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P E N I N S U L A
MONDAY, MARCH 24, 2014 Soldotna-Kenai, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 148
Question Do you think marijuana should be legalized in Alaska? n Yes; or n No. To place your vote and comment, visit our Web site at www. peninsulaclarion. com. Results and selected comments will be posted each Tuesday in the Clarion, and a new question will be asked. Suggested questions may be submitted online or e-mailed to news@peninsulaclarion.com.
In the news
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
25 years later Exxon Valdez spill effects linger By DAN JOLING Associated Press
herring and birds soaked in oil, of workers painstakingly washing crude off the rugged beaches. Twenty five years later, most of the species have recovered, said Robert Spies, a chief science adviser to governments on the oil spill restoration program from 1989 to 2002. But some wildlife, as well as the people who live in the region, are still struggling. Here’s a look at what’s changed since the spill:
ANCHORAGE — Before the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010 in the Gulf of Mexico, there was the Exxon Valdez disaster in Alaska, at the time the nation’s largest oil spill. The 987-foot tanker, carrying 53 million gallons of crude, struck Bligh Reef at 12:04 a.m. on March 24, 1989. Within hours, it unleashed an estimated 10.8 million gallons of thick, toxic crude oil into the water. Storms and currents then smeared it over 1,300 miles of shore- Fisherman line. Bernie Culbertson was preparing For a generation of people around to fish cod when the Exxon Valdez ran the world, the spill was seared into their aground. With oil in the water, fishing memories by images of fouled coastline in Prince William Sound, of sea otters, See SPILL, page A-10
AP Photo/Rob Stapleton
In this April 21, 1989 file photo, crews use high pressured hoses to blast the rocks on this beach front on Naked Island. This is one of only two beaches that are being worked on, of the 58 beaches in the Prince William Sound. On March 24, the crude oil tanker Exxon Valdez grounded on a reef and spilled nearly 11 million gallons of oil in the waters. Nearly 25 years after the Exxon Valdez oil spill off the coast of Alaska, some damage heals, some effects linger in Prince William Sound.
House Finance advances bill reviewing tax credits
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Lawmaker wants coal plant without fed regs
JUNEAU — The House Finance Committee has advanced legislation that would sunset Alaska’s film tax credit program in 2016. The provision’s part of a larger bill calling for the review of “indirect expenditures,” things like tax credits or exemptions. The bill sets sunset dates of 2016 or 2018 for different programs. The sponsor of HB306, Rep. Steve Thompson, says the idea is for a thorough analysis of whether programs are doing what they’re intended. He expects most of the programs to be renewed or extended. An audit of the film tax credit, reauthorized in 2012, predated changes made by lawmakers. Rep. Les Gara says there are things he likes about the bill. But he worries it will result in the film program being doomed before it’s really given a chance to work. — The Associated Press
Inside ‘I really believe that inquiry and process is the one thing students should learn.’ ... See page A-3
‘If you violate our border, our slap will be hard.’ ... See page A-6
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Nation.................... A-5 World..................... A-6 Sports.....................A-7 Schools...................B-1 Classifieds............. B-3 Comics................... B-8 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
Photos by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion
Girl Scout Volunteer Rosemary Pilatti evokes delighted gasps from her audience when she pulls out her sash full of patches from her years as a girl scout, Saturday at Women of Science and Technology Day at Kenai Peninsula College in Soldotna.
Experimenting with science Learning and fun at Girl Scouts Women of Science and Technology Day By KELLY SULLIVAN Peninsula Clarion
A handful of Girl Scouts of Alaska stood scooping mouthfuls of handmade ice cream in plastic bags in what would have been a presumably empty classroom on a Saturday afternoon at Kenai
Peninsula College. Vigorously shaking bags of ice, dairy and flavorings was only one of the many activities Girl Scouts from all over the Kenai Peninsula took park in at the Girl Scouts Women of Science and Technology Day. Cayce Warner said making ice
cream was her favorite lesson of the day. Making ice cream in a sandwich bag with such basic ingredients was a different approach than she was used to seeing, Warner said. “It definitely tasted delicious,” she said. At the anti-tobacco semi-
nar Warner also learned how cigarette companies market their products to visually appeal to children. She said now she knows how to read the warning labels on products that may contain tobacco and will avoid the drug in the future. See SCOUTS, page A-10
JUNEAU (AP) — A Republican senator says Alaska should ignore federal regulations and plan to build a largescale coal-powered plant to generate electricity in the event of an energy crisis. Sen. Pete Kelly, R-Fairbanks, is sponsoring a resolution asking the governor to consider the feasibility and cost of building power plants on state land “without regard to federal permits or restrictions.” “There’s going to come a time when a natural event, an economic event, a war, and we’re going to wake up and read headlines, like we did on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001, and realize the world had changed. And when that happens, we’re going to have another spike in electricity and energy costs that will stagger us,” Kelly told the Senate Finance Committee last week. The resolution remains in the committee awaiting a cost estimate, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reported Sunday. The state should consider building a backup power source and coal is the cheapest and most readily available fuel supply, he said. Pollution restrictions could be overlooked in an emergency. “The resolution was in response to the fact that the federal government has decided that See COAL, page A-10
Kenai angler wins winter king tournament Photo by McKibben Jackinsky/ Homer News
By McKIBBEN JACKINSKY Morris News Service-Alaska
With a king s a l m o n weighing 30.60 pounds, Raymond B. Tepp of Kenai takes first place in the Homer Winter King Salmon Tournament. Fishing aboard the Inlet Plunder, Tepp’s firstplace cash prize was
Homer News
Reeling in a 30.60-pound king salmon, Raymond B. Tepp of Kenai is the first-place winner in the 2014 Homer Winter King Salmon Tournament held Saturday. Fishing aboard his own boat, the Inlet Plunder, Tepp’s cash prize is $19,026. A total 202 fish were caught by the 907 anglers participating in the one-day event that began with hooks in the water at 9 a.m. and ended with hooks out of the water by 4 p.m. This was the 21st Winter King Salmon Tournament sponsored by the Homer Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center. Y
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The strong turnout this year topped the 700 fishermen that participated in 2013. Tepp’s salmon was a few pounds lighter than the 35.10-pound king salmon caught by last year’s tournament winner, Anchorage angler Leszek Kuligowski. However, the increased number of anglers meant Tepp took home a few more dollars than the 2013 first-place prize of $15,393. The top 10 anglers in Saturday’s tournament were: • First place: Raymond B. Tepp, Kenai, 30.60-pound king salmon, $19.026; • Second place: Eric Kjelland, Eagle River, 25.90-pound king salmon, $12,684; See KING, page A-10