SAVE OUR SCHOOLS: oil-slicked Juneau and racist Chicago?

SAVE OUR SCHOOLS

Alaska:

School rally:

 no to vouchers, yes to BSA

Teachers, legislators, supporters rally for school funding increase

Posted: March 27, 2013 - 12:05am

By RUSSELL STIGALL

JUNEAU EMPIRE

More than 150 teachers, legislators and education supporters rallied behind calls to increase funds allocated to each Alaskan student outside Alaska’s capitol building Tuesday afternoon.

Michael Penn / Juneau Empire

Sen. Berta Gardner, D-Anchorage, and Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage, along with other legislators speak during a "Save Our Schools" rally attended by public education supporters on the steps of the Capitol on Tuesday.

Calls to put education before funding oil exploration were directed at the governor’s (Parnell) third-floor windows.

Rep. Beth Kerttula, D-Juneau, said the state (Alaska) should fund schools at least as generously as it does oil exploration.

“I would say a second-grader’s education is

 more important than a billion dollars for oil

 companies,” Kerttula said referencing Gov. Sean Parnell’s 

current oil tax proposal.

educators and decision-makers voiced opposition to state-issued school vouchers

http://juneauempire.com/state/2013-03-27/school-rally-no-vouchers-yes-bsa#.UVRYbpOk8vw

Senator Johny Ellis: " The (Alaska) Senate has narrowly passed a massive transfer of Alaska’s oil revenue to multinational corporations....

Alaska’s $17 billion savings reserve will be depleted to give massive amounts of money to (multinationa)l corporations currently making billions per year in profit."

http://alaskasenatedems.com/senator/ellis/032113_fromthedeskof_ellis.htm

Why are corporate-private "vouchers" bad? 

February 15, 2013

NEA-Alaska Statement on Senate President Huggins Actions Today Regarding Vouchers

"SJR 9 significantly changes Alaska's State Constitution, by allowing state funds to be diverted to private and religious schools. When Alaskan Constitutional Delegates gathered in Fairbanks in 1955-56, they were concerned with the dual system of education at that time: one run by the Bureau of Indian Affairs and one by the Territory of Alaska. The delegates wished to create a unified school system free from sectarianism and partisanship. SJR 9 would once again create a dual education system in Alaska: a public school system that is bound by state and federal laws and a private/religious school system that would receive public funds but would not be held accountable for results or use of funds.

With such a proposed dramatic change to Alaska's educational landscape, it is stunning that Senate President Huggins would decide that the Senate Education Committee would not even get to hear the bill. This action holds Alaskans in very low regard. If Alaskans are to consider rolling back 50 years of constitutional language, there should be ample opportunities for public comment and to vet the idea of vouchers thoroughly."

President Ron Fuhrer

Also in Chicago yesterday...thousands of teachers rallied on the streets...

More than 130 arrested during Chicago schools protest

Thousands Protest 54 Chicago School Closings

http://atlantablackstar.com/2013/03/28/over-100-arrests-as-thousands-protest-chicago-school-closings/

The planned closings, perhaps the largest number school closings in U.S. 

history, will affect more than 30,000 students, primarily in

 low-income black and Latino neighborhoods

Reverend Jesse Jackson speaks against Chicago school 

closures

a Glimpse of Health Disparities in Yup'ik Villages

Enormous Disparities in Health are just the tip of the iceberg of colonization and assimilation in Alaska's indigenous communities.  

Billions of dollars in tax breaks for multinational oil companies are gifted by the Alaska politicians, but basic human rights of indigenous peoples in Alaska are ignored.

Not only is the Governor and his little "Eichmann's" in the Legislature employing policy's and regulations to wipe out Alaska Native rights to traditional and customary foods; the State of Alaska has $45 Billion, or $45,000 Million dollars in their savings account (Permanent Fund), which Gov. Parnell is giving to the oil companies.  

So in 2013, 54 years after US Congress passed the Alaska Statehood Act,

 WHY are 45 percent of Yup'ik homes in Alaska still peeing and pooping in 5-gallon buckets with the RICHEST STATE ($45B) in the RICHEST COUNTRY on the planet?????

APARTHEID (definition by http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crime_of_apartheid )

The crime of apartheid is defined by the 2002 Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court as inhumane acts of a character similar to other crimes against humanity "committed in the context of an institutionalized regime of systematic oppression and domination by one racial group over any other racial group or groups and committed with the intention of maintaining that regime."

Please read the following for a short glimpse of just a few of the results of decades of apartheid instituted by the State of Alaska towards rural Alaska villages....

http://kyuk.org/u-s-arctic-research-commission-in-bethel/

U.S. Arctic Research Commission in Bethel

by ANGELA DENNING-BARNES on MARCH 22, 2013

The U.S. Arctic Research Commission is in Bethel for their 100th meeting. The Commission is an independent federal agency that helps plan research goals on the national level. There are eight commissioners, four of them from Alaska, including Mary Pete of Bethel. Pete says it is their first time meeting in the Bethel region and their visit is two-part: they hope to learn more about the Yup’ik people and they are also releasing their 2013-2014 goals report.

Listening to local researchers has been a big part of the Commission’s Bethel trip. Thursday they heard from Bethel mayor and YKHC Medical Director, Joe Klejka. He talked about many brow raising statistics within the Yukon-Kuksokwim Delta compared to the Lower 48. 

The disparities include higher unintentional deaths, cancer, suicides, alcoholism, and dental disease. 

Klejka said the dental problems start before children enter school, often times leading to major surgery.

“We were doing–between us and Anchorage–450 full mouth restorations on kids before the age of starting school here, a year,” Klejka said. “75 percent of our children. That’s just an astounding amount of disease.”

The reasons stem from a number of things including lack of services such as running water.

Not counting Bethel–the region’s hub–about 45 percent of homes still use honey buckets.

When talking about social ills like alcoholism and suicide, Klejka said they are symptoms of a huge break down in culture. That’s stemmed from Westernization when whole communities died from diseases like TB, children were taken from homes to attend boarding schools, and now, children idealizing what they see on television, something far removed from their village reality. Klejka, along with other local speakers, said a key to healthy Arctic communities is keeping cultures alive.

That includes health benefits from a traditional Yup’ik diet which is high in omega 3 fats, Vitamin D, and good cholesterol. Andrea Bersamin with the Center for Alaska Native Health Research told the Commission that the younger the Yup’ik person is, the less traditional diet they are eating. Among 14 to 19 year olds, less than 10 percent of their food is coming from a traditional diet. That’s compared to diets of people over 60, who eat about 50 percent traditional foods.

“So, that’s concerning because they’re disconnecting from the local food system which puts them at greater risk for food insecurity and for development of chronic diseases,” Bersamin said.

Bersamin’s team has research going to counter the trend of moving away from a traditional diet which is called, “Fish to School.” It puts local fish on school menus once a week. Two school districts in the region are participating in the pilot project.

The U.S. Arctic Research Commission is continuing to hear from local research leaders today at the cultural center.

The group plans to visit the Cama-I Dance Festival this evening.

MEDIA ADVISORY: Alaska groups and Tribes oppose Alaska Senate Bill SB 26. Legislature moves to privatize Alaska’s waters

 MEDIA ADVISORY:

Alaska groups and Tribes oppose Alaska Senate Bill SB 26

Anchorage, Alaska   Tuesday March 12, 2013 for immediate release, addendum will follow.

 Contact:

Delice Calcote: 907-563-9334   AlaskaInter-Tribal Council

Carl Wassilie:   907- 382-3403  Alaska’s Big Village Network

Nikos Pastos:  907-764-2561   Center for Water Advocacy 

Emily Murray      Norton Bay Inter - Tribal Watershed Council

What:

Alaska groups and Tribes oppose Alaska Senate Bill SB 26

Protect Alaskans Interest over Corporate Interest .

  

Alaska Tribes and subsistence fisherman aredisproportionately impacted by Alaska SB 26 that revokes all current waterreservations held by Alaskan residents to reserve their right to in stream flowwater reservations. The Alaska House of Representatives have already passedthis version of the  bill (HB77) that supports outside multi-nationalcorporations easy access to Alaska's salmon streams over the pre-existingrights of indigenous Alaskans and other citizens. “The State, for example,already, routinely, processes water use applications for mining, oil and gasuses, while placing on the back burner, simultaneously or previously filedapplications to keep water in stream for healthy fish and wildlife habitat.Similarly, the division often allows the energy industry to take water without,even, filing an application.
“That SB 26 takes the State’s legallyquestionable water right permitting process a giant step further, isillustrated by the fact that, in addition to the prohibition on in stream flowapplications, the bill contains numerous attacks on the rights of citizens andtribes to protect Alaska’s water rights.” – Hal Shepherd  Executive Director Center for Water Advocacy

“Altitude,vegetation, good climate and rich soils have combined to contribute to thedevelopment of subsistence livelihood as the most vibrant sector of the economyand the sector from which most of the Alaskan population derives their sustenance,nourishment and means of support for their families and communities. “

-Emily Murray is a  Board member Norton Bay Inter-Tribal Watershed Council

Support Alaskans and fisher peoples to reserve waters for healthy salmon habitat.

"Our waters,fish, wildlife and Salmon habitat are threatened by SB26 that strips Alaskansrights to reserve water for future generations and fish productivity. Please tell your Senator to say no to this bad bill." – Carl Wassilie   Yupiaq biologist  with Alaska’s Big Village Network

Alaska Inter-Tribal Council :  The Constitution of the State of Alaska, General Provision Article XII, Section 12.  Disclaimer and Agreement: ....
"...The State and its people further disclaim all right or title in or to any property, including fishing rights, the right or title to which may be held by or for any Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut, or community thereof, as that right or title is defined in the act of admission."

   Our rights to fish are protected like in no other State Constitution.  "The first consideration for the waters of the lakes, the rivers and oceans are to be reserved to protect and promote a healthy fishery, forever.   Fisheries and wildlife are considered to be of esthetic, ecological, educational, historical, recreational, scientific value to the Nation and its people and our peoples have rights of first in time and first in line to the resources we use and hold with spiritual, cultural and historical value."

- Delice Calcote Executive Director, Alaska Inter-Tribal Council

Contacts:

Carl Wassilie:  907-764-2561   Alaska’s Big Village Network  3724 Campbell Airstrip Road, Anchorage,Alaska 99504  

Nikos Pastos:   907-764-2561   Center for Water Advocacy  P.O. Box 2903Seward, AK 99664

Delice Calcote: 907-563-9334   AlaskaInter-Tribal Council 555 Northern Lights Blvd. Anchorage, Alaska 99501

  Emily Murray is a board member of the Norton Bay Inter-Tribal Watershed Council

Carl Wassilie is a Yupiaq biologist  with Alaska’s BigVillage Network  www.AkBigVillageNetwork.blogspot.com

Hal Shepherd is thedirector of the Center for Water Advocacy. www.centerforwateradvocacy.org

####           ####          ####

Addressing and Defining Economics

                            By Emily Murray    -Norton Bay Inter-Tribal Watershed Council   

            Thelast two months have been very challenging; especially with the House Bill 77and Senate Bill 26 being requested by Governor Parnell. And now HB 78 and SB 27on wetland permitting are being considered. Currently the U.S. Army Corps ofEngineers permits nearly all wetland dredges and fill permits. The Governor’sproposal would put DNR and DEC in charge. Currently the wetlands permitting processunder the Army Corps has an extensive public process. Wetlands cover a hugeportion of the Arctic, and input for local residents is critical to ensure theappropriate measures are taken for projects.

            Alaskais endowed with many rivers; creeks and wetlands are a natural resource in theeconomy of both the indigenous and non-native people alike. Since both relyheavily on the wildlife and fisheries that habitat these areas. The drainagesystems are vital because they provide fertile soil for subsistence activitiesand a healthy ecosystem for all natural habitats. Subsistence is the backbone of the Alaskan economy thatmost of, if not all indigenous and non-native derive their subsistence livelihoodfrom.

            Altitude,vegetation, good climate and rich soils have combined to contribute to thedevelopment of subsistence livelihood as the most vibrant sector of the economyand the sector from which most of the Alaskan population derives their sustenance,nourishment and means of support for their families and communities. Despitethe foregoing changes that characterize Alaskan indigenous and non-nativepopulation; there are certain core values still cherished by segments of thepopulation regardless of their educational, religious, and economic status. Andmaintaining a healthy ecosystem creates adynamic economy for indigenous and non-native Alaskans alike.

            Hence,if these House and Senate Bills are adopted these acts will NOT work to the advantage of Alaskans.If these Bills pass it will bring destruction to the people who rely on themillions of healthy water bodies and tens of millions of wetlands in Alaska.

In closing, thereis NO THOUGHT of the future, noconcept of the future as the Governor requests to put these Bills in place.Everything is in the NOW! The companies have NO regard for indigenous and non-nativeinterests, especially for their economic well-being.  Communities through  tightly controlled, educational (subsistencehunting and fishing), kinship structure and familial support invigorates andminimizes the problem of destitution by providing economic, social andemotional security.   By keeping ourwetlands clean we are ensuring a healthy ecosystem and communities for allAlaskans. Think about it: “The riches aren’t in the ground, they are all aroundus.”

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++         

Legislature moves to privatize Alaska’s waters By Hal Shepherd

While arepresentative for the Alaska Division of Mining Land and Water was making apresentation during Senate Resources Committee hearings on SB 26 in the StateLegislature last week, the committee asked him who would be affected by thebill. Remarkably, the response was that the bill, which would limit those whoare authorized to apply for an in stream water right under the Alaska Water UseCode, to only state or federal government agencies, would affect only a fewprivate individuals and several dozen non-governmental entities.
The failure of the division, however, to mention that SB 26 would also prohibitNative Alaskan Tribal Governments from applying for in stream flows, isperhaps, the biggest indication that the Bill represents the latest tactic inGovernor Parnell’s ongoing campaign to quickly and quietly privatize Alaska’swater resources.
The State, for example, already, routinely, processes water use applicationsfor mining, oil and gas uses, while placing on the back burner, simultaneouslyor previously filed applications to keep water in stream for healthy fish andwildlife habitat. Similarly, the division often allows the energy industry totake water without, even, filing an application.
That SB 26 takes the State’s legally questionable water right permittingprocess a giant step further, is illustrated by the fact that, in addition tothe prohibition on in stream flow applications, the bill contains numerousattacks on the rights of citizens and tribes to protect Alaska’s water rights.
These include limits on public comment or appeals when the State issues waterright permits, but only for the majority of individuals and entities that wouldbe impacted by the water taken out of stream; eliminating restrictions ontransferring water rights and increasing the amount of water that can beobtained without applying for a permit.
More to the point, the fact is that, such, privatization of water, whichattempts to marry the profit motive to something that people need to survive,doesn’t work. The increasing commodification of water on a global scale, forexample, prompted the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and CulturalRight’s, in 2010, to adopt a resolution stating that the “human right todrinking water is fundamental to life and health. Sufficient and safe drinkingwater is a precondition for the realization of human rights.”
SB 26, which was introduced by Gov. Parnell after he noticed that some of therecent in stream flow applications were annoying the resource extractionindustry, therefore, represents the failure of government entities in theUnited States to recognize the human right to water.
Efforts by citizens and tribes to prevent the reduction of stream flows neededfor fish, destruction of habitat and toxic effluent from industrialdevelopment, however, are also protected by the Alaska state Constitutionwhich, under Article VIII, expressly states that water appropriations shall nothave precedence over “general [public] uses for fish and wildlife.”
Due to the political fall-out of the impact of its “No Human Right to Water” ontribal governments and communities in Alaska, therefore, its no wonder that theGovernor wants to keep quiet that, particular aspect of the Bill.
In an effort to defend these rights, conservation and tribal organizations havelined up to tell Senators that it is critical for Alaskans to have a directvoice in decisions affecting our shared resources and to suggested amendmentsto SB 26 and its companion in the House (HB 77) that would, at least, preserveexisting rights to protect water resources.
The good news is that, although the proposed amendments were rejected by boththe Senate and House Resources Committees, opposition to the bills, so far, hasslowed their progress and more hearings may be held on them this week. We stillhave a chance, therefore, to urge the legislature not to strip away the rightsof citizens and tribes to keep water in our streams for healthy fish and ask itto reject any legislation that ignores Constitutional and other rights for themajority of Alaskans who depend on water resources for health and welfare.

Opposition to SB 26 l:

http://homertribune.com/2013/02/legislature-moves-to-privatize-alaska%E2%80%99s-waters-2/ 

http://homertribune.com/2013/02/legislature-moves-to-privatize-alaska%E2%80%99s-waters/

http://www.i4u.com/2013/02/alaska/legislature-waters-privatize-moves-alaska-s

http://www.tvballa.com/2013/02/alaska/alaska-s-privatize-moves-waters-legislature

http://www.nomenugget.net/archives/2013/02.14.13%20NN.pdf

There was also a  LtE in the Anchorage Press

Hal Shepherd, Director

Center for Water Advocacy

P.O. Box 2903

Seward, AK 99664

(907)299-8821

Yup'ik Human Rights Violated: Subsistence Fishing in Alaska

Posted by Gary Patton

February 2013

I am going to begin this with the comment that Floyd Davidson posted on ALASKA DISPATCH in reference to the Yup’ik fisherman that were arrested for fishing king salmon during a closure on the Kuskokwim River in 2012:

“So far the only tradition the laws have been designed to maintain is that of money for commercial fishing. It’s nice to see an attorney that has actually learned something about Yup’ik culture and Indian Law, and is willing to assert it.

Lets remember that until Statehood ownership of those fish came under the sovereignty of the Yup’ik people, and when the Federal government allowed the State of Alaska to form a socialist government with common ownership of natural resources it was literally stealing those resources from their owners.

That was later made “legal” by ANCSA, but there cannot be any justice if we do not regulate that resource for the primary benefit of the people from whom it was taken!”

[Yup'ik Alaskans on trial for violating salmon fishing restrictions claim religious rite (please click for Alaska Dispatch arcticle--)Jill BurkeNovember 12, 2012"Davis counters that if conservation is truly a driving motivation, then the state and federal governments would do more to diminish salmon bycatch on the high seas, caught before salmon ever have a chance to return to the rivers."]

Gary Patton post continues:
There it is. Thank you Frank.

In my opinion the Yup’ik have a good chance of winning their case. They have “The Law of The Sea” on their side, as well as the STATE OF ALASKA’S lack of jurisdiction over the Yup’ic for the following reasons:

The Vote and the Legality of “THE SALE OF ALASKA and THE STATEHOOD ACT”

FIRST: The big question is did Russia own Alaska? Even under in temporal law of the time, Russia had not fulfilled any obligation to be able to claim title to Alaska. All Russia had in Alaska, was some trading rights with some of the peoples of Alaska. That was it. Russia had not established any form of Government, no cities, nor any of the things required under the rule of law as a way to claim title. This is important to understand.

SECOND: Before Alaska became a territory, it was the DISTRICT OF ALASKA, then became the Territory of Alaska, and was placed on a list of “non-self-governing territories” with the United Nations under article 73e. There was an obligation on the part of the United States to see to it that the first peoples of Alaska would become educated, and allowed to become self-governing. This did not happen. For all the United Nations knew when the United States quit reporting to them, Alaska’s people were of one. This was not true. This is important to understand.

THIRD: A STATEHOOD ACT requires a vote of the people. The question becomes, who were these people, and what criteria is required to call upon a vote for STATEHOOD? How many resident people are required to vote, are transient people allowed to vote, such as military personnel? It was a military vote that carried the STATEHOOD ACT! The VOTE for STATEHOOD did not follow the rule of law; therefore, it should nullify that ACT. This is important to understand.

FOURTH: Peoples of Alaska listen up. Seeing how Russia could not sell what it did not own, Alaska had to be a disclaimer state. Let me assure you that the first peoples of Alaska are part of the Constitution of Alaska. The Constitution of Alaska is supposedly the supreme law of land. Let me refer everyone to:

Article XII, GENERAL PROVISIONS, SECTION 12. The State of Alaska and its people forever disclaim all right and title in or to any property belonging to the United States or subject to its disposition, and not granted or confirmed to the State or its political subdivisions, by or under the act admitting Alaska to the Union. The State and its people further disclaim all right or title in or to any property, including fishing rights, the right or title to which may be held by for any Indian, Eskimo, or Aleut, or community thereof, as that right or title is defined in the act of admission. The State and its people agree that, unless otherwise provided by Congress, the property as described in this section, shall remain subject to the absolute disposition of the United States. They further agree that no taxes will be imposed upon any such property, until otherwise provided by the Congress. This tax exemption shall not apply to property held by individuals in fee without restrictions on alienation.

Fifth: The original peoples of Alaska were subject to ARTICLE V SUFFRAGE AND ELECTIONS (Qualified Voters) of the Constitution of Alaska. Particularly, SECTION 1., where it states: “A voter shall be able to read or speak the English language as prescribed by law, unless prevented by physical disability. This has the appearance of an apartheid clause, because the majority of the original peoples could not fulfill that requirement, therefore were not allowed a vote for STATEHOOD! This is important.

Sixth: The Alaska Native Claims Settlement ACT. This ACT was never voted on by the original peoples of Alaska in any form to either accept or reject the ACT, let alone placed before the original peoples as a referendum as it should have been. This should nullify that ACT, and gives us reason to revisit these ACTS that resemble ACTS of Apartheid. This is very important for everyone to know.

______________________________________END_____________________________________________

ACLU supports Yup’ik fishermen in trial

 ( http://kyuk.org/aclu-supports-yup%E2%80%99ik-fishermen-in-trial/ )  [The American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska is joining the Yup’ik fishermen trials. The group has filed an amicus or “friend of the court brief” in support of the fishermen’s right to fish as part of their religious practice.by ANGELA DENNING-BARNES on FEBRUARY 12, 2013  ]

No Shell in Arctic: Coast Guard finds big problems

Coast Guard: Shell Arctic drilling rig findings turned over to Justice Dept.

By Sean Cockerham — Anchorage Daily News

WASHINGTON — The Coast Guard has found serious safety and environmental violations on a Shell drilling rig used in the Arctic waters off Alaska, another blow to the company’s controversial bid to harvest oil in the petroleum-rich but sensitive region.

The Coast Guard said Friday that it has turned over the matter to the U.S. Department of Justice, which had no comment.

The Coast Guard found 16 violations on the Noble Discoverer, one of Shell’s two drilling rigs for Alaska’s Arctic waters. The company’s other rig, the Kulluk, has its own troubles. The Kulluk broke free from towlines during a New Year’s Eve storm and was grounded for several days off Kodiak Island.

Details of the Noble Discoverer’s violations were obtained by Democratic staff of the House Natural Resources Committee, which had asked the Coast Guard for an accounting of inspections that took place on the rig at the end of November.

“The reports that Shell may have been drilling this summer using a drill ship with serious deficiencies in its safety and pollution control equipment raise additional and continued questions about whether Shell is able to drill safely offshore in the Arctic,” Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey, the top Democrat on the committee, wrote Friday to Shell’s president.

The Coast Guard found the Noble Discoverer could not go fast enough to safely maneuver on its own in all the expected conditions found in Alaska’s Arctic waters.

The Coast Guard also found “systematic failure and lack of main engine preventative maintenance,” which caused a propulsion loss and exhaust system explosion.

Among other issues listed were inoperable equipment used to measure the oil in water that is dumped overboard, improper line splices throughout the engine room, piston cooling water contaminated with sludge and an abnormal propeller shaft vibration.

Coast Guard spokesman Kip Wadlow said he couldn’t discuss the details because the investigation has been forwarded to the Justice Department. Wadlow declined to say whether the Coast Guard believed criminal penalties could be warranted.

Wadlow said the investigation started after the Noble Discoverer had problems with its propulsion system while pulling into the port of Seward, Alaska, in late November.

“The inspectors found several discrepancies dealing with the ship’s pollution prevention equipment as well as several crew safety issues,” he said.

The Noble Discoverer is a converted log carrier owned and operated by Noble Corp. for Shell’s Arctic efforts. The 514-foot-long rig was built in 1966 and converted into a drilling ship 10 years later. It has been upgraded and refurbished to work in the Arctic at a cost of $193 million.

A spokesman for Noble Corp. did not return a message Friday asking about the violations.

Shell spokesman Curtis Smith said Friday that Noble Corp. already has resolved many of the issues the Coast Guard raised. Smith also emphasized that the problems with the main propulsion system surfaced after the rig had left the Chukchi Sea drilling area.

“At no time was the Noble Discoverer found or believed to be a danger to people or the environment while drilling in the Chukchi Sea in 2012,” Smith said in an email. “Had that been the case, we would have ceased all operations immediately.”

The Noble Discoverer and Shell’s other Arctic rig, the Kulluk, will be towed to Asia for inspection and repairs. “The Noble Discoverer’s return to Alaska will be dictated by the scope of work identified while in dry dock and the timeline associated with that work,” Smith said.

Both of the rigs were only able to drill a partial well apiece during a 2012 exploratory season troubled by equipment failures. It’s not clear whether Shell will be able to return to drill in the Arctic this year even if the rigs are repaired in time. The Interior Department has launched a review of Shell’s operations, and investigations are underway over the grounding of the Kulluk.

The Noble Discoverer dragged its anchor and nearly grounded in Dutch Harbor, Alaska, before the start of its drilling work.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear President Obama,

Shell spent six years and $4.5 billion to drill exploratory wells in the Arctic last autumn. The operation was a complete failure and the recent grounding of the Kulluk rig only confirmed what experts have been saying all along -- that drilling for oil in the Arctic will never be safe. 

From fires to toxic emissions, near misses to actual groundings, Shell is charging towards a major accident in the Arctic like a raging bull. We must stop this recklessness company from causing a Deepwater Horizon-scale disaster in the pristine Arctic.

Shell intends to try and drill off Alaska again in 2013 but after what I’ve seen, it is clearly not safe for any company to operate in the remote and freezing Arctic. Which is why I am emailing you today.

Even the head of the Department of Interior's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement agrees, stating recently that someone outside the industry needs to call a 'timeout' to review whether or not the technology is keeping pace as companies push into increasingly risky areas.

Mr. President, that someone should be you.

I am urging you to call for a timeout on all Arctic drilling. Please suspend Shell's permits to drill in the Chukchi and Beaufort seas and stop them from risking a devastating oil spill in this unique region.

What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic. Melting sea ice is a warning to humanity. Not an invitation to drill for more of the stuff that is causing the problem in the first place.

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/02/22/2798607/coast-guard-finds-violations-on.html#emlnl=Breaking_News#storylink=cpy

Read more here: http://www.adn.com/2013/02/22/2798607/coast-guard-finds-violations-on.html#emlnl=Breaking_News#storylink=cpy

TransCanada buying Culture

TransCanada Platinum Sponsor: Indspire Awards & Thundering Hills Powwow Immediate Release

TransCanada appears to be selectively distributing its funds into First Nations communities with its recent “partnership” in the Indspire Awards (formerly the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards) and its Platinum “sponsorship” of the upcoming Thundering Hills Powwow on July 5, 6, & 7th hosted by the Nekaneet First Nation.

Could TransCanada be seeking to stifle Indigenous communities’ opposition to the Tar Sands and the XL pipeline?

TransCanada is the Canadian oil and gas company behind the purposed XL pipeline that would bring Tar Sands oil from Alberta to Texas crossing First Nation and Tribal communities along the way.  Opposition to the Tar Sands and the XL pipeline has been strong from various grassroots Indigenous communities and environmental activists including a recent gathering of tribal Nations in Yankton to sign the “International Treaty to Protect the Sacred from Tar Sands and Keystone XL” and the 40,000 plus gathering of activists who descended on D.C. recently to call on President Obama to reject the XL pipeline.

We call on all Tribal Nations, to reject TransCanada’s attempts to “buy” support for its XL pipeline and other Tar Sands related projects.  Projects that not only will cause significant damage to the very tribal communities it is “investing” in, but cause irreversible damage to our planet and first mother Maka Ina.

Let us reject major corporations that are causing reprehensible damage to our communities, homelands, health and welfare from funding powwows, award shows, or any other related activities or events. Call on the Nekaneet First Nation to drop TransCanada as its Platinum sponsor.

http://lastrealindians.com/transcanada-platinum-sponsor-indspire-awards-thundering-hills-powwow-immediate-release/

4 Reasons Why a Settlement with BP is a Bad Idea

Thu, 2013-02-14 13:23

Sort of like OJ Simpson (Yes. I figure he did it), BP "got over" in the US Justice Department's criminal case against them. They didn't win, but they gladly settled for $4 Billion rather than face a full trial with full public disclosure of exactly what happened before, during and after the Deepwater Horizon rig exploded on April 20, 2010.

So, kind of like the civil case that did tackle "The Juice" eventually, the Justice Department's civil case against BP must proceed to trial on February 25 - and not be "settled" for less money or less public scrutiny than what a full-blown trial would yield.

A sign-on letter requesting a full civil trial and not just another "settlement" will be delivered to US Attorney General Eric Holder (pictured) tomorrow.

Besides knowing that this glove fits BP, my four other reasons for signing are:

    •    Without a full and transparent Civil Trial, the truth regarding the causes and impacts of the largest environmental disaster in US history (Deepwater Horizon) will remain un-aired in any credible or transparent public forum, and remain obscured forever.

    •    A DOJ settlement with BP in lieu of a Civil Trial is very unlikely to result in BP paying the maximum fines allowed under law - a sum which the extremely costly restoration of our Gulf's damaged marshes, estuaries and open waters etc. requires.

    •    Neither egregious misbehavior by BP executives nor preventable disasters like Deepwater Horizon are likely to cease if the corporation and its top executives are not publicly scrutinized and held maximally accountable in a full and transparent Civil Trial. (BP has a long history of criminal offenses concerning environmental pollution and worker safety in addition to "Deepwater Horizon")

    •    Low-income and minority populations continue to bear the heaviest social, environmental and ecological burdens caused by BP's damage to Gulf Coast ecosystems and communities. A very wide range of unmitigated social and environmental impacts continues to fall disproportionately on tens of thousands of Native-, Vietnamese-, African-, Cajun-, Hispanic-, and other poor Bayou-American families and workers whose livelihoods, health, cultural identity and self-determination are the most dependent of anyone's upon the environmental resources that BP has damaged and/or ruined.

To see more on BP's history as a "Serial Polluter and Killer", take a look at this short video.

Derrick Christopher Evans is the director of Turkey Creek Community Initiatives and an adv

"Come and see for yourselves": My remarks at the BP shareholder meeting

Thu, 2012-04-12 16:45

Today, two community advocates and regional leaders from the Gulf Coast, Bryan Parras and Derrick Evans, brought an urgent message to BP's board and shareholders, at the corporation's annual meeting.  Here are Evans' remarks as prepared for delivery.  Evans is the founder of Turkey Creek Community Initiatives (TCCI), a Founding Advisor of the Gulf Coast Fund, and Bridge The Gulf advisor and contributor.  He is from Gulfport, MS.  Read more about the meeting here.
Good morning.  My name is Derrick Christopher Evans and I don't speak for the American government, but I am a citizen of the United States and a resident of the Gulf Coast.   I live in from Gulfport, Mississippi – which is midpoint between New Orleans, Louisiana; 60 miles west of Mobile, Alabama. More specifically, I hail from Turkey Creek – an African-American settlement founded by my former slave ancestors in 1866, and a tidal bayou connected to the northern Gulf of Mexico by Biloxi Bay and the Mississippi Sound.

My community embodies and exudes the same noble history and culture of self-reliance, neighborly good will, slowness to anger, and celebration of les bons temps shared by African-Americans, Native-Americans, Vietnamese, Cajuns and others across a cultural, and ecological region that spans five southern states. Strongly tied to our bayous, bays, wetlands and gulf, people in these communities still eat for lunch and supper what they catch that morning.

I am also a Managing Advisor with the Gulf Coast Fund for Community Renewal and Ecological Health, a community-based regional philanthropy that has distributed some 4.6 million dollars to more than 250 organizations since Hurricane Katrina and the more recent BP Drilling Disaster.

I am here today on behalf of scores of thousands of everyday people in coastal Alabama,

Mississippi, Louisiana, Florida and Texas whose livelihoods, physical health, and inter-

generational way of life have been disrupted, compromised or outright destroyed by one or 

more of the myriad impacts caused by the 200 million gallon oil spill that 

commenced on Earth Day 2010. Unimpeded for three months, the Macondo Well hemorrhage and its multi-sector impacts remain an environmental and social catastrophe of epic proportions that does indeed necessitate an “unprecedented” expenditure of concern, time and money – as well as unprecedented honesty, good will and diligence.

I regret to report, however, that the Gulf is not clean, families and small businesses have not

 been made whole, and other far-reaching consequences are by no means “over” for anyone 

directly concerned – including you who are gathered here today. With dispersed, sunken, 

bulldozed, and buried Sweet Louisiana crude still washing ashore, the possibility of a future 

hurricane storm surge dredging and depositing yet more onto our land-based ecosystems and

 communities is real if not imminent.

So is the possibility that your stock values will suffer significantly once this happens, or once other unfortunate truths about the company’s behavior, impact or liability become more fully disclosed or manifested in ways that cannot be circumvented. False assurances that the oil is gone or that normalcy has returned to the gulf coast should not be taken with any greater confidence than past assurances of Deepwater Horizon’s safety, or of the blown out well’s rate of discharge into the Gulf.

I could easily contrast at great length and in vivid detail that which you and others have been expertly served by a supremely funded PR campaign charged with painting a rosy picture no matter what, but instead – in the name of resolution, good will and brevity - I simply ask if you would come and see for yourselves. On behalf of the Gulf Coast Fund, I invite you without malice – shareholders, board members, and officers alike – to tour gulf coast communities and ecosystems that the Fund exists to serve and renew, and that still suffer acutely from ecological and social impacts that ought not become permanent legacies of the Deepwater Horizon disaster.

Thank you.

Photo: Derrick Evans speaks outside of the 2012 BP Annual Shareholder's meeting in London, England.  By Liana Lopez.View more of her photos here.

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Derrick Evans is the director of Turkey Creek Community Initiatives and an advisor to the Gulf Coast Fund for Community Renewal and Ecological Health. Since 2001 he has worked to help protect and revitalize his coastal Mississippi community and sister communities throughout the region. Prior to that he taught civil rights history at Boston College and social studies in the Boston Public Schools.

http://www.bridgethegulfproject.org/node/608