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Dipping
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CLARION
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P E N I N S U L A
THURSDAY, JULY 10, 2014 Soldotna-Kenai, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 241
50 cents newsstands daily/$1.00 Sunday
Gas project review board named
Question Do you plan to participate in one of the Peninsula’s dipnet fisheries? n Yes n No n I’m going to wait and see 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 Troopers make 24 DUI arrests over July 4 holiday
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ANCHORAGE (AP) — Alaska State Troopers say 24 people were arrested for driving under the influence over the Fourth of July holiday period. Troopers say 847 citations were issued for speeding during the concentrated enforcements between July 2 and 8 a.m. Monday. Another 102 citations were issued for seatbelt or other restraint violations. Troopers say 195 drivers were contacted after they were reported as dangerous drivers. According to troopers, those drivers ultimately were determined not to be driving under the influence. Altogether, 1,524 citations were issued.
Sonar estimates Estimated Kenai River reds: n Tuesday: 16,872 n So far: 126,726 Russian River reds weir count: n Tuesday: 516 n So far: 42,273 Estimated Kasilof River reds: n Tuesday: 6,810 n So far: 201,469
Information provided by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Sonar estimates can be obtained by calling 262-9097.
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Business................ A-5 Nation/World.......... A-6 Sports.....................A-8 Tight Lines........... A-10 Entertainment........ B-1 Classifieds............. B-3 Comics................... B-6 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
Photos by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
Above, Devin Every, Travis Every and Damien Redder pick fish from a setnet Wednesday in Kenai. Below, sockeye salmon and one king salmon lay in a fish tote after being offloaded from a commercial set gillnet skiff during the 12-hour fishing period.
Trickling in The raindrops and red salmon were intermittent Wednesday as setnetters on the east side of the Cook Inlet fished a 12-hour opener — the first of the season for the Kenai and East Forelands section of the fishery. The commercial gillnet fishers were primarily put into the water to nab red, or sockeye, salmon headed into the Kenai and Kasilof rivers. Managers of both rivers are seeing large passages, with the Kasilof hitting the 195,000 mark by Monday and 110,000 making it into the Kenai. Several rain-gear and fishslime clad fishers on the beach near Cannery Road in Kenai said things had been slow — though flounder seemed to be
By KAYLEE OSOWSKI Peninsula Clarion
Gov. Sean Parnell named the members of the Municipal Advisory Gas Project Review Board this week. Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Mike Navarre will serve on the board, which aims to discuss potential impacts of the proposed Alaska Pipeline Project to Alaska Boroughs and cities. With Nikiski as the top choice for the LNG plant and terminal, Navarre said possible changes in tax structuring would impact the borough. “Obviously a natural gas pipeline and export facility would be a huge benefit in terms of jobs and economic opportunities so that’s something I think is in Alaska’s best interest,” Navarre said. “But how it’s structured and what the impacts are to the local government and the taxpayers in the local areas, it is important.” Navarre said he’s open to discussing different tax structure options like a payment in lieu of taxes, but if it’s not structured properly the borough could see a negative impact. “How that’s structured and how the payment — who it
Wednesday’s setnet opening wet, slow By RASHAH McCHESNEY Peninsula Clarion
Borough mayor joins other municipal leaders on panel
abundant. Devin Every and Damien Redder tossed at least five flounder from their boat as they picked the Every family’s nets just before high tide at about 3 p.m. Despite a slow day of harvest, energy was high and bursts of laughter punctuated the steady patter of raindrops as crew members hit each other with fish, while steadily filling large, plastic totes that dotted the beach in front of each setnet operation. “It could have been better,” said Landon Taylor whose family’s operation is just south of the Kenai River. They fish primarily outer nets, or those that don’t touch the beach, he said. “But, the wind that’s supposed to come up tomorrow makes our fishing worse See OPEN, page A-7
See BOARD, page A-7
Exploration work to resume at Cosmo By TIM BRADNER Morris News Service-Alaska Alaska Journal of Commerce
A drill rig will likely be starting work again later this year near Anchor Point. BlueCrest Energy Inc. plans to begin drilling later this year at the offshore Cosmopolitan oil and gas discovery in Cook Inlet, company officials say. Wells will be drilled from
onshore, at high angles, to reach the Cosmopolitan deposit that is about 2.5 miles offshore. BlueCrest, based in Fort Worth, Texas, wants to begin a multi-year program to drill “extended-reach” production wells to tap a known oil deposit at Cosmopolitan, company president Benjamin Johnson said in an interview. Meanwhile, the Endeavour jack-up rig will be com-
ing back to Cosmopolitan, too. BlueCrest will use the jack-up rig to drill vertical gas production wells into a shallow gas deposit that overlies the deeper oil reservoir, Johnson said. The company would like to get the Endeavour drilling by late summer but some extended maintenance work on the rig may delay that until next spring, he said. “We would like to begin
drilling with the Endeavour this summer but it is unlikely to be available until later in the fall, which is too late to drill and complete wells in Cook Inlet,” due to the onset of winter weather, Johnson said. “We’ll take it as soon as it is available, however.” The rig is, owned by Singapore-based Ezion Holdings and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, a
state agency, is now undergoing maintenance at Port Graham, south of Homer. The Endeavour was also used in 2013 to drill at Cosmopolitan, where it confirmed the gas discovery. At that time, Buccaneer Energy was the operator of the project. Buccaneer held a minority ownership in Cosmopolitan, with BlueCrest as the majority owners, but has See COSMO, page A-7
ASRC board member takes issue with endorsement By BECKY BOHRER Associated Press
JUNEAU — A board member for the Arctic Slope Regional Corp. has taken issue with the organization’s endorsement of Republican U.S. Senate hopeful Dan Sullivan. Eugene Brower on Wednesday said members were polled individually on whether they supported Sullivan but a formal board vote wasn’t taken. He
said there is a distinction. Brower said he was upset by ‘There are members of the board of dia news release implying the full board supported Sullivan. He rectors that may be supporting Dan Sulsaid he is a Democrat at heart livan, but not everybody is on the same who has voted Republican in the past. He said he supports page.’ Democratic Sen. Mark Begich, — Eugene Brower, ASRC board member who is seeking re-election, but he also is wary about taking sides in primary. A spokesman for the corpo- their own opinions. He said the Hardt said he was sorry if ration, Ty Hardt, said individual organization stands behind its there has been any confusion. board members are entitled to original announcement. But he said board members C
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were polled, and the support for Sullivan was overwhelming. The release, issued last week, said members of the board had taken the “unique step” of endorsing a U.S. Senate candidate. The release quoted board chairman Crawford Patkotak and corporation president and CEO Rex Rock Sr. touting Sullivan, a former state attorney general and Natural Resources commissioner, as the best pick. See ISSUE, page A-7