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Whales
Pick ’em
Humpbacks returning to waters off New York
NFL season hits the homestretch
Nation/A-6
Football/A-11
CLARION
A few clouds 29/19 More weather on Page A-2
P E N I N S U L A
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 11, 2014 Kenai Peninsula, Alaska
Vol. 45, Issue 62
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Oilers to play ball Organization makes plans for 2015 season By JEFF HELMINIAK Peninsula Clarion
The Peninsula Oilers are going for it. Facing a severe financial shortfall, the Oilers board of directors had considered taking the 2015 season off. But at the board meeting in early November, the members decided to shoot for a 42ndstraight season of baseball. “We all sat around at talked
about it, and we officially decided at the last meeting we were just going to go for it,” said Michael Tice, board president. “There wasn’t a vote. It was more like, ‘This is what we do. We don’t need a vote.’” Tice said there are numerous challenges ahead for the threetime national champions to put on a season, but he considers those challenges a better alternative than taking a year off and trying to raise funds without a
sure season in the future. “It’s better for us to try and fail than to just fail to try,” Tice said. “I hope we don’t fail. I think if people know we are doing it, it will make it a lot easier for us to say, ‘Hey, we need your help. Can you sponsor us in some way?’” Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion In August, Tice had said the Oilers would have to raise Peninsula Oilers’ Adam Sonabend waits for the throw as $170,000 to have a season next Chugiak-Eagle River Chinooks’ Chance Gusbeth heads to first year. Since then, Tice said the during their game July 5, 2013 in Kenai. Despite financial chalSee OILERS, page A-12 lenges, the Oilers are making plans for the 2015 season.
Issues go on 2015 agenda
In the news State facing $3.5 billion deficit
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JUNEAU (AP) — Slumping oil prices have helped push Alaska’s potential budget deficit this year to $3.5 billion — an increase of $2.1 billion from what lawmakers expected in April. The price of oil, forecast at $105 a barrel in the state’s spring revenue forecast, is now expected to average about $76 a barrel for the fiscal year that ends June 30. The price is forecast to dip even lower, to $66 a barrel, during fiscal 2016 before rebounding. The average price last fiscal year was $107 a barrel, according to the fall revenue forecast released Wednesday. The forecast expects unrestricted general fund revenue of $2.6 billion this year, down from $5.4 billion in 2014. That, combined with about $200 million in anticipated supplemental budget items like oil and gas credits, accounts for the predicted $3.5 billion deficit, said Jerry Burnett, a deputy Revenue commissioner. The revenue forecast itself does not delve into the overall budget. Unrestricted general fund revenue — money not limited in its use by the constitution, law or something else — is expected to drop to $2.2 billion in 2016. The state is expected to dip into savings to get by. Gov. Bill Walker, who took office Dec. 1, has warned of lean times ahead. The Revenue Department said oil prices were the biggest factor in the revenue drop from the prior forecast. It also cited increases in expected lease expenditures by oil and gas companies, which reduce the amount of tax they pay.
Index Opinion.................. A-4 Nation.................... A-5 World..................... A-7 Sports.....................A-9 Arts........................ B-1 Classifieds............. B-3 Comics................... B-6 Check us out online at www.peninsulaclarion.com To subscribe, call 283-3584.
Assembly moves through meeting By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
Ben Boettger/Peninsula Clarion
Kenai Fire Department Capt. James Dye talks to Kenai Firefighter Zach Pettit on Wednesday outside of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s administration building on Willow Street in Kenai. Firefighters responded to reports of smoke at about noon and worked to discover an ignition point in a portion of the building.
Fire damages Kenaitze building By DAN BALMER Peninsula Clarion
An electrical shortage sparked a small fire inside the walls of the Kenaitze Indian Tribe’s headquarters at 110 North Willow Street in Kenai on Wednesday. With the Kenai Fire Department one block away, firefighters arrived almost immediately after the call came in around noon. Kenai Fire Chief Jeff Tucker said when crews arrived the building had
already been evacuated and no injuries were reported. The source of the fire is believed to be an exterior outlet that shorted out on the Granite Point Street side of the building, Tucker said. As smoke billowed out of the tribal courtroom window, firefighters worked to discover the origin of the fire. They removed siding and cut into the exterior of the building to get to the electrical wiring inside the wall where smoke was discovered.
“Anytime we respond to a fire, to make sure it is out we check in the wall to look for radiant heat,” Tucker said. “We don’t want to leave an ember burning that could cause the fire to restart.” The fire was controlled after 10 minutes and crews remained on scene for an hour. Firefighters covered a small hole on the outside of the building used for ventilation. Tucker said if the fire had occurred on a weekend when nobody would be in the building
to notice the smoke, the damage could have been devastating. “The biggest thing for us is earlier notification,” he said. “Flames spread rapidly and we were able to take care of it before it could get out of hand.” Kenaitze Indian Tribe communications specialist M. Scott Moon said the fire was discovered after a person in the building smelled smoke. “(The employee) went to See FIRE, page A-12
Without any items up for public hearing at Tuesday’s Kenai Peninsula Borough Assembly meeting, the assembly approved several new business items on its consent agenda to address at the start of 2015. Assembly Vice President Sue McClure directed the meeting in the absence of Assembly President Dale Bagley, who is away on vacation. With a light agenda the assembly adjourned after 45 minutes. An ordinance to approve the local option zoning petition for Diamond Willow-Ravenwood subdivision to single-family residential was postponed to the March 17, 2015 meeting. Lands committee chair Mako Haggerty moved the ordinance out from the consent agenda and asked for postponement while the assembly waits for a decision on an appeal in front of the Board of Adjustment from Sean Cude, owner of a gravel pit on Virginia Drive who has requested a land use permit. The ordinance was up for public hearing at the Nov. 25 meeting and postponed until the Jan. 6, 2015 meeting. Soldotna resident Crystal Penrod addressed the assembly Tuesday and expressed her See 2015, page A-12
Vessel discharge moratorium passes U.S. Senate By RASHAH McCHESNEY Peninsula Clarion
The U.S. Senate voted to extend a moratorium on an EPA regulation which could affect nearly every commercial fishing boat in Cook Inlet if the current embargo were to expire. With eight days to go before the vessel discharge rule is set to expire, a bill introduced by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, RAlaska, and Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, passed unanimously and is headed to the U.S. House for a vote before the current session ends. Senators approved a threeyear moratorium on a portion of the EPA’s Clean Water Act that would change discharge
regulations for fishing vessels shorter than 79 feet and fish processors. United Fishermen of Alaska Executive Director Julianne Curry said she expects the House to pass the measure on Thursday. Curry said the language of the current regulation is so broad that it would apply to nearly any liquid that could be emitted from a boat. “This is putting a moratorium on incidental discharge and that’s anything from water that you pump out of your hold, regardless of whether or not you put fish into it, to grey water, to rain water,” she said. “It just seemed like there wasn’t much outreach before the regulations were drafted, they’re fairly non-
sensical.” Roland Maw, executive director of the United Cook Inlet Drift Association, echoed Curry’s sentiments. “When this issue came up in the EPA years ago, it was meant to be dealing with ballast and bilge water, primarily like what a big oil tanker would have. They would come in, pump seawater on board to stabilize the vessel and then when they docked in places like Valdez or Nikiski, they’d pump that water back out and fill the tanks with oil,” he said. But, in an attempt to better regulate ballast waste, the EPA extended onerous rules on incidental discharges to the point See EPA, page A-12 C
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Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion
In this July 16, 2012 file photo, commercial fishermen offload the day’s catch of salmon from the Inlet Raider. The U.S. Senate unanimously passed a moratorium on EPA regulations which would require vessels to get a permit to discharge things like fish guts, gray water and rainwater from the vessel.