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July 17, 2008 |
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NJUS board to state: Help! Help!By Sandra L. Medearis A measure put on the table by Nome Joint Utility System board member Carl Emmons notes that oil prices have put Alaska rural communities at risk with no alternatives to diesel fuel for heating, subsistence and power generation available. The panel unanimously urged lawmakers to put a bonanza of oil tax revenue to work to ease the burden of oil costs to businesses and households, and to pass other energy program legislation. Dire consequences to Nome and surrounding villages, as well as the state, can be headed off with a fivepart plan of action, the board said. Provide assistance with power generation costs. The OPIS index that indicates the
cost of fuel for NJUS generators is
$1.78 higher than a year ago, now
$3.90 per gallon, NJUS Manager
John Handeland said in backup to the
resolution passed July 11. This means
a potential increase to customers of
16 cents per kWh. State subsidy continued on page 2
Middle Beach clean, ready for picnickersBy Laurie McNicholas Two weeks earlier Leedy had told the Council about campers setting up temporary dwellings and depositing trash and human waste at the site, which is behind his home. Noting that Nome's comprehensive plan had set aside the area for recreation for everyone in Nome, he asked Council members to evict the transients and designate the area for day use only. The Council began to develop an ordinance for that purpose, meanwhile directing City officials to serve trespass notices on the campers. In response to a question from Councilwoman Mary Knodel, Police Chief Paul Burke said police had posted trespass notices on Middle Beach structures and had given them to campers who were present. He reported that Middle Beach transients had moved to the East Beach, and that he had posted trespass notices on some temporary East Beach dwellings he knew were not inhabited by beach miners. Leedy said Pat Hahn and other
City employees had provided a
dump truck for a thorough clean-up
of the Middle Beach and old jetty
area. He thanked Council members
for their action. "That was going to continued on page 4
Weather, violations hamper Rock Creek production startup By Diana Haecker On Friday, NovaGold issued a second quarter report and said that the cost of completing construction at its Rock Creek mine will be nearly 60 percent higher than budgeted—bringing the 2008 total to $67 million. NovaGold said it would spend an additional $25 million at Rock Creek because of weather damage to a water recycling pond and extra work on pollution prevention requirements, which have extended delays to the start-up. In addition to a notice of violation in regard to water quality violations last September and two prior non-compliance letters, NovaGold received a further notice of violation from the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation June 9. "The department acknowledges that AGC has made a substantial effort to improve storm water management by designing and partially implementing additional control features since the February 19 notice of violation was issued," reads the DEC's letter. "The department, however, finds that the poor performance of these additional measures in effectively treating storm water prior to discharge to waters of the U.S. and State of Alaska continues to lead to water quality violations for turbidity." On July 7, the DEC sent a draft Compliance Order by Consent to the gold company. Typically, these documents spell out a timetable and specific actions to remedy the problems. If this agreement by the parties is not adhered to by the timetable set, DEC can levy stiff penalties on the company. In its quarterly report, NovaGold said, "Failure to adequately respond to the [notice of violation] and [compliance order by consent] could result in substantial fines, injunctive relief or other enforcement measures which may have a material impact on the Company's ability to operate the Rock Creek mine." The status In a public meeting last Thursday evening,
Alaska Gold Company managers updated the
Nome public on the company's annual activities
to build and bring online its first mine.What Nomeites knew as simply The Gold
Company, or Alaska Gold Company, now goes by
the name NovaGold Resources Inc. Nome Operations,
said general manager Jim Mallory at the The meeting attracted only a small crowd
consisting of state and federal regulators, NovaGold
employees and a dozen community
members. NovaGold geologist John Odden and
environmental supervisor Larry Pederson also
spoke at the presentation, and Mallory intro- continued on page 16
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