Ed Schoenfeld, CoastAlaska - Juneau
BC minister: Tulsequah Chief Mine leak should be fixed
British Columbia’s top mine official says the Canadian province needs to address pollution pouring out of an abandoned tunnel east of Juneau.
New science shows Sitka geologically separate from rest of Alaska
Sitka sits on a different chunk of the Earth’s crust than the rest of Alaska. Decades of scientific research have led to a report and map showing where the faults lie. The new information expands scientists’ understanding of what’s going on beneath Alaska’s surface.
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BC officials to visit Alaska for transboundary mine dialogue
British Columbia officials travel to Southeast Alaska next week to discuss concerns about transboundary mines.
Governor Nominates Elizabeth Peratrovich As The Face of the $10 Bill
The Walker-Mallott administration has nominated a Tlingit civil-rights leader to be on the new $10 bill.
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Earthquake swarm hits Yakutat
About 30 earthquakes have hit the Yakutat area this week. The Gulf of Alaska city, about 250 miles northwest of Juneau, is in a fault zone and quakes aren’t unusual.
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Earthquake swarm hits Yakutat
About 30 earthquakes have hit the Yakutat area this week. The Gulf of Alaska city, about 250 miles northwest of Juneau, is in a fault zone and quakes aren’t unusual.
Hull Crack Forces Ferry Aurora Out of Service Early for Repairs
The ferry Aurora is out of service a week earlier than expected. A small crack was found last week in its hull. The Coast Guard ordered repairs be made before it resumes passenger service on its Prince William Sound route.
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Cruise Lines Cited For Violating Air Regulations
Seven major cruise lines face penalties for polluting the air while sailing Alaska waters.
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Unified voice needed for federal response to BC mines
Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott says Alaskans need a unified voice to push the federal government to question mines across the border in British Columbia.
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Tribes to get voice in state transboundary mine work
State government will formally involve tribal groups in its transboundary mining work. Alaska Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott made that commitment Wednesday while meeting in Juneau with Southeast Native leaders.
Construction to start at Brucejack Mine in British Columbia
Construction of another British Columbia mine near a river that flows into Alaska could begin within a month. But it’s a small operation sparking fewer concerns on this side of the border than some other projects.
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Feds ask cruise ships, boats to stay farther away from seals
Federal officials are asking cruise ships, tour boats and kayaks to stay far away from harbor seals in Alaska’s glacial fjords. The marine mammals rest, sleep and birth their pups on floating ice. NOAA Fisheries says new research shows the marine mammals are much more likely to dive into the water when vessels approach the current legal limit.
BC tribal protest stops mine exploration, for now
Developers of a mine on a Taku River tributary have stopped work after an on-site protest by a British Columbia tribal government. The Taku enters the ocean near Juneau.
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Mallott: US-Canada Commission Won’t Take Up BC Mines
Alaska critics of British Columbia mines probably won’t get any help from a cross-boundary panel they’ve asked to take on their concerns.
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Southeast Pleas For Restored Ferry Service; AHMS Skeptical, Citing Dwindling Coffers
Southeast Alaska community leaders hope to restore or adjust some parts of the proposed ferry schedule for this fall, winter and spring. That’s the word from most of those testifying Wednesday morning during a teleconferenced Alaska Marine Highway System public hearing.
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B.C. Withholds Key Permit from Transboundary Mine
British Columbia officials are delaying permits for an open-pit mine near a river that flows into the ocean south of Ketchikan. They say Pacific Booker Minerals has not proved it can keep toxic water out of nearby waterways. The developer says it has.
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Marine debris barge to skip Southeast
The large barge picking up marine debris from the Gulf of Alaska coast is skipping Southeast. A month-long helicopter-and-barge operation will remove stored trash, much from 2011’s Japanese tsunami.
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BC’s Mount Polley Mine to Re-Open After 2014 Dam Breach
A British Columbia mine that’s become a symbol of mineral extraction’s environmental threats will reopen next month. Provincial officials on Thursday granted the Mount Polley Mine conditional approval to resume limited operations.
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POW Ferry Service Suspended
The Alaska Marine Highway System has cancelled this summer’s sailings between Petersburg and northern Prince of Wales Island. But they’ll happen next year.
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Budget Cuts Sideline 3 of Alaska’s 11 Ferries
The Alaska Marine Highway System plans to lay up three of its 11 ferries for most of the next budget year. A draft schedule released Friday shows the Taku out for all of fiscal year 2016, which begins in July. The fast ferries Chenega and Fairweather will be tied up starting in the early fall.
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