A new refined fuel products tax to fund Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation’s Spill Prevention and Response division was signed into law by Governor Walker on June 27.
The division had been facing a significant funding shortfall for some time as previous funding came solely from a per-barrel charge on crude oil produced in the state. Declining oil production meant decreasing funds.
Andrea Korbe of Whittier announced in June that she would be resigning her seat on the council’s board.
Korbe accepted a teaching position at the Whittier Community School and felt she would not be able to participate fully as the city’s representative.
“I thank you for putting your trust in me during the past two years as Whittier’s representative.” Korbe said in her resignation letter to the council. “I have learned a great deal about the safe transport of oil in Prince William Sound and have worked diligently to represent our city well.”
The council recently welcomed Shawna Popovici to the Anchorage staff.
Popovici has lived in Anchorage since 2005, but previously lived in several Alaska communities: Soldotna, Seward, Kodiak and the Juneau area.
Popovici’s grandfather first came to Alaska in 1946 as a missionary in Ketchikan and southeast Alaska. Her parents met in Juneau, and her father, a Coast Guard captain, worked for the VECO Corporation as a contractor helping clean up the Exxon Valdez oil spill.
GOOD NEWS! We received word from Lt Nunez with Alaska’s District 17 of the Coast Guard that the Coast Guard headquarters has approved funds to keep the remote spill response equipment caches in Alaska through their next fiscal year (October 1, 2015 – September 30, 2016).
Your letters of support helped! He specifically mentioned that the public’s letters of support for the caches really helped convince headquarters that Alaska has different needs than the rest of the country.
In an effort to reduce spending, the U.S. Coast Guard is considering decommissioning caches of oil spill response equipment stationed around Alaska. The caches will be funded through the next fiscal year, however, long-term funding is not secure. The Coast Guard has invited the public to share their thoughts.