Arctic citizens' council is delayed
Senator Mark Begich’s plan to create a citizens’ council for the Arctic has been delayed. On Aug 3, Sen. Begich introduced the first of his bills on Arctic policy into the Senate.
Establishment of the new council was not included among these bills.
In the Aug 3rd speech to the Senate, Sen. Begich said he is “considering introducing an additional piece of legislation,” which “would establish an Arctic Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council. It would be modeled after similar councils operating successfully in the Prince William Sound and Cook Inlet regions of Alaska.”
Sen. Begich added, “At the request of North Slope Borough Mayor Edward Itta and our constituents there, I agreed to hold off on this bill for now so we can continue the conversation with the people of the region, along with industry and regulatory stakeholders.”
The creation of the council was proposed last June as part of a package of ideas presented in response to President Obama’s call for a new national oceans policy to help combat the effects of global warming.
For more about the bill, see Begich endorses citizen oversight for Alaska’s Arctic regions, in the July Observer.
Updated Peer Listening DVD training program now available
The council recently updated the award-winning video/DVD training course “Coping with Technological Disasters: Peer Listener Training.”
This training teaches peer-listening techniques that allow community members to counsel each other. A community member can learn to be an advisor, friend, and referral agent for people who may not want professional services or may not know that help is available. Developed during the aftermath of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, this training is now being used to help victims of disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.
The updated version is free and available now. If you would like a copy, please contact the council’s Anchorage office, 907-277-7222, or toll-free: 800-478-7221.
Drama explores community effects of Exxon Valdez oil spill
A new play about the Exxon Valdez oil spill opened Sept. 11 at Cyrano’s Off Center Playhouse in Anchorage.
The Big One: A Chronicle of the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill was written by Dick Reichman, a Valdez resident 20 years ago when the spill occurred. The play focuses on the people behind the headlines, the complexity of the experience, and the impact on individuals and Alaska.
The Big One runs through September 27 in Anchorage, and will tour Valdez, Seward, and Homer during October.
For more information, visit Cyrano’s on the web.
Coming up in the January 2010 Observer...
The citizens’ council turns 20! Join us for a look back at two decades of promoting the environmentally safe operations of the oil industry in Prince William Sound.