Photo by Nikolai Ivanoff FIRST SNOW— Newton Peak sports a dusting of snow while the tundra still shows brilliant fall colors. VOLUME CXII NO. 39 September 27, 2012 Nome mayor appointed to AK Arctic Policy Commission By Diana Haecker 20-member commission and those icy Commission, I will work with meeting last week on the increase in for commercial fishing. Heeding the recommendations of include Nome Mayor Denise former Rep. Reggie Joule and Un- Arctic shipping.” Michels said that she heard con- the Northern Waters Task Force, the Michels. Michels secured the seat for alaska City Manager Chris Hladick During the joint boarding meet- cerns during the joint board meeting Alaska State Legislature in its last a coastal community representative. and disseminate information through ing, the two entities passed a joint about the need to balance the health session created an Alaska Arctic Michels said in an email ex- our membership with the Alaska resolution that urged Congress to rat- of the ecosystem with responsible re- commission that is supposed to de- change with The Nome Nugget that Municipal League and through re- ify the United Nations Convention source development as marine mam- velop recommendations for an offi- she is very honored to be appointed gional non-profits such as Kawerak on the Law of the Sea. mals and fish in their seasonal cial Alaska Arctic policy. Last week to the Alaska Arctic Policy Commis- so coastal communities are fully en- Michels said that subsistence and migration pass through the Bering Senate President Gary Stevens and sion. gaged in the public process,” food security are very important for Strait. She also heard the desire to be House Speaker Mike Chenault an- “As the Coastal Community rep- Michels wrote. “I addressed the coastal communities that depend on nounced their appointments to the resentative on the Alaska Arctic Pol- Kawerak and NSHC joint board marine mammals and the fisheries continued on page 5 Planning panel to set up annexation study By Sandra L. Medearis velop a work plan on how to proceed The Nome Planning Commission with researching the potential an- has charged the City’s contract plan- nexation effort, identified as a high ner with looking farther into the pros priority in Nome’s Comprehensive and cons of drawing new city limits Plan 2020 approved by Nome Com- around outlying areas by annexation. mon Council earlier this year. The work would look into bene- Among other issues, Eileen Bech- fits for both sides of the current line tol of Bechtol Associates will look as well as drawbacks for the “ins” into current availability and cost of and “outs” should annexation—a services in and outside the City’s several year process—occur. The boundaries: fire calls, ambulance study will concentrate on costs and services, utilities, police protection, benefits related to utility service de- Nome Police Dept. and Alaska State livery, police protection and fire Trooper services. calls. In other business the panel con- “This is a decision to research an- tinued to look at ways to encourage nexation. This is not on the decision code compliance. One program getting to annex,” NPC President Tom a close look would divide the town into Sparks made perfectly clear. grids by map, pull grid numbers out of City Manager Josie Bahnke handed the commission the job to de- continued on page 4 AGC settles with EPA over water violations By Diana Haecker “Polluted runoff can damage im- The U.S. Environmental Protec- portant habitat and harm Alaska’s tion Agency last week said that natural resources,” said Jeff Ken Alaska Gold Company has paid a Knight, manager of EPA’s Clean $177,500 penalty for alleged Clean Water Act Compliance Unit in Seat- Water Act violations at the Rock tle. “Companies need to plan for and Creek mine. The EPA alleges that manage stormwater runoff from the AGC violated permit require- their construction sites, and invest- ments for controlling storm water ing the time and energy upfront is pollution during construction activi- always better than repairing damage ties between May 2009 and Septem- and paying penalties later.” ber 2011. According to the EPA, they and The EPA said in a press release the Alaska Department of Environ- that AGC has taken corrective ac- mental Conservation performed six tions to comply by submitting and inspections at the mine between implementing an upgraded June 2009 and September 2011, Stormwater Pollution Prevention which revealed numerous violations Plan and reclaiming a portion of the of federal construction stormwater area disturbed during construction. regulations. Infractions included drainage channels without rock armoring, On the Web: creating bank erosion, and under- www.nomenugget.net cutting and sloughing of channel sidewalls. Inspectors also noted E-mail: areas where proper erosion control [email protected] measures were not installed or maintained, which caused the dis- charge of large amounts of silt and Photo by Diana Haecker sediment into Rock Creek and Lind- FUTURE MUSICIAN— Elise Rasmussen, left, was allowed to try out the bass, with owner Bob Olsen, blom Creek. principal bass player with the Arctic Chamber Orchestra, steadying the string instrument . The in- ACG also failed to create, main- strument was built in 1888. The Arctic Chamber Orchestra performed on Saturday night in Nome. See tain, and implement an adequate story page 11. continued on page 4 2 THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2012OPINION THE NOME NUGGET Letters To the Editor, nities and youth. are rolled forward for future use. bulk fuel program. Can you guess A letter recently circulated to Elections occur for NSEDC board Smith also comes to the shocking which community residents don’t media outlets and several other re- seats every year in October, just as conclusion that the board of direc- get the benefit of this CDQ program cipients accuses NSEDC once again NSEDC annually holds a second tors did not authorize the date in- subsidy? It’s the one with 41 percent of a laundry list of misdeeds. quarter meeting in late July or early cluded in the letter. But what he of the people in the region — Nome. While Tim Smith’s continued August, at which time the board may doesn’t tell you is that this is noth- I have asked Janis Ivanoff many rants are tiresome and disappointing, approve various projects that benefit ing new—NSEDC’s staff has in- times why people who live in Nome they are not totally unexpected. It’s member communities and residents. cluded a date in these letters for the are left out in the cold. Her answers also no surprise that his conclusions It is simply what NSEDC does in the past 12 years. don’t make any sense to me and are either outright wrong or based on goal of improving conditions for our NSEDC maintains a staff to ad- miss the point — something about a twisting of the facts. member communities and their resi- minister our programs. While NJUS and the City of Nome not Visit You will likely hear from Smith dents. Smith is trying to tell you this is wanting to participate in NSEDC’s this week telling you that NSEDC is Smith’s evidence-of-the-week wrong, common sense should tell program. I’m not interested in get- trying to influence our upcoming that NSEDC is up to no good is our you that this is simply how compa- ting cheaper fuel for NJUS or the member representative election by letter to municipalities informing nies governed by boards work. The city, I want to see lower prices when issuing a Community Benefit them of the Community Benefit board gives the major approvals and I gas up my vehicle or top off my on Facebook Share—a program that NSEDC has Share and asking about their planned direction, staff handles the minutia. heating fuel tank — like everybody operated since 1999. Any allegation use of the funds. For the past 12 Deciding which date to include in a else in the region. that NSEDC is using the Commu- years this letter has included a date letter falls well within normal ad- Another reason I hear is that nity Benefit Share to influence mem- by which NSEDC asks to hear back ministrative duties, especially when Nome people are so well off we can ber community representative from municipalities. This date is in- that date has no bearing on a com- afford to pay higher prices for fuel. elections is absurd. Programs like cluded to help move the process for- munity’s eligibility, receipt or use of That doesn’t hold much water either. A Look the Community Benefit Share are ward and is not a hard deadline. program funds. What will be The U.S. Census found that more exactly what NSEDC is supposed to The City of Nome, as well as Smith’s next revelation? Perhaps he people live in poverty in Nome than do, giving communities the means to other municipalities, have been in- will reveal the big secret that our in any of the other Norton Sound at the fill gaps in their resources and infra- formed that they are not required to staff answers the phones without community except Gambell and structure. Sharing the profits of a respond to NSEDC by announced prior board approval. Savoonga. It’s true that there are strong financial year with our com- date of Sept. 28. Many communities For two decades, NSEDC has people in Nome who make a lot of Past munities, rather than simply socking have in the past submitted their noti- initiated and conducted a wide vari- money but that doesn’t do much for it away in the stock market, was a fications well past the requested ety of benefit and grant programs the ones who don’t and who still decision made with unanimous ap- date, which never results in penalty that occur throughout the year.