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CLARION
Some showers 55/44 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
Friday-Saturday, September 19-20 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 44, Issue 302
Question Do you think this winter will be: n Milder than last winter; n More severe than last winter; or n About the same as last winter? 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
Kenai Peninsula to host Alaska’s firefighters By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
The last time 300 firefighters were on the Central Kenai Peninsula, a wildfire consumed nearly 200,000 acres of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Starting Saturday through Sept. 27, firefighters from all over the state will converge on the peninsula for the 2014 Alaska Fire Conference. While there will be flames, they’ll be for training purposes. Emergency responders will use the week to brush up on tactics and learn from experts in a variety of scenarios. The Kenai Chapter of the Alaska State Firefighters Association will host the week long training conference. The Kenai Fire Department, Central Emergency Services and the Nikiski Fire Department will host sessions on fighting fires and rescue response on land, water and aircraft, said Bud Sexton, Nikiski Fire Department public information officer. Sexton said it is a big deal to have the conference on the Kenai Peninsula
Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
In this May 22, 2014 file photo Matt Tegerdine, Central Emergency Services firefighter, works to contain a fire along Funny River Road in Soldotna. Hundreds of firefighters will descend on the Kenai Peninsula for a weeklong training conference.
this year because it allows more local on the Kenai Peninsula in 2003. firefighters to attend multiple training “To get all the training in our backcourses and doesn’t strain limited travel yard is helpful to all the area departbudgets. The conference was last held ments,” he said. “Sometimes we are
only able to send one person per shift for training. To be the hosts, the whole department can attend different sessions and if we get calls we can handle them as it goes.” Kenai Fire Chief Jeff Tucker said the Kenai Peninsula is an ideal location for the conference. The Beacon Fire Training Center and Kenai Municipal Airport Fire Station in Kenai, along with the CES training facility and the proximity of the Cook Inlet and oil and gas refineries in Nikiski offer a wide range of training opportunities, he said. “The networking with other fire personnel from around the state and the benefit you get from the training and shared techniques you can’t quantify its significance,” Tucker said. “We live in a large state with a lot of small communities. We all know each other and it’s a good time to reconnect and share knowledge.” Training seminars include rapid intervention team, where firefighters will simulate rescues in live exercises and helicopter underwater egress training,
EPA extends decision on mining proposal
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Nikiski residents to host meeting on thefts
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency will take more time to review comments on a proposal that would restrict large-scale mining near the headwaters of a world-premier salmon fishery. The decision could have implications for the proposed Pebble Mine. EPA received more than 155,000 written comments and expects to receive thousands more before the public comment period ends Friday. Under regulations, EPA’s regional administrator is to withdraw the proposal or advance a recommendation to headquarters within 30 days of public hearings ending, but not before the comment period closes. Hearings ended Aug. 15. EPA is extending the timeline to Feb. 4.
By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
Stranded harbor seal pup released KODIAK, Alaska (AP) — An abandoned harbor seal pup that narrowly avoided death by seagull was returned to the wild off a Kodiak Island beach. The seal was released Wednesday by representatives of the Alaska SeaLife Center. A kayaker in June spotted the seal on an island in Kalsin Bay. Gulls were pecking at the 4-day-old pup, which still had its umbilical cord attached. The SeaLife Center’s Halley Werner says the pup would not have survived. It was skinny, dehydrated and wounded when it reached the center in Seward.
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Nation.................... A-5 World..................... A-7 Sports.....................B-1 Classifieds............ C-3 Comics.................. C-9 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
See FIRE, page A-10
Photo by Kelly Sullivan/ Peninsula Clarion
Field work
Kenai Peninsula College’s Assistant Professor of Process Technology Henry Haney gave a tour to members of the Resource Development Council for Alaska, Inc., around the Career and Technical Education Center, Thursday, in Soldotna. The group came to check out the different operations in and around Kenai that utilize the areas resources, and the program taught at KPC.
APOC rejects more fisheries complaints Advocacy at the BOF not considered lobbying under state definition By MOLLY DISCHNER Morris News Service-Alaska Alaska Journal of Commerce
ANCHORAGE — The Alaska Public Offices Commission received and rejected 14 complaints regarding lobbying at Upper Cook Inlet Board of Fisheries meetings. Alaska’s Board of Fisheries is responsible for making certain fisheries management policy decisions for the state, including setting seasons and bag limits for fisheries along with methods and means for taking fish, and making allocative decisions between user groups. The complaints, filed Sept. 10, asserted that seven individuals and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough did not follow state regulations about lobbying disclosures in 2011 and 2014. Each of the individuals attended either the 2011 or 2014 Upper Cook Inlet Board of Fisheries meeting, or both, and,
according to the complaints, was reimbursed or compensated for attending and advocating for certain issues, but did not register as a lobbyist. The individuals were either members of the MatanuskaBorough’s Fish and Wildlife Commission, contracted by that body, or employees advocating on behalf of other Cook Inlet sportfishing interests. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough similarly did not file the requisite disclosures after reimbursing many of the same individuals for the meeting or meetings, the complaints assert. When APOC receives a complaint, staff first looks at whether it meets several technical standards, and whether the alleged issue would constitute an actual violation of state law if the complaint were proved true. These complaints would not. Each was rejected because advocacy at state Board of Fish-
eries meetings is not considered lobbying, according to APOC Executive Director Paul Dauphinais. That’s for two reasons. The state’s statute on lobbying exempts public sessions of the legislature and public meetings of other state agencies. Board of Fisheries meetings are open to the public, so state regulations regarding lobbying don’t apply to activity there, according to Dauphinais. Anybody
who wants to petition the board of fisheries, or any other state board, at a public meeting can do so without being subject to lobbying regulations, said APOC’s Joan Mize. Advocacy at Board of Fisheries meetings also is not considered lobbying because the board’s action does not fall under the state’s definition of administrative action, Mize said. See APOC, page A-10
A rash of thefts in Nikiski last weekend have brought affected residents to a tipping point. The owners of two Nikiski companies reported thefts on their property that occurred sometime between Saturday night and Sunday morning, said Nikiski resident Ann Krogseng. More than $5,000 worth of equipment was stolen from AA Dan’s Construction, said Ann Krogseng, co-owner with her husband Dan Krogseng. The thieves took five sets of tires, ripped out lights from trucks, stole a plow and siphoned gas out of the tanks, she said. “In talking with others we found out other people who have been targeted,” she said. “The number of people affected keeps growing.” Toni and Kenny Dyer with Water Systems and Service Company, returned to their Nikiksi well drilling business Monday morning to find wires cut out of their truck engine and welding equipment stolen. The extent of the damage has temporarily put them out of business during a normally busy time of year. “It is beyond frustrating,” Toni Dyer said. “The people responsible knew what they were doing. We have been robbed before and I want them to know they messed with the wrong people.” See THEFT, page A-10
Kenai council welcomes new staff By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
The Kenai City Council welcomed its newest student representative, received a check from a fundraiser and addressed four ordinances on their agenda in a brief meeting Wednesday. Allison Ostrander, a senior at Kenai Central High School, was sworn in to office to begin C
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her one-year term as student representative. Joseph Jolly, representing Kenai Senior Connection, presented a check for $18,479.86 to the city of Kenai for a Meals on Wheels fundraiser. Mayor Pat Porter thanked Jolly and all the volunteers who dedicate their time to provide service to seniors in need. “I know how dedicated you all work in See STAFF, page A-10