54-40 Discourse

BC's North Coast Power Corp given go ahead to investigate Alaska Interconnection

2010-12-19T08:20:00.001-09:00

TRANSMISSION LINE INVESTIGATED TO JOIN NW BC WITH SE ALASKA
Merv Ritchie - Terrace Daily Online

North Coast Power Corp has been given the go ahead by BC’s Integrated Land Management Bureau to investigate the Iskut River Valley for a grid interconnection to Alaska. The Northwest Transmission Line (NTL) is presently planned to extend to Bob Quinn Lake. North Coast Power will be investigating the route to join this new grid with a connection to the present grid in SE Alaska at Tyee Lake, which currently connects the communities of Petersburg, Wrangell and more recently, Ketchikan and now Metlakatla with a submarine cable.

For full story click here.

Senator Murkowski Introduces Bills to Boost Hydropower Generation | Renewable Energy World

2010-07-15T23:42:00.000-08:00

Senator Murkowski Introduces Bills to Boost Hydropower Generation | Renewable Energy World
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S. 7/14/10 (PennWell) --

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has introduced two pieces of legislation aimed at increasing the production of electricity from renewable hydropower and creating jobs in America’s energy sector. The "Hydropower Improvement Act" and the "Hydropower Renewable Energy Development Act" would boost federal support for hydropower projects.

The Hydropower Improvement Act, co-sponsored by Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash; Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash; and Sen. Mike Crapo, R-Idaho, aims to increase the capacity of our nation’s hydropower sources to generate clean, renewable electricity by up to 75,000 megawatts.

Could MacKenzie Gas Gain Momentum from British Petroleum's Gulf Oil Spill

2010-05-08T17:51:00.000-08:00

http://www.alaskadispatch.com/dispatches/energy/5264-could-mackenzie-gas-gain-momentum-from-gulf-oil-spillCould MacKenzie Gas Gain Momentum from British Petroleum's Gulf Oil Spill?

Alaskans Mourn the loss of former Governor Walter J. Hickel - Fairbanks Daily Newsminer

2010-05-08T17:34:00.001-08:00

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - The voice of Interior Alaska since 1903

SITKA, Alaska - Alaskans on Saturday mourned the loss of former Gov. Walter J. Hickel and remembered him as a visionary and a maverick.

Alaska Democrats, meeting for their convention in Sitka, had a moment of silence in honor of Hickel, who served as Interior secretary under President Richard Nixon until Hickel was dismissed for objecting to the treatment of Vietnam War protesters.

A ripple of "Oh!" and "Oh, my God" rippled through the audience as word of his death, at age 90, was announced Saturday morning.

Alaska's lone Congressman speaks of his support for an Alaska-BC Intertie, the Wrangell Sentinel

2010-04-22T07:26:00.003-08:00

Wrangell Sentinel - the oldest continuously published paper in Alaska.

Alaska’s lone U.S. House Representative visited Wrangell Apr. 14 and Petersburg Apr. 15 to discuss various topics with residents including hydropower development, the recently passed health care bill, Sealaska and timber production.

Republican Don Young used a meeting with members of the Petersburg Chamber of Commerce to reaffirm his decision to run for a 20th term in the House.
“I am running, and will run hard,” Young said.

Young said that hydropower is as important to Southeast residents as the gas line is to the rest of Alaska. He said that hydropower development should be a priority.
“There should be an abundance of hydro power,” he said.

Click above link for full Wrangell Sentinel story.

Alaska's lone Congressman speaks of his support for an Alaska-BC Intertie, the Wrangell SentinelWrangell Sentinel

2010-04-22T07:26:00.000-08:00

Telling the Northwest Transmission Line story

2010-03-26T12:09:00.002-08:00

This is an excellent explanation of what is transpiring in the North Coast Mountain region of British Columbia, Alaska and Yukon. Have a view of this video, it may not fit your view of how things may be, but it definitely promises to change things for a number of folks who live marginally and love the region in which they live. This means jobs for those who wish to remain on the land they love.

BBC News - Canada's 'secret land' Yukon woos tourists

2010-03-13T08:55:00.000-09:00

BBC News - Canada's 'secret land' Yukon woos tourists
As Vancouver gears up for its second stint as Olympic host with the Paralympics beginning on 12 March, one northern Canadian territory is hoping the lasting legacy of the Games will be a boost to tourism.

The government of Yukon spent just under 3m Canadian dollars (£1.9m) trying to educate people about their territory during the Winter Games, promoting it as a great place to travel, invest and do business.

"The people that go to the Olympics are our kind of people," says Sheila Dodd, who works in economic and tourism development for Whitehorse, Yukon's capital.

First nation leads Northwest economic revival - Vancouver Sun

2010-03-13T08:48:00.002-09:00

First nation leads Northwest economic revival
An isolated first nation on the northern British Columbia coast is emerging as a new economic powerhouse leading the rebirth of the Northwest's forest industry.

There are no roads to the village of Lax Kw'alaams and most British Columbians would be hard-pressed to find it on a map.

But in the last decade, this village, 30 kilometres by boat north of Prince Rupert, has levered its own forest resources to build a solid financial balance sheet and focus on building a northwestern empire of wood with a global reach. From the verge of bankruptcy, it has transformed itself into an economic engine for the region; its logging operations are pumping millions of dollars into the economies of Prince Rupert and Terrace.

Click above link for full story in the Vancouver Sun

B.C. group touts green economic solution

2010-03-11T20:35:00.001-09:00

B.C. group touts green economic solution

B.C. could pull in about $4.3 billion annually and eliminate its debt over several years by tapping into and selling its vast green-energy potential, said a report released yesterday.

Bio-energy, run-of-river, wind, geothermal, tidal, wave and solar energy could all be developed to help the environment and to work towards wiping out B.C.'s debt in 15 years or less, said the B.C. Citizens for Green Energy's 76-page report.

"B.C. is widely recognized as having a natural abundance of renewable green energy resources. However, this natural abundance is currently going virtually untapped as are the economic and environmental benefits that developing them could bring to our province," said the report, titled A Triple Legacy for Future Generations: B.C.'s Potential as a Renewable Green Energy Powerhouse.

Read more by clicking above link. To go to the greenenergybc website.

SitNews - Prince Rupert Turns 100 By DAVE KIFFER

2010-03-09T13:06:00.001-09:00

SitNews - Prince Rupert Turns 100 By DAVE KIFFER

Ketchikan, Alaska - On March 10, The City of Prince Rupert is celebrating the centennial of its incorporation in 1910.

The events will begin with a pancake breakfast at the Masonic Hall from 8 to 10 am. At 9:45, there will be a children's parade on Third Avenue from City Hall to Nisga'a Hall and at noon a Chamber of Commerce luncheon at the North Coast Meeting and Convention Center featuring Dr. Bill Hick.

For full story read click on link above to read this story in sitnews.us

Canada, U.S. switch positions in Beaufort Sea boundary dispute - "All of a sudden, we have this almost perfect opportunity for a win-win..."

2010-03-08T16:02:00.000-09:00

Canada, U.S. switch positions in Beaufort Sea boundary dispute

Just days after the Conservative government's throne speech pledged to resolve several outstanding Arctic territorial disputes, polar experts have revealed an unexpected twist in the long-running disagreement over the Canada-U.S. border in the southern Beaufort Sea.

For decades, the two countries have been deadlocked over where to draw the maritime boundary off the coasts of Alaska and the Yukon — a conflict that has flared occasionally when it came to fisheries management and oil-and-gas exploration.

CBC News - North - Feds failing wind energy industry, Whitehorse engineer says

2010-03-06T10:00:00.000-09:00

CBC News - North - Feds failing wind energy industry, Whitehorse engineer says
A Whitehorse engineer who organized a wind energy conference in Ottawa this week says governments should spend more money on alternative energy industries, not on infrastructure and bailing out car manufacturers.

J.P. Pinard, who hosted the 2009 Wind-Diesel Workshop on Monday and Tuesday, said the federal government cut incentive programs this year for wind energy, including a wind subsidy program and a plan to assist northern communities wanting to supplement diesel-generated power with wind energy.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2009/06/03/wind-energy.html#ixzz0hQNeOf0z or click above link.

CBC News - North - Yukon Energy urged to release alternative power studies

2010-03-06T09:34:00.002-09:00

CBC News - North - Yukon Energy urged to release alternative power studies=

The Yukon's public power utility should release feasibility studies it had done on wind and geothermal energy, says NDP MLA Steve Cardiff.

Cardiff is calling on Yukon Energy Corp. to release the studies, which he said the utility has been withholding to date.

"These studies were paid for with public funds. The energy corporation belongs to Yukon citizens," Cardiff told CBC News on Friday.

For full story visit CBC North by clicking the link above

PR-CANADA.net - AltaLink, L.P.: Western Alberta Transmission Line to Provide Much Needed Reinforcement to Alberta's

2010-03-06T09:11:00.001-09:00

PR-CANADA.net - AltaLink, L.P.: Western Alberta Transmission Line to Provide Much Needed Reinforcement to Alberta's

Click above link for story

CBC News - North - Liard First Nation renew land battle

2010-03-05T11:46:00.000-09:00

CBC News - North - Liard First Nation renew land battle

The Liard First Nation has filed lawsuits against three governments, reigniting a years-old battle over its traditional territory in the Yukon and northern British Columbia.

The Watson Lake-based First Nation filed lawsuit documents this week with the Yukon Supreme Court, British Columbia Supreme Court and the Northwest Territories Supreme Court, demanding compensation for mineral resources it claims the governments have taken over the years.

"This is a direct response to the high level of activity on the lands by government and industry, and the lack of consultation of our community," Chief Liard McMillan told CBC News on Thursday.

Click link above to read the full story on CBC North

A sinking feeling about AGIA and plan B by Andrew Halcro - Alaska Dispatch guest op-ed

2010-03-05T11:42:00.005-09:00

A sinking feeling about AGIA and plan B

This week we arrive at the annual ritual of spring break on the legislative calendar, when lawmakers will shove aside their pressing state business to attend the annual Energy Conference in Washington D.C.

The conference hosts policy makers from oil and gas states and provinces, while providing a forum to meet with federal regulators, congressional members and the ability to be briefed on the latest energy trends.

For full story click the link above to Alaska Dispatch.

Proponents, critics seek 'clarity' from Victoria on clean power strategy

2010-03-03T20:26:00.000-09:00

Proponents, critics seek 'clarity' from Victoria on clean power strategy

Both proponents and critics of private-sector power development are ready for a quick shift into post-Olympic mode as the provincial legislature reopens this week.

The British Columbia government has promised to introduce a Clean Energy Act that may emerge as a highlight in the introduction of Tuesday's budget, if only because the government is facing a huge deficit as the global recession continues to resonate through the provincial economy.

Click link above to read the full story in the Vancouver Sun.

2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics

2010-02-28T17:16:00.003-09:00

Congratulations to Canada and British Columbia for a successful hosting of the 2010 Winter Olympics!

View the vancouver2010.com medals' table

BC Hydro subsidiary battles U.S. poacher

2010-02-22T07:09:00.000-09:00

BC Hydro subsidiary battles U.S. poacher
Efforts by a Wall Street financial giant to poach employees and business from a lucrative government-owned energy trading operation in Vancouver are proving expensive for British Columbia taxpayers.

BC Hydro subsidiary corporation Powerex has lost 10 energy trading team members in a continuing employee raid by New York-based financial services firm Morgan Stanley, according to an internal memo obtained by The Vancouver Sun...

Click link above for entire story from the Vancouver Sun

SitNews - Canadian Tsimshian Was A Leader For Alaska Native Rights By DAVE KIFFER

2010-02-20T23:25:00.000-09:00

SitNews - Canadian Tsimshian Was A Leader For Alaska Native Rights By DAVE KIFFER

Ketchikan, Alaska - Although the vast majority of the leaders in the Alaska Native civil rights movement were Tlingits, one of the founders and early leaders was a Tsimshian, originally from Canada, named Peter Simpson.

Simpson was one of the founders of the Alaskan Native Brotherhood in 1912, the only non Tlingit among the early advocates. And many in the Native community consider him one of the forces behind Native land claims efforts...

Click link above to access the full story in Sitnews.com

GE Energy Finance Unit May Expand B.C. Wind Farm (Update1) - BusinessWeek

2010-02-20T10:38:00.000-09:00

GE Energy Finance Unit May Expand B.C. Wind Farm (Update1) - BusinessWeek

Feb. 14 (Bloomberg) -- General Electric Co.’s energy finance unit said it may double the capacity of a wind farm in British Columbia, increasing its bet on renewable-power in Canada’s westernmost province.

GE and Vancouver-based Plutonic Power Corp. last year bought the unfinished, 144-megawatt Dokie Ridge Wind Project, the first equity investment in wind energy in Canada for both companies.

“British Columbia has tremendous natural resources that are ideal for large-scale renewable energy projects,” Alex Urquhart, who runs the energy financial services unit, a division of Fairfield, Connecticut-based General Electric’s GE Capital division, said in a statement today.

Click link above for full story

Arctic gas by 2017 February 21 - Petroleum News

2010-02-19T21:14:00.001-09:00

Arctic%20gas%20by%202017%20-%20February%2021,%202010 - Petroleum News
Canada’s Mackenzie Gas Project could be onstream as early as 2017 and Alaska’s North Slope project could be delivering gas to Lower 48 markets three or four years later, predicts consultant Ziff Energy Group.

And, regardless of the enormous capital costs to develop Arctic gas and compete with abundant shale gas supplies, the two projects are tied to expectations for gas prices in the 20 years after they are completed, not what happens over the next decade, the Calgary-based firm said.

Electricity: A new industrial pillar for the B. C economy - Vancouver Sun

2010-02-17T07:41:00.001-09:00

Electricity: A new industrial pillar for the B. C economy
To say that the atmosphere in Vancouver is electric is something of a double entendre. Certainly, thousands of visitors surging through the streets to take in the Olympic Games and related activities have recharged our sleepy little town, but a series of announcements tied to Premier Gordon Campbell's clean-energy program this week may do more in the long run to bring power to the people.

Click links above for full story

Northeast transmission line would create 'energy corridor' that could boost our clean power exports, Liberals say - Vaughn Palmer, Vancouver Sun

2010-02-16T07:22:00.002-09:00

Northeast transmission line would create 'energy corridor' that could boost our clean power exports, Liberals say - Vaughn Palmer - Vancouver Sun

Following the push to build a new transmission line into northwestern B.C., the provincial Liberals want to extend the power grid to the northeast as well, as part of what they are calling a "northern energy corridor."

"New transmission infrastructure will link northeastern B.C. to our integrated grid," declared the speech from the throne last week.

The move was touted as a way to "provide clean power to the energy industry" and to "open up new capacity for clean power exports to Alberta and Saskatchewan."

Whitehorsestar.com - Leaders discuss salmon, caribou, pipeline

2010-02-08T19:14:00.001-09:00

Whitehorsestar.com - Leaders discuss salmon, caribou, pipeline
Whitehorse Star - Whitehorse, YK
Alaska Governor Sean Parnell and Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie met in Whitehorse recently to discuss issues ranging from the Yukon River salmon fishery, the Porcupine Caribou herd, the Skagway port, natural gas to possible wind and hydro options.

Click the link above to read details in the Whitehorse Star.

Parnell, Premier Fentie meet in Whitehorse - Juneau Empire

2010-02-08T19:07:00.000-09:00

Parnell, Premier Fentie meet in Whitehorse - Juneau Empire

Terrace Standard - The last run to Eurocan

2010-02-03T08:37:00.001-09:00

Terrace Standard - The last run to Eurocan
ON FRIDAY Jan. 22, after nearly 17 years on the road with Excel Transportation Inc. Mark Penner completed his last wood chip run to the soon-to-be-closed Eurocan.

With his truck loaded from Pacific Inland Resources in Smithers, Penner hit the ever-familiar Hwy37 South towards the pulp and paper mill in Kitimat which will make its last paper tomorrow, and officially close Jan. 31 after 40 years of operation.

“A lot of people don’t know what they’re going to do,” said Penner of his fellow workers who will be out of a job this Friday Jan. 29 when the Terrace Excel terminal will close its doors after 24 years of service.

Terrace Standard - Power line twinning cost probed

2010-02-03T08:27:00.000-09:00

Terrace Standard - Power line twinning cost probed
THE PROVINCIAL government is estimating how much it might cost to build the Northwest Transmission Line’s towers so that more lines could be added if demand to move power increases.

Making provision for expansion makes sense when building any kind of large infrastructure project, said provincial energy minister Blair Lekstrom about the plan to build the line 335km from the Skeena substation near Terrace up Hwy37 North.

“I think with a lot of the infrastructure you build in B.C. you build with a view for the future at the most economical cost,” Lekstrom said last week.

Alaska gas could bypass Alberta - Calgary Herald

2010-02-01T06:20:00.002-09:00

Alaska gas could bypass Alberta
In a potential blow to Alberta's petrochemical sector, the proposed Alaska pipeline could bypass the province depending on the outcome of an open season filed Friday by the main sponsors -- Calgary-based TransCanada Corp. and Irving, Texas-based Exxon-Mobil Corp.

The partners formally submitted their intention to solicit shipping commitments for the proposed pipeline to the U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, the first time in Alaska history that a regulatory application has been filed for natural gas development on the North Slope.

World Sentinel | General Biofuels Canada Agrees to Acquire Land in the City of Terrace for New Wood Pellet Plant

2010-01-31T07:46:00.001-09:00

World Sentinel | General Biofuels Canada Agrees to Acquire Land in the City of Terrace for New Wood Pellet Plant
The City of Terrace and General Biofuels Canada have reached an agreement on terms to purchase property for a wood pellet facility in Terrace, British Columbia. General Biofuels Canada will be utilizing wood supply obtained throughout the region to manufacture premium wood pellets. The wood pellet facility will be operating with an initial capacity of 150,000 – 200,000 metric tonnes per year, growing to a capacity of up to 500,000 metric tonnes per year in the next several years. David Smith, Vice President of Corporate Development of General Biofuels, states: "General Biofuels Canada is committed to developing a significant presence in the wood pellet industry in northern British Columbia. We´re excited to be working with the City of Terrace and look forward to a successful project."

Terrace Standard - Hyder students go to Stewart school

2010-01-30T20:42:00.001-09:00

Terrace Standard - Hyder students go to Stewart school
BEAR VALLEY School in Stewart has had an increase of three students this year from neighbouring Hyder, Alaska after their school shut down due to low enrollment.

Lauren Burch, superintendent of the Southeast Island School District in Alaska, located in Thorne Bay explains that due to dwindling enrollment the school could no longer operate.

Terrace Standard Editorial - Go green

2010-01-17T19:44:00.002-09:00

Terrace Standard - Go green
IT’S BEEN a mystery as to why Prime Minister Stephen Harper chose a visit to Washington D.C. last September as the place to announce he’s willing put up to $130 million into the much-planned Northwest Transmission Line running up Hwy37 North.

But consider that American President Barack Obama wants to put billions into ‘green’ power and then look at a map.

As now planned, the Northwest Transmission Line would stop at a place called Bob Quinn on Hwy37 North. Barely 95 kilometres to the west sits the Alaskan Panhandle, a location hydro-electric proponents say contains 3,000 megawatts of viable projects. That’s roughly one-third of B.C. Hydro’s entire output.

CBC News - North - Hydro expansion will be 'rate neutral': Yukon Energy

2010-01-14T20:33:00.001-09:00

CBC News - North - Hydro expansion will be 'rate neutral': Yukon Energy
Yukon Energy Corp. says customers won't pay a cent for millions of dollars in anticipated environmental benefits from its Mayo B hydroelectric expansion project.

The public utility's $160-million plan to build a new power plant and a connecting power line, still needs regulatory approvals from the Yukon Utilities Board, Yukon Environmental and Socio-Economic Assessment Board, and the Yukon Water Board.

The power plant itself will cost $120 million, while another $40 million will be spent on building the Carmacks-Stewart transmission line, which will connect Yukon Energy's Mayo-Dawson hydro grid to the Whitehorse grid.

Yukon Energy president David Morrison said despite the plan's pricetag — making it the most expensive project in the territory's history — electrical ratepayers will pay about $36.5 million.

Spread out over time, the project's costs will not cost ratepayers a cent, Morrison said.

Ketchikan supplements with diesel generation KRBD - Ketchikan

2010-01-09T12:50:00.002-09:00

KRBD - Public Radio in Ketchikan, Alaska - Local News
Deanna Garrison
KETCHIKAN, ALASKA (2010-01-07) Beginning Friday, Ketchikan Public Utilities will start operating diesel generators at a cost of $36,000 a day. KPU says a surge in electricity usage and dry weather last year is causing the utility to rely on costly diesel power.

CBC News - North - Too costly to hook up to northern B.C. power line: Yukon Energy

2010-01-08T09:58:00.000-09:00

CBC News - North - Too costly to hook up to northern B.C. power line: Yukon Energy

Terrace Standard - Big push for Alaska-B.C. power line

2010-01-08T06:59:00.001-09:00

Terrace Standard - Big push for Alaska-B.C. power line
AMERICAN PROPONENTS of a power line connecting Southeast Alaska with B.C. providing access to the North American electricity market say they need their governor to speak to B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell.

They’re convinced a groundswell of support in southeastern Alaska can now be transformed into action on a senior political level, says Paul Southland, a Wrangell, Alaska resident and key backer of the ACEcoaltion with ACE standing for Alaska Canada Energy. The key now, says Southland, is the planned Northwest Transmission Line which would run north of Terrace up to a place called Bob Quinn on Hwy37 North.

Happy 2010! May this be a prosperous and wonderful New Year!

2010-01-01T17:53:00.000-09:00

Kake Tribal Corp President's letter to the Petersburg Pilot - see blog story below

2009-12-26T08:20:00.004-09:00

November 28, 2009
Ron Loesch Publisher and Editor Petersburg Pilot Box 930 Petersburg, AK 99833
pilotpub@gmail.com RE: Letter to the Editor on Hydropower and connectivity to Kake
Dear Mr. Loesch
I read your November 19 guest editorial. I would like to offer a positive but different perspective for all to consider. Our corporation represents most of the original families of Kake and many in Petersburg. Petersburg, Ketchikan and Wrangell all benefit from heavily subsidized hydropower resources and transmission infrastructure. According to the State of Alaska Department of Revenue, the Tyee and Swan generation facilities and the Swan Tyee Intertie was gifted by large direct State subsidies amounting to $268 million dollars with a small balance coming from government subsidized loans. Theoretically, the government owns these projects to provide subsidized power cost for the benefit of all Alaskans, including the rural communities. Government sponsored socialized power is beneficial when it is equally shared among its citizens, but as you can see by visiting Kake or Angoon this public strategy has failed to bring our people and industry low cost power.
Kake has received promises and waited 40 plus years for an intertie to bring us this cheap power. All SEAPA communities are in the process of converting municipal buildings, businesses and homes from oil to cheap electric heat. Is there a guarantee of SEAPA power to sell Kake from these government subsidized assets? Assuming Kake gets an intertie, is there a guarantee that SEAPA will sell electricity to Kake at the same 6.8 cent per kilowatt rate?
Contrary to your editorial the public and private cooperative developments in Thomas Bay are not unique. Many infrastructure projects around the country have public and private cooperative agreements because this yields lower costs, more efficient management and serves the ratepayer better. Wrangell already has a lucrative power sales agreement from Cascade so there is even a local example. Despite rhetoric, Cascade and the City of Angoon projects appear ready to work with others to deliver low cost power, including Petersburg.
The public and private Thomas Bay projects will provide much needed family wage jobs for Kake residents, Angoon residents, Wrangell residents, and yes, Petersburg residents as well. Each hydropower project expects to produce 130 direct jobs and many indirect jobs. Petersburg’s restaurants and businesses would most likely appreciate the extra business. The public/private Thomas Bay projects would be able to sell lower cost competitive power to Kake so we can rebuild our community with the substantially equal power costs enjoyed by Wrangell and Petersburg. What is wrong with energy self determination and independence from government?
1
Further, rational thinking dictates that the Kake to Petersburg Intertie will be constructed along the least expensive route. Everyone understands that the lowest cost route is the route that intersects with the Cascade, Ruth and Scenery hydropower projects that will flood not only Kake but all of Southeast Alaska with low cost hydropower. The south-central route for the Kake Intertie would burden the Kake ratepayer with excessive O&M transmission costs if these costs are not shared with the hydro projects in Thomas Bay on the proposed Northern route. The least expensive route is the one that delivers the lowest cost per kilowatt hour to Kake ratepayer.
Your guest editorial also fear baited the claim that Thomas Bay power will fuel mines and lead to water contamination all because of the public/ private development of Thomas Bay. This statement is baseless and demonstrates a lack of depth of understanding. The power from the projects will be sold locally and then the surplus to the lower 48. Many of the original families of Kake and Petersburg have fought for and served our country. Please explain what is wrong with providing ourselves and our nation with energy security and lessening our dependence on foreign oil supplies while reducing green house gas emissions at the same time?
Your guest editorial suggests that electrical costs will increase with private participation in hydropower and transmission. The comparative cost and associated success of the recent FERC competitive process is a prime example of how private industry brings the public sector superior know-how and competition that pure governmental intervention and management could never match.
Kake Tribal Corporation has invested in Cascade Creek, LLC and wholly supports the City of Angoon’s development of Scenery and Ruth Lakes because these projects will deliver the lowest cost power to the citizens of Kake regardless of politics and that is doing the right thing by our people and our region. The unsuccessful strategy deployed by PMPL has resulted in no Petersburg FERC permit, no Petersburg job creation, nor has it led to lower cost of power for Petersburg now or in the future nor has it helped the region increase its energy security. Your strategy dictates that you have and will continue to buy more diesel generators. Contrary to your editorial, a new tactic might be better serving the needs of Petersburg by beginning to work with your neighbors instead of inciting them. I suggest that you try a fresh approach to constructive engagement and you will find cooperative friends as well as economic and energy benefits for Petersburg and its ratepayers.
Sincerely,
Harold Martin President, Kake Tribal Corporation Box 32034 Juneau, AK 99803-2034

Finding the power grid’s groove | Yukon News

2009-12-24T23:10:00.000-09:00

Finding the power grid’s groove | Yukon News
Power outages have almost become an everyday occurrence for Yukoners and their businesses.

In the last eight days, we’ve had three of them. The first, on December 10, lasted for more than 30 minutes and shut down the southern Yukon grid.

Then, on Saturday morning and Monday evening, the power went out again. This time the outages lasted a few seconds and only affected parts of Whitehorse.

There’s been at least seven unplanned outages this year, according to brief survey of news reports.

That’s coming off the heels of a busy 2008, when the lights went out 35 times. Half of the outages were caused by faulty equipment, the rest were caused by nature.

So why do we have so many outages? Why do some last hours while others last seconds?

Kake Tribal Corp - an ANCSA village corporation - asks why the disparity in the treatment of the Kake Community?

2009-12-24T09:49:00.002-09:00

Petersburg PilotKake Tribal clarifies Cascade Creek, LLC partnership - Petersburg Pilot, December 24, 2009

In the continuing discussion regarding delivering low-cost power the communities of Southeast Alaska, President of the Kake Tribal Corporation, Harold Martin, announced the reason for the corporations interest in partnering with Cascade Creek LLC (CCLLC) regarding the Thomas Bay projects; “Our only interest and purpose is to get cheap electricity to our rural communities.”

Martin wrote a letter to the editor in response to the November 17th guest editorial by Charles E. “Ed” Wood. The editorial discussed the current efforts for private development of the Thomas Bay projects by CCLLC. The editorial sided with the need for public development of the Thomas Bay projects and as such, public ownership, thereby eliminating possibilities of profiteering by CCLLC.

Terrace Standard - Region eyed up for wood pellet plant location

2009-12-23T15:03:00.000-09:00

Terrace Standard - Region eyed up for wood pellet plant location

Alaska Rural Schools Fight Off Extinction - New York Times

2009-12-20T07:39:00.001-09:00

Alaska Rural Schools face extinction
009

NIKOLSKI, Alaska — This distant dot in the Aleutian Islands needed just 10 students for its school to dodge a fatal cut from the state budget. It reached across Alaska and beyond but could find only nine.

Built by the Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1939, the little Nikolski School will not be the last in Alaska to close. Four others have closed this fall and at least 30 more are at risk because of dwindling enrollment; one school in remote southeast Alaska survived only by advertising on Craigslist for families with school-aged children.

The curious case of BCRIC: How not to privatize - Vancouver Sun

2009-12-20T07:24:00.002-09:00

The curious case of BCRIC: How not to privatize
We shouldn't let 2009 end without noting that it marks the 30th anniversary of an important, if failed, Canadian innovation. The B.C. Resources Investment Corporation (or "Brick" -- as it was known to all British Columbians)was the world's first large-scale privatization of government assets. The Social Credit administration of Bill Bennett decided to transfer to the private sector a motley collection of Crown corporations and other assets that had been brought under provincial ownership by a previous NDP government. However, they did so in a manner that has since become an important reference point for other jurisdictions, a lesson in how not to privatize.

CBC News - North - No secret power line investor: Yukon Energy

2009-12-19T08:47:00.001-09:00

CBC News - North - No secret power line investor: Yukon Energy
The head of Yukon Energy said Friday there's no mystery investor behind the Carmacks to Stewart Crossing power line.

A document tabled in the legislature suggested a private investor was putting $12 million into the power line project, but David Morrison said Friday there is no private investor.

Morrison said Yukon Energy had thought Western Copper was investing in the project, but he said that investment is not happening.

Highway 37 - News & Articles - Highway 37 Update -- December 2009 - Sun Dec 13, 2009

2009-12-13T18:08:00.000-09:00

Highway 37 - News & Articles - Highway 37 Update -- December 2009 - Sun Dec 13, 2009

Alberta to decide by January on allowing nuclear power - The Globe and Mail

2009-12-13T05:32:00.000-09:00

Alberta to decide by January on allowing nuclear power - The Globe and Mail

Terrace Standard - Alaskans eye B.C. power line

2009-12-11T06:44:00.001-09:00

Terrace Standard - Alaskans eye B.C. power line
A COALITION OF Alaskan politicians and business leaders can’t wait for the Northwest Transmission Line to be built up Hwy37 North, saying the line is the key to wealth and jobs in the Alaskan Panhandle.

The line is to terminate at a substation at Bob Quinn just off of the highway and a mere 70 miles from where an American transmission system now stops on the other side of the border with the Panhandle.

Draft plan suggests merging utilities - AP Juneau Empire

2009-12-10T13:26:00.001-09:00

Click to read story and blog response about Southeast Alaska
FAIRBANKS AP - A draft plan on statewide electrical generation in Alaska suggests savings by consolidating six electrical utilities in Fairbanks and the Southcentral region.

The Regional Integrated Resource Plan, released last week, analyzed Alaska's electrical infrastructure and suggested that consolidation could make it easier to shift the state toward more renewable power.

Blowing in the Wind | BCBusiness

2009-12-06T22:25:00.002-09:00

Blowing in the Wind | BCBusiness

Posted using ShareThis
There are few places on Earth where the forces of nature are on such violent, chaotic display as Hecate Strait, the narrow stretch of shallow ocean that separates the Queen Charlotte Islands from the B.C. coast. Winter low-pressure systems born over Alaska can push winds to 160 km/h, driving waves over 30 metres high; opposing northeasterly winds gather similar speeds as they funnel across the strait hemmed in by the Queen Charlottes and the jagged mainland. When two such weather systems collide, amid tides that can rise and fall seven metres, anything in their path is trapped between a hammer and anvil.

Wrangell Sentinel - Governor Parnell visits Wrangell

2009-12-06T15:56:00.003-09:00

Wrangell Sentinel - the oldest continuously published paper in Alaska.

Alaska Governor Sean Parnell was expected to briefly tour Wrangell this Wednesday during part of his visit to the Southeast. The governor had a scheduled meeting in Ketchikan and decided to make a brief stop in Wrangell as part of an unplanned visit, according to the governor’s office.

During his visit the governor was anticipated to meet with the borough assembly to discuss five of 42 projects selected as priorities by the assembly. Those projects included the completion of paving for both Cassiar and Weber streets, the continued expansion of Wrangell’s medical facilities, the Alaska/British Columbia intertie, and improvements for the Marine Service center.

Smithers Interior News - The Bulkley lost some fish too...

2009-12-05T22:33:00.000-09:00

Smithers Interior News - The Bulkley lost some fish too...

Prince Rupert’s city council is asking that the North not be forgotten when the federal government conducts a review of Fraser River to figure out just where all the fish have gone.

In a motion they asked that the Skeena River also be looked at.

The Northern View - NaiKun, Katabatic make it through Clean Power Call cuts - Mobile Edition

2009-12-05T21:50:00.000-09:00

The Northern View - NaiKun, Katabatic make it through Clean Power Call cuts - Mobile Edition

Looks like Hart, sounds like Fentie | Yukon News

2009-12-02T19:22:00.001-09:00

Looks like Hart, sounds like Fentie

|
Yukon News

Looks like Hart, sounds like Fentie | Yukon News

2009-12-02T19:22:00.000-09:00

Looks like Hart, sounds like Fentie

|
Yukon News

Glenn Hart can split hairs like the best of them.

The Riverdale South MLA is widely considered to be one of the more decent and forthright members in cabinet.

But he, along with the rest of his colleagues in government, finds himself backed into the same corner over the ATCO scandal. So, asked to explain the mess to constituents at a meeting last week, he didn’t sound like his usual self.

YTG plans to open power grid | Yukon News

2009-12-02T15:12:00.000-09:00

YTG plans to open power grid | Yukon News

The Yukon government is considering dramatically altering the way power is produced in the territory.

It’s asking the public about how to introduce independent power producers and net metering to the grid.

There are few details in a discussion paper released last week, just general questions on how a policy should be written.

Who should regulate these power generators?

What kind of power should be allowed?

What financial incentives should be included?

YTG plans to open power grid | Yukon News

2009-12-02T10:56:00.001-09:00

YTG plans to open power grid | Yukon News

2009-12-02T10:56:00.000-09:00

YTG plans to open power grid | Yukon News The Yukon government is considering dramatically altering the way power is produced in the territory.

It’s asking the public about how to introduce independent power producers and net metering to the grid.

There are few details in a discussion paper released last week, just general questions on how a policy should be written.

Who should regulate these power generators?

What kind of power should be allowed?

What financial incentives should be included?

Balancing act a thing of beauty - The Globe and Mail

2009-11-30T09:56:00.001-09:00

Balancing act a thing of beauty - The Globe and Mail

In negotiating a potentially groundbreaking land management deal with the province, the Taku Tlingit are fighting to find the right balance between development and protection

Gold Glitters in BC's Last Intact Watershed - BC Local News

2009-11-29T16:48:00.001-09:00

Gold Glitters in BC's Last Intact Watershed - BC Local News

Negotiations are underway to set land use rules for B.C.’s last pristine coastal watershed, the remote Taku River valley near the Alaska and Yukon borders.

In talks similar to those that established the so-called Great Bear Rainforest agreement on B.C.'s central and northern coast three years ago, the Taku River Tlingit First Nation is moving beyond court challenges over mining to a plan that would share the resources and tourism potential of their vast traditional territory.

(Historical) Prime Minister Harper in Yukon Siku News, Sept 2009

2009-11-26T21:30:00.002-09:00

Mayo Power project upgrade - transmission to link two Yukon Electric Transmission Systems

Earlier Yukon Energy news.

Nov. 25, 2009 Whitehorse Yukon - Policies to Support Increased Renewable Energy to be Developed -

2009-11-26T06:49:00.000-09:00

Click here for press release
A public consultation for developing Yukon policies for independent power production (IPP) and net metering was announced today by Minister of Energy, Mines and Resources Archie Lang.

“As a key initiative of Yukon’s Energy Strategy, these policies will encourage the development of new small scale sources of renewable energy to help meet our future energy needs while limiting green house gas emissions and improving electrical system reliability,” Lang said.

Sunken Gold Rush ship discovered in Yukon

2009-11-24T18:05:00.000-09:00

Sunken Gold Rush ship discovered in Yukon

FERC Enters a Maze of Questions About Renewable Energy Transmission - New York Times

2009-11-24T09:09:00.001-09:00

Click here for story

B.C. government names members to task force on hydro development - Vancouver Sun

2009-11-21T09:23:00.003-09:00

B.C. government names members to task force on hydro development VANCOUVER — Organizations representing BC Hydro’s industrial, commercial and residential customers are absent from the rosters of four task forces charged with transforming British Columbia into an electricity export powerhouse.

(Northwest) Powerline will bring jobs - Terrace Standard Nov 17, 2009 Letter to editor

2009-11-20T18:09:00.001-09:00

NTL will bring jobs to Northwest BC

BC Hydro pares bid list for Clean Power, calls for price cuts; Names of successful bidders still under wraps | Kelowna.com

2009-11-18T07:46:00.000-09:00

BC Hydro pares bid list for Clean Power, calls for price cuts; Names of successful bidders still under wraps | Kelowna.com

Canoe Pass will pioneer power projects - Campbell River, BC

2009-11-18T07:22:00.004-09:00

Canoe Pass will pioneer power projects "The recent announcement of four task groups and a cabinet committee to advance the clean energy agenda for BC is a clear response to the campaigns to make BC dependent on imports of coal- and nuclear-powered electricity and the confusion caused by the BC Utilities Commission suggestion that reliance on Burrard Thermal was "in the public interest". Notwithstanding the vitriolic blogs of campaigners, letters to local newspapers seem to be suggest that many BC residents do have an interest in seeing the province's remarkable renewable energy resources at work in the fight against climate change."

SitNews - Opinion/Letter: Heating and power generation By A.M.Johnson

2009-11-17T17:45:00.000-09:00

SitNews - Opinion/Letter: Heating and power generation By A.M.Johnson Energy News out of Ketchikan? One Citizen's Viewpoint

Yukon News

2009-11-16T19:11:00.000-09:00

Yukon News
Anti-privatization bill on ice

International Water Power and Dam Construction

2009-11-16T13:24:00.001-09:00

International Water Power and Dam Construction Brian Yanity presents a review of regional hydro power development strategies involving proposed international transmission lines connecting the US state of Alaska and Canada

AltaGas short-circuits BC Hydro

2009-11-13T20:59:00.001-09:00

AltaGas short-circuits BC Hydro
This action by AltaGas, the owner of nearby BC run-of-river hydro project proposals, would short circuit the process - to get the east of Wrangell Northwest Transmission Line moving in an expedited manner. It makes a connection to Southeast Alaska even more tangible.

This is a lecture by Greg Brown, an international energy expert who presented this information at the University of Alaska - Southeast's Auke Lake Campus in November of 2008. In this lecture Mr. Brown presents portions of an energy solution for America and Alaska. A highly recommended view.

2009-11-10T11:57:00.001-09:00

Man of the North - BC Business Online

2009-11-09T11:49:00.000-09:00

Click here to read story As a youth, Tom Albanese fled a small industrial New Jersey town for Alaska. Albanese, now 50, is the first American CEO of the venerable London-based mining giant Rio Tinto PLC (RTP-N), which last year took over Alcan Inc. in a $38-billion deal. He went to university in Fairbanks, Alaska, for degrees in mineral economics and mining engineering.

Palin's successor Parnell catches rogue wave: Can he ride it to victory? - Alaska Dispatch

2009-11-09T08:40:00.000-09:00

Click to read story Four months removed from the surprise resignation of one-time Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, you can almost sense across the state a palpable relief that the turmoil of her 954 days is fading. Neither those who yearned always to embrace Palin nor those who thrived on kicking her around seem anxious to return to the divisive days of yesteryear.

BC Ferry executives paid too much: comptroller general - Victoria Times Colonist

2009-11-09T08:12:00.001-09:00

BC Ferry executives paid too much: comptroller general

Boom and Bust in B.C.'s Northwest - BC Business

2009-11-09T07:57:00.000-09:00

Click here to read story How a proposed power line is reviving a centuries-old dream  of economic prosperity for  B.C.’s beleaguered northwest

"Native tribe will petition Ottawa to remove its Indian status" Globe & Mail

2009-11-09T07:37:00.000-09:00

Click here to read story Gitxsan people from northwest British Columbia willing to relinquish reserves, tax exemptions, Indian Act housing and financial supports in exchange for a share of resources

Don't throw that hen into the stew pot - just yet! Frontiersman

2009-11-06T21:50:00.001-09:00

Chicken U.

PALMER — Just because your Alaska chicken quit laying eggs doesn’t mean she needs to go in the slow-roaster. She might just need to see the light.

Angoon gets preliminary hydropower project permit" - Juneau (AP) Fairbanks Newminer

2009-11-05T22:08:00.000-09:00

Click here to read story

BC Hydro board shuffles CEO Bob Elton aside

2009-11-04T21:03:00.000-09:00

BC Hydro board shuffles CEO Bob Elton aside

Native Insight Competition Winner: Angoon's Harold Frank Jr. - Native American Times

2009-11-03T21:35:00.000-09:00

First Nation Author Tlingit Author is recognized for paper

BC Premier Campbell announces sweeping B.C. energy policy review

2009-11-02T17:59:00.000-09:00

Premier Campbell announces sweeping B.C. energy policy review

Whitehorse cafe is better than half-baked

2009-11-01T20:16:00.000-09:00

Whitehorse cafe is better than half-baked

Video - Olympic Torch to fly on Air North

2009-10-29T22:51:00.001-08:00

Video

Notes on this site

2009-10-23T16:41:00.000-08:00

Updates to this site will be made from time to time. The news feed site will help alert us to pertinent breaking news stories. Please click on the regional news feed topics to see the news for the various regions within our subject area. Any ideas for additions or changes will be happily received and made if at all possible. Please post your ideas or communicate them to us. Thank you.

Changes to this site - links to others

2009-10-22T13:34:00.000-08:00

We've added some sites and a news feed. The news feed is selectable and because it is so handy at finding news of interest, it should be a worthwhile addition. We've opened up the commentary to anonymous bloggers as a means of securing more participation in this forum.

There are some pretty good sites on here. We'd recommend a look at atowncalledpodunk.blogspot.com , opinion250.com , sitnews.us and there are some associated blogs if you care to gander at them. If there are some which I've not included, let me know.

This forum is what we make of it

2009-10-13T18:55:00.000-08:00

This dialog is open for ideas on what we can do here. I'm not even certain how to lay it out with links of Alaskan, BC, Alberta and Yukon news stories and feeds. Any assistance will be welcomed in this regard.

We won't do news summaries, we're definitely not interested in news aggregation, but will present links to actual stories by their sources. I believe in maintaining and not diminishing the various media resources we have available in our regions. The desire here is to have a great flow of information to everyone.

A name for a great Canadian Band and a bit of Canadian - U.S history which should be recalled with humour

2009-10-13T18:46:00.004-08:00

When thinking of what is being attempted here, my thoughts go to a Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young song from the 1960's which recalls another era, the song "It's been a Long Time Coming" comes to mind.

That is the way I think about this small attempt in bridging various era's of U.S. - Canada relations be they a Revolutionary War, 54-40 or fight, a Viet Nam or a post 9-11 era.

A northern setting for a discourse seems appropriate too. After all we have in common we are all inhabitants of the North, whether you be a First Nation Northerner (our first Pioneers) or that of a European descent Pioneer Northerner or a "Cheechako" Northerner as we on the Alaska side often name our recent arrivals to the North. Or some combination of all of that! We all share a love for this northern region of Earth.

What might we get from such a dialog? Hopefully a better understanding of our differences and similarities.

It is desired to present an eclectic mix of Alaska, Alberta, BC, Yukon media and story links here to stimulate some additional information flow between our regions. For some reason, stories such as the Encana bombings, the Northwest (BC) Transmission Line and others seem to have fallen between the cracks in the Alaska media - so hopefully posting links to these stories and media sources will contribute to a better understanding of what is transpiring in our respective Northern regions.

Alaska has learned some valuable lessons from its wild salmon husbandry, but we can also learn lessons from Canadians on these issues too. We aren't so keen on hatcheries, although there have been successes, there are also genetic issues that we are yet learning. We share transboundary rivers and issues such as their management and habitat are controversial and sometimes contentious. We have much to learn from each other's perspectives.