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GREEN WATER—Winds of over 40 mph out of the south pushed water onto the sea ice along the Nome-Council Highway on December 4. Photo by Nils Hahn C VOLUME CXI NO. 49 DECEMBER 8, 2011 The Russians are coming with fuel for Nome By Sandra L. Medearis Sitnasuak Native Corp. over the arrive after the original carrier, Delta ago, according to Jason Evans, chair- will cost significantly less and if suc- In an ice-bound land forsaken by weekend, refined a deal to hire an Western, cancelled its voyage earlier man of Sitnasuak’s board of direc- cessful, will be the first time fuel has sun and ships bearing commodity de- Alaska company, Vitus Marine LLC, this month. Sitnasuak and consumers tors. They considered many been delivered over the ocean to liveries during the arctic winter, a to bring in 1.5 million gallons of fuel hope to see the Russian reach Norton alternatives, even the new but unli- Western Alaska in the winter. It Russian double-hulled ice-class from South Korea with the Russian Sound before New Year’s Day. censed Mat-Su Ferry. could open up year-around fuel de- tanker and a small marine trans- tanker T/V Renda. The project, if it Sitnasuak had been searching The emergency puts the dearth of livery to Nome.” portation company may save citizens clears U.S. Coast Guard and envi- “around the clock” and “around the icebreaking services up in lights. The T/V Renda is no stranger in of ice-bound Nome from high fuel ronmental agency hurdles, would al- hemisphere” with a lot of variables Alaska state officials and the con- the Alaskan shipping industry nor is prices stemming from a winter fuel most replace 1.6 million gallons of for a solution since Delta Western gressional delegation have been Korean fuel. The tanker has carried shortage. fuel and a barge delivery that did not cancelled the delivery over a week chipping away at the resistance to fuel to the Aleutian chain from equip the American arctic with ice- Sahkalin Island. Vitus Marine, oper- breaking capabilities to clear ship- ators of fuel barges owned by Alaska ping lanes for supplies and Village Electric Cooperative that commerce with renewed mineral ex- provides power to 54 villages, has a ploration in northern seas. Barging domestic and Far East fuel supply in the fuel on the Russian tanker, that chain. Learning that the red-hulled can chunk through four to five feet Renda was in Vladivostok following of ice, would “save millions over a a charter, Vitus Marine got busy, ac- solution to fly in as much as 500,000 cording to staff. gallons of fuel in 100 flights with a The U.S. Coast Guard has sent a tanker aircraft capable of taking representative stationed in Japan to 5,000 gallons per flight from Kotze- Vladivostok, the homeport of the bue or Fairbanks,” Evans said. “It continued on page 16 Blizzard dumps 7 inches of snow on Nome over weekend By Diana Haecker west wind began to blow again. Coming out of a very cold No- While there wasn’t much new snow vember, December started with a falling, only half an inch was meas- massive blizzard and a winter storm ured for Sunday, the high winds advisory that was in effect for the kicked up the snow and caused very better part of last weekend. The Sat- poor visibility, especially outside of urday snowfall broke the record for town. Nome Public Works and the the day with 6.5 inches. The previ- Alaska Department of Transporta- ous record was at 6.1 inches, on Dec. tion snow removal crews were out in 3, 1979. force to clear Nome’s roads. By The Pineapple Express system Monday night most roads were warmed up temperatures to 50°F in cleared and towering snow berms Delta Junction, dumped 7 inches of piled up on the centerline of the snow on Nome over the weekend larger roads were removed and trans- and created winds that peaked at 48 ported to the Nome snow dump. mph on Saturday night at 9:20 p.m. Alaska Airlines canceled all three The high temperatures in Nome on daily flights on Saturday and Sun- Sunday measured 31°F. The storm day. let up Saturday evening when winds The National Weather Service calmed down a bit and visibility im- also reports that last month was proved. Nome’s coldest November in 48 National Weather Service meteor- years. “November of 2011 began ologist Wes Adkins points out an in- with a storm to remember and ended teresting part of this particular storm. with such a deep cold wave that it “The backside was just as nasty, long became the coldest November since Photo by Diana Haecker lasting and actually more potent than FIREMEN’S CARNIVAL— Allison Komonaseak of Nome gives her new teddy bear a tight squeeze, the front side,” Adkins said. On Sun- continued on page 16 happy that she won a stuffed toy at last Saturday’s Firemen’s Carnival. See story page 8 day, a strong south, at times south- Bypass mail report incorrect, says congressional delegation: Local merchants, airlines refute allegations reaping benefits of bypass system By Diana Haecker in the report are inaccurate, incom- if the USPS would do away with the business costs such as fuel, utilities, with boxes and boxes of un-sellable The Alaska Delegation last week plete or not well considered. Bypass bypass system and force merchants health care, housing and wages? goods. That is an example of the refuted United States Postal Service mail was put into effect to deal with to fly in everything via parcel post. One of the few independent vil- downside of bypass mail, it’s at ship- Inspector General David Williams’ the Alaskan realities of few roads in The delegation asked for an analysis lage stores is the Nayokpuk General per’s risk. “It’s not cheap to ship to report and said that statements made a vast state with a scattered rural of the costs of staff, equipment and Store, operated in Shishmaref by rural places and there is no insurance population that amounts to 82 per- facilities that would be necessary to Percy Nayokpuk. The store has been available,” said Nayokpuk. So, the cent of all Alaska communities being process parcel post goods. in business for 51 years, Nayokpuk loss has to be made up by raising the On the Web: off the road system. Bypass mail The report alleged that rural mer- said. Nayokpuk chuckles when he price on goods that make it through transports mostly groceries directly chants and air carriers are reaping the hears the post office’s comparison of unscathed. www.nomenugget.net from shipper in either Anchorage or benefits of the fast delivery of goods potato chips and how merchants If bypass mail were to disappear, E-mail: Fairbanks to rural recipients, bypass- at parcel post rates. The report gives make a profit. “Really? I don’t sell as one of the suggestions of the IG’s ing the postal system entirely. an example of simple math. A bag of potato chips anymore because they report outlines, Nayokpuk said that [email protected] The delegation wrote a letter to Ruffles potato chips costs $4.29 in get here damaged,” he said. Since his store wouldn’t be able to stock Williams, questioning nine points Anchorage, bypass mail shipping bypass mail bound to Shishmaref meat, frozen goods or perishables. brought up by the IG’s report that costs about 35 cents and both stores and all the other outlying communi- But that doesn’t mean it would have was titled “Alaska Bypass: Beyond in Bethel charge $9.99 per bag. The ties, the bypass mail gets handled to go back to the days in the 1960s its Original Purpose.” A main point post office concludes that the differ- twice – in Anchorage, in Nome and when the store made one huge order of criticism, also often brought up by ence goes into the merchant’s pock- then at its destination. When flying that would arrive by barge in the local merchants, is how the post of- ets. Not so, the delegation says in in unpressurized air planes, the bags summer. Before the bypass mail fice would handle all the bypass mail their letter. What about calculating in pop open and Nayokpuk is stuck continued on page 4 2 THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2011 OPINION THE NOME NUGGET Letters Editor son from NSEDC as the 115 people NSEDC is the largest of the six aways to the city councils? I suspect out to each of its member communi- In the NSEDC report in the De- who live in Wales, that would be CDQ groups. The residents of they are buying political support for ties. Does that make sense? It does cember 1 Nugget Tyler Rhodes $3.1 million for City Hall and I’d be NSEDC communities comprise 34 NSEDC’s continued unfettered ac- if you are one of the chosen few in bragged about the $100,000 each of a little more impressed even though percent of the people living in the 65 cess to the CDQ program millions. NSEDC administration. the 15 Norton Sound communities I still wouldn’t agree that a pointless CDQ eligible communities. There- During 2010, NSEDC’s administra- Tim Smith will be getting from NSEDC this giveaway is the best use of CDQ fore, you would think we would be tion spent $4.9 million on them- Nome, AK 99762 year.

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