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P E N I N S U L A
Thursday, October 25, 2018 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 49, Issue 22
Arctic offshore drilling approved By DAN JOLING Associated Press
ANCHORAGE — The first oil and gas production wells in federal Arctic waters have been approved by U.S. regulators. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management on Wednesday announced it issued a conditional permit for the Liberty Project, a proposal by a subsidiary of Houston-based Hilcorp for production wells on an artificial island in the Beaufort Sea. The approval follows through on President Donald Trump’s promise of American energy dominance, said Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke. “Responsibly developing our resources, in Alaska especially, will allow us to use our energy diplomatically to aid our allies and check our adversaries,” he said in the announcement. Environmental groups oppose Arctic offshore drilling and have expressed concerns about the production record of Hilcorp Alaska LLC. State authorities in 2017 year fined the company $200,000 for violations at another production site. Kristen Monsell, ocean legal director for the Center for Biological Diversity, said approval of Liberty sets the country down a path of destroying the Arctic. “An oil spill in the Arctic would be impossible to clean up and the region is already stressed by climate change,” she said. The gravel island would be built in 19 feet (5.8 meters) of water about 5.6 miles (9 kilometers) off shore. The site is 15 miles (24 kilometers) east of Prudhoe Bay, North America’s largest oil field. Hilcorp will develop federal leases sold in the 1990s. BP Exploration Alaska drilled at the site in 1997 and sold 50 percent of the assets to Hilcorp in 2014. The base of the gravel island would cover 24 acres of ocean floor, about the size of 18 football fields, with sloped sides leading to a work surface of 9 acres, the size of nearly seven football fields. To create the island, trucks would travel by ice road to a hole cut in sea ice and deposit 83,000 cubic yards (63,450 million cubic meters) of gravel. A wall would fend off ice, waves and wildlife, such as polar bears. See DRILL, page A2
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Assembly continues invocation Despite losing ACLU challenge, assembly starts meeting with religious observance By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Tuesday’s Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meeting was just like any other, starting with the pledge of allegiance and an invocation. Two weeks ago, however, the borough lost a lawsuit against the American Civil Liberties Union of Alaska in a fight over the right to offer a religious invocation at the beginning of each meeting. The Superior Court ruled the invocation policy, passed in 2016, violates the Alaska Constitution’s establishment clause, which is a mandate banning government from establishing an official religion or the favoring of one belief over another’s, assembly meetings still begin with an invocation or an appeal to a higher authority for the benefit of the assembly. Despite this, assembly meetings have two weeks in a row begun with an invocation or an appeal to a higher authority for the benefit of the assembly. The borough’s resolution allows a chaplain serving the military, law enforcement agencies, fire departments, hospitals or other similar organizations to give invocations before Kenai Peninsula Borough Assem-
The Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly stands in silence while Assembly President Wayne Ogle offers an invocation before the meeting Tuesday in Soldotna. (Photo by Victoria Petersen/Peninsula Clarion)
bly meetings, as well as people who are members of a religious organization with an “established presence” in the borough that meets regularly. Tuesday’s invocation was
given by Borough Assembly President Wayne Ogle, who gave thanks to “Father God” and offered a number of prayers. The ACLU of Alaska repre-
Seward Hwy closures cancelled By KAT SORENSEN Peninsula Clarion
Closures along the Seward Highway scheduled to begin tonight have been canceled due to extreme weather. The Seward Highway closure between mile 84.6 and 86.1, just south of Girdwood and before the Portage turnoff, was set to start the evening of Oct. 24 and continue throughout the week. The closures were scheduled to replace culverts under the road, but due to deteriorating weather conditions the work has been postponed to next spring, according to the Alaska Department of Transportation. Drivers to and from Anchorage may still find themselves
sented Lance Hunt, an atheist, Iris Fontana, a member of The Satanic Temple, and Elise Boyer, a member of a small Jewish community in Homer. Each submitted applications to give
at a standstill because of the weather, though. The DOT warns drivers to expect road closures along the Turnagain Pass area of the Seward Highway near mile-
post 68.7 for about 1 mile due to flooding. Both lanes will need to be closed intermittently throughout the night while workers pump water across the road.
Swimmers are able to get back into the Nikiski Pool earlier than expected. The pool officially opened on Wednesday morning, Nigel LaRiccia, the pool supervisor, said. The North Peninsula Recreation Service Area began construction on their new septic system last week. The price for the new septic system is now almost twice as much as was previously expected. The estimated cost has risen from $50,000 to $90,000.
Halloween kicks off this weekend By JOEY KLECKA Peninsula Clarion
The Halloween festivities kick off this weekend in anticipation of the big night next week. The fun begins today at 4 p.m. at the Soldotna Public Library, which will be hosting a Halloween party with a children’s story time. The event will include a costume parade and a cupcake walk, which librarian Linda McMilin said will be accompanied by scary music. “When the music turns off, they’ll be standing on a number, and whichever one we pick will win a cupcake,” McMilin said. “We encourage adults and children to be dressed up. It’ll be a lot of fun.” The Nikiski Recreation Center continues the festivities with an assortment of events, beginning Friday with its Teen Costume Party from 7 to 10 p.m. The party is for students grades 6 through 12, and for $2 admis-
See ACLU, page A3
Nikiski Pool open after shutdown By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Cars are lined up in traffic on the Seward Highway along the Turnagain Arm in this July 3, 2015 file photo. (Megan Pacer/ Peninsula Clarion)
invocations after the resolution passed in 2016, which were denied because they did not belong to official organizations with an established presence on
“When this ordinance was introduced to the assembly on Oct. 9, 2018, it was anticipated that the North Peninsula Recreation Service Area (NPRSA) would be replacing the Nikiski Pool septic system with a system comparable to the existing system. However, the Alaska Department of Conservation (ADEC) based on calculations from domestic water consumption at the Nikiski Pool, is requiring the tank and trench leach field be significantly larger for capacity,” Finance Director Brandi Harbaugh and Service Area See POOL, page A3
Assembly re-elects Ogle, Bagley for president, vice president By VICTORIA PETERSEN Peninsula Clarion
Tori Giles, left, Emilie Grimes, Torile Giles and Arin Reger carve pumkings at the Soldotna Public Library on Saturday, Oct. 21, 2017 during the library’s teen halloween party. (Photo by Kat Sorensen/Peninsula Clarion)
sion. Attendees can show up in the rec center. The Nikiski Rec Center will costume to engage in an array “There’s a prize at the end of also host the Pumpkin Plunge, of “minute-to-win-it” games, the night for the best costume,” a free event for children ages according to Teri Langston of Langston said. See HALLOW, page A3
Current Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly President Wayne Ogle and Vice President Dale Bagley were reelected into the assembly’s president and vice president seats at Tuesday’s assembly meeting. The two will serve in those positions for another year. Wayne Ogle represents borough District 3 in Nikiski. Bagley serves District 4 in the Soldotna area. Both Bagley and Ogle’s terms end next year.