than his cousins, the Spruce Grouse seems to favor crepuscular light, the times around sunrise and sunset. The low light makes photographing this species a bit of a challenge. Because these birds dine mostly on spruce needles, their meat has a turpentine-like flavor. As a result, there’s not much hunting pressure. Yet there’s not a lot of Spruce Grouse around. For more bird photos, visit Frozen Feather Images.
KXL & Pebble Mine – One Company OK’d Both for Gov’t
State Dept’s Keystone XL Contractor, ERM Group, Also OK’d Controversial Pebble Mine in Alaska (via Desmogblog) A DeSmogBlog investigation has revealed Environmental Resources Management Inc. (ERM Group) — the contractor performing the U.S. State Department’s environmental review for the northern half of TransCanada’s Keystone XL tar sands pipeline — gave…
Heeeere’s the Kickoff! Let the Session Begin!
They’re back! Those wacky kids at Alaska Robotics are in Juneau to call the legislative session play by play. Grab a bag of peanuts and a beer, and enjoy. Also, be sure to “like” Alaska Robotics on Facebook! And mind the drones!
No Pebble Mine Party with Shannyn Moore
Brought to you by: Tap Root, Alaska Center for the Environment and Trout Unlimited THURSDAY JANUARY 23rd Master of Ceremonies: Shannyn Moore 6:00pm – Introductions – Shannyn Moore 6:05pm – Video – “Sea Swallowed” 6:13pm – Video – “Anti-Pebble Mine Advertisement” 6:15pm – Speaker – Nellie Williams – Trout Unlimited Campaign Update 6:20pm – Speaker – Sam Snyder PhD. – Science Update 6:25pm – Video – “The Last Cast” 6:30pm – Call to Action – (phone call to legislators) 6:40pm – Speaker – Ryan Peterson – Fishing Guide – (unconfirmed) 6:45pm – BREAK 7:00pm – Video – TBD 7:15pm –…
Quotes of the Week – A Sixpack
Oh no they di’int! It’s been quite a week for the gum-flappers, the yammerers, and the makers of opinion – some good, some bad, and some that make you just want to slam you head on the desk until they go away. Let’s dig in. Sarah Palin on Race What better way to start the week in which we celebrate civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. than with a little race baiting from our ex-half governor? Not sure if judging someone by the content of their character is really where she wants to go. Rush Limbaugh on Chris Christie…