NOTN- Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski is joining a bipartisan group of lawmakers urging the Office of Management and Budget to guarantee back pay for federal workers affected by the ongoing government shutdown.
In a letter sent to OMB Director Russell Vought, the lawmakers said the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 clearly requires all federal employees, whether furloughed or working without pay, to receive full back pay once the shutdown ends.
The group says OMB recently removed affirmation of that guarantee.
The full letter can be viewed below;
Dear Director Vought:
The Office of Management and Budget’s (OMB) recent update to the Frequently Asked Questions During a Lapse in Appropriations document implies that furloughed federal workers are not entitled to back pay. Additionally, a draft OMB memo stated the administration would deny back pay to furloughed federal workers for the current government shutdown. During the 2018-2019 shutdown, we worked with President Trump to enact the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act (GEFTA) of 2019, the intent of which is clear – federal employees are entitled to retroactive pay in the event of a government shutdown. We applauded President Trump for signing this bipartisan bill into law.
On January 16, 2019, the Senate unanimously passed the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act to guarantee back pay for all impacted federal workers once a government shutdown ends. This law was enacted during the longest government shutdown which lasted 35 days at the end of 2018, and into the beginning of 2019. Prior to the law’s passage, Congress had to pass specific legislation after each shutdown to ensure furloughed workers received back pay.
Explicitly, the law guarantees back pay for all federal employees in the event of a government shutdown. “Each employee of the United States Government or of a District of Columbia public employer furloughed as a result of a covered lapse in appropriations shall be paid for the period of the lapse in appropriations, and each excepted employee who is required to perform work during a covered lapse in appropriations shall be paid for such work, at the employee’s standard rate of pay, at the earliest date possible after the lapse in appropriations ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates, and subject to the enactment of appropriations Acts ending the lapse.” The law requires that retroactive pay be required in the event of any government shutdown after December 22, 2018.
The law is clear: all impacted government employees, regardless of excepted or furloughed status, are entitled to back pay after a government shutdown ends, which is consistent with the guidance currently provided by federal agencies, including the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). OPM’s shutdown guidance from September 2025 still states that furloughed federal workers will be provided back pay once the government reopens. The decision by OMB to remove critical guidance on federal employee back pay is causing unnecessary stress for the federal workforce comprised of nearly 2.2 million employees.
Thus, we request you immediately clarify and update the Frequently Asked Questions During a Lapse in Appropriations Document and other relevant materials to affirm that furloughed employees will receive back pay, as is required by law.
NOTN- As Juneau wraps up another long cruise ship season, Mayor Beth Weldon says the city recently hosted a delegation from Greenland seeking advice on how to develop its own cruise tourism industry.
The delegation met with Juneau officials this week to learn from the capital city’s experience as one of Alaska’s busiest cruise ports.
“Population 58,000 in their whole country, it was a pleasure to talk to them. ” Weldon said, “They are looking at building a couple of docks, and so they’re going around talking to people and hearing what we have to say. So one of the questions is, what have you learned? So some of the things we shared were, control your growth, make sure you bring the community along, make sure you know what’s sacred to the community so you don’t screw that part up.”
Weldon said she also emphasized the importance of maintaining local identity within the tourism economy. “We do well with local people running excursions, and most of our stores are almost all locally owned,” she said. “Instead of just having some place where the cruise ships own everything, or another entity owns everything. But this way, the benefits from the tourism industry certainly helped the locals.”
The conversation came as Juneau’s 2025 cruise season came to a close with the arrival of the final ship on Tuesday afternoon. Weldon said the season provided a welcome boost to the economy, but added that residents are also ready for a little breathing room.
A campsites is seen on Oct. 8, 2025, near the intersection of the Seward Highway and Northern Lights Boulevard in Anchorage. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities is planning to remove trash, waste, and the belongings of unhoused Alaskans from land near state highways, continuing an offensive that began last year.
In a public notice published last week, the department said it is seeking bids from contractors who can perform “the as needed removal of unauthorized encampments … at various locations within the state” that are managed by DOT&PF.
The department did not say how much it proposes to spend on the removal, only that “approval or continuation of a contract resulting from this (invitation to bid) is contingent upon legislative appropriation.”
Alaska’s hub cities, particularly Anchorage, have a large population of unhoused residents.
Camps already removed by Alaska DOT&PF
Since November 2024, the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities has identified eight encampments that it has removed:
NW/SW/SE quadrants of the 36th/Seward Highway Intersection (Anch)
East Fireweed Road/Parks Highway (Mat-Su)
Minnesota/International off-ramp (Anch)
Seward Meridian/Blue Lupine (Mat-Su)
NE quadrant of the Tudor/Seward Highway intersection (Anch)
A Street – between 36th Avenue and 38th Avenue (Anch)
Seward Highway – south side, Campbell Creek Bridge (Anch)
International Airport Road & Minnesota Drive – Northeast Interchange Area (Anch)
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that it is legal for local governments to ban outdoor camping, even if no homeless shelter space is available. That move has provided the legal justification for large-scale camp removal nationwide, and since the ruling, DOT&PF has removed eight encampments in southcentral Alaska.
According to the proposed contract, the winning bidder will be available “on an on-call, as-needed, and/or urgent basis.” The contract will last for one year, but it can be renewed up to four times for additional one-year terms.
The contract is expected to be issued by Nov. 11 and would go into effect in December.
“This is a continuation of the work the department has always undertaken and was of particular focus, in coordination with local government partners, starting last year to remove encampments within state highway (right of way),” said Shannon McCarthy, a spokesperson for the department, by email.
Under state law and federal regulations, McCarthy said, the department must ensure that rights of way — the land designated for transportation — are actually used for transportation and are clear of things that might obstruct the right of way or could cause a safety risk.
“In addition, encampments in the ROW (right of way) have increased the risk of pedestrians vs. vehicle crashes, caused traffic conflicts that result in serious injury and fatalities, prevented the public from using these rights-of-way, and severely limit the intended highway buffer zones for purposes such as safety pullouts, noise buffers, stormwater retention/filtration areas, and other transportation and functional purposes,” McCarthy wrote.
In April, DOT&PF Commissioner Ryan Anderson signed a new policy describing how DOT will remove encampments.
Under that policy, encampments underneath bridges, near utility structures or on medians are the highest priority to be removed.
The policy also requires consultation with the Alaska Department of Law “to ensure constitutional and civil rights protections are observed.”
Alaska Republican U.S. Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan (Alaska Beacon file photos)
Alaska’s two U.S. senators are split on whether or not it is appropriate for the U.S. military to kill suspected drug smugglers without trial or a declaration of war.
On Tuesday, the federal government said it had killed another six people aboard a boat in international waters of the Caribbean Sea, with President Trump claiming on social media that they were drug smugglers.
Since Sept. 2, the U.S. military has killed 27 people in the Caribbean Sea without a declaration of war or criminal trial, according to statistics kept by the New York Times.
In each case, the federal government has asserted without evidence that all the people killed aboard the boats were smuggling drugs.
Last week, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, voted to have the Senate vote on a resolution that would have ended the Caribbean Sea bombings unless approved by Congress.
Sixty votes were needed to call a vote. Only 48 senators — all Democrats, plus Murkowski and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Kentucky — voted in favor of bringing the issue to a vote.
“While I commend the administration’s concerted efforts to address the devastation of drug trafficking on communities across the country, I do not believe the information I have received justifies this interpretation of the President’s Article II powers,” Murkowski said, referring to the section of the Constitution that names the president the commander in chief of the military.
“I take very seriously my Article I responsibility when it comes to Congress’s power to declare war. I don’t think that full information on the legal and factual justification for armed attacks on suspected drug traffickers is too much to ask,” Murkowski said.
Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, joined the rest of the Senate’s Republicans and Democratic Sen. John Fetterman of Pennsylvania in voting to support the bombings.
Afterward, he offered a written statement explaining his vote.
“Days ago, I was briefed by Secretary of State Rubio on Venezuelan narcoterrorist cartels flooding our country with deadly drugs. Nicolás Maduro — the illegitimate leader of Venezuela and a criminal indicted by U.S. prosecutors — refuses to cooperate with the U.S. and is clearly aiding these vicious drug traffickers who are responsible for killing tens of thousands of Americans. President Trump’s lawful strikes against these cartels are saving lives and, importantly, establishing deterrence. Under Article II, he has the authority to defend our homeland, just as President George H.W. Bush did when he ordered the invasion of Panama in 1989 to remove the drug-trafficking dictator Manuel Noriega,” the statement said.
“Senate Democrats’ resolution was another attempt to restrict the President’s ability to act — emboldening cartels and putting American lives at risk. These senators would never tolerate ISIS or al-Qaeda operating freely near our shores: eliminating a terrorist organization like Tren de Aragua that is literally killing thousands of Americans is no different. More Americans have died from drug overdoses in the past seven years than in both World Wars and the Vietnam War combined. Alaskans know this devastation firsthand, as poisons like fentanyl tear apart families in our cities and Alaska Native villages. Eliminating these cartels before they reach our shores protects our county and sends a strong message of deterrence.”
According to the proposed ordinance, when an officer-involved shooting occurs that causes death or serious injury to an officer or someone else, Juneau Police Department would release body-worn camera footage no later than 30 days after the incident. (Photo courtesy City & Borough of Juneau website)
(Photo courtesy City & Borough of Juneau website)
NOTN- The Alaska Department of Law’s Office of Special Prosecutions will not file criminal charges against former Juneau Police Officer Brandon LeBlanc for his use of force during a July 30 arrest that left a man unconscious and later medevaced out of Juneau for his injuries.
The decision follows a review of an Alaska State Troopers investigation into the incident, in which Officer LeBlanc took Christopher Williams Jr. to the ground during an arrest.
Williams struck his head on the pavement, was knocked unconscious, and was later medevaced to Anchorage for treatment.
Special Assistant Attorney General reviewed body camera footage, civilian video, officer interviews, and other evidence, and in a Statement from the office of Special Prosecutions, concluded that prosecutors could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt that LeBlanc’s use of force was unjustified under Alaska law.
While acknowledging that Williams was seriously injured, the Office of Special Prosecutions determined that LeBlanc’s actions did not constitute deadly force and that the takedown maneuver used was considered a “nondeadly control tactic in law enforcement”, The state found LeBlanc believed he needed to gain control of Williams, who according to the statement, appeared intoxicated and was actively resisting being handcuffed.
The report noted that although LeBlanc’s comments during the incident including a threat to “slam” Williams and a remark after the takedown, raised questions about his motivations, the totality of circumstances did not meet the legal threshold for criminal charges.
The letter also criticized the City and Borough of Juneau’s decision to publicly release body camera and in-car video footage of the incident before the investigation was complete, saying the release occurred “over the explicit objection” of both the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Law. Prosecutors warned that such releases could jeopardize future cases by affecting jury impartiality.
The Office of Special Prosecutions said its review was limited to whether LeBlanc’s actions violated criminal law and did not address possible policy or disciplinary issues within the Juneau Police Department.
The State’s letter concluded:
“The State will not file criminal charges against JPD Officer Brandon LeBlanc relating to the July 30, 2025, use of nondeadly force against Christopher Williams Jr. in Juneau, Alaska.”
NOTN- Power has been restored to Juneau after a citywide outage this afternoon that left much of the city in the dark for roughly an hour.
Alaska Electric Light & Power (AEL&P) reported just that the outage appeared to be impacting all areas of town, with crews immediately responding. AEL&P later confirmed that the disruption occurred on its transmission system.
“We have identified that the outage occurred on our transmission system and are currently flying and patrolling the line,” AEL&P said in an update on social media. “In the meantime we are restoring power with backup generation while we continue to investigate the cause.”
AEL&P announced later in a social media post that power had been restored across Juneau.
AEL&P added that short-term use of backup generation does not affect customers’ bills and that it has been years since the company needed to rely on extended backup power.
AEL&P said it would release further information as the investigation continues.
U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrews conduct overflights of Kipnuk, Alaska, after coastal flooding impacted several western Alaska communities, Oct. 12, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Air Station Kodiak)
Search and rescue efforts continued into Monday in the Kuskokwim River delta in the aftermath of devastating storm surge and hurricane-force winds brought by the remnants of Typhoon Halong. The storm tore homes from their foundations and sent them floating away.
One woman was found dead in Kwigillingok on Monday, according to Alaska State Troopers.
U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrews conduct overflights of Kipnuk, Alaska, after coastal flooding impacted several western Alaska communities, Oct. 12, 2025. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Air Station Kodiak)
The search for two more people unaccounted for in that community will continue, by boat and air, the state troopers said on a Facebook post. Search and rescue is being conducted by the U.S. Coast Guard, Alaska Army National Guard and Alaska Air National Guard, as well as state troopers.
The storm damaged boats, roads, airports, and power and sewer infrastructure over a vast region, and damage assessments were not immediately available as emergency rescue efforts entered a second day.
“We’re moving quickly. We’re moving as fast as we can,” said Gov. Mike Dunleavy at a news conference in Anchorage on Monday with state officials and the congressional delegation.
Fifty-one people and two dogs were rescued in Kwigillingok and Kipnuk on Sunday, Troopers said, located on the Bering Sea coast. Those predominantly Alaska Native coastal communities saw the most severe impacts of the storm, with a storm surge of up to 6.6 feet above normal and high winds that inundated communities.
“Preservation of life is our top priority,” said Capt. Christopher Culpepper, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic.
“Several of these villages have been completely devastated,” Culpepper said. “Absolutely flooded, several feet deep, and so this took homes off of foundations. This put people in peril, where folks were swimming, floating, trying to find debris to hold on to in the cover of darkness, at nighttime.”
U.S. Coast Guard Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic Commanding Officer Captain Christopher Culpepper speaks at an Oct. 13, 2025, news conference about rescue work and the response to Typhoon Halong damages in Western Alaska. Behind him and also participating in the news conference held in Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s Anchorage office, is David Kramer, a meterologist with the National Weather Service. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
“And so as the sun broke on the first day, devastation became more and more apparent,” Culpepper said, referring to Sunday as the storm lifted. “Coast Guard helicopter crews, along with Army National Guard and Air National crews, particularly two pairs of rescue jumpers that also assisted … picked people up off their homes,” he said, and were taken to higher ground. Several people were medically evacuated to Bethel.
Some people trapped in floating homes early Sunday used their cellphones to call for help. Some of those calls reached the State Emergency Operations Center, said incident commander Mark Roberts.
“The folks that were in houses that were floating and didn’t know where they were, was one of the most tragic things our folks in the state EOC have ever faced,” Roberts said. “And some of them called into the state EOC, and we just stayed on the phone with them to talk.”
Members of the Alaska National Guard and Alaska State Defense Forces living in western Alaska, up to 80 personnel, have been activated, said Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, which oversees the Alaska National Guard.
“This may end up being the largest off-the-road-system response for the National Guard in about 45 years,” Saxe said.
Over 50 airports were impacted by the storm but largely cleared as of Monday to allow planes to land with emergency supplies and personnel. The coastal communities throughout the region are only accessible by small plane or boat. “There also have been numerous reports to us of roadway damage, boardwalk damage – boardwalks are the roads in this region – and then also the various power outages and lighting problems throughout the region,” said Ryan Anderson, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Transportation.
More than 1,000 people were displaced from their homes across the region, according to estimates from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Health Corporation, the region’s largest healthcare provider.
Roughly 400 people are sheltering in the local school in Kwigillingok, and 680 people in Kipnuk are at the school there, they said. Thirty seven homes in Kwigillingok were destroyed.
Emergency supplies, including water, food, hygiene products, baby formula and bedding are being flown into coastal communities, according to a statement on Monday by YKHC. “The need is great,” they said. The response effort is coordinated between YKHC, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC), the Association of Village Council Presidents and the state of Alaska, to assess and respond to community needs.
Medical providers and prescription medications were being sent to Kwigillingok, Kipnuk, Tuntutuliak and Chefornak, they said, and plans were underway to evacuate about 40 people, including elders and pregnant women, to Bethel.
Alaska State Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, said over 1,000 emergency meals had been delivered already to coastal villages, but those supplies would run out.
State Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, speaks at an Oct. 13, 2015, news conference about the impacts of Typhoon Halong’s to Western Alaska. Behind him and also speaking at the news conference, which was held at Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s Anchorage office, are National Weather Service meteorologist David Kreamer, U.S. Coast Guard Sector Western Alaska and U.S. Arctic Commanding Officer Captain Christopher Culpepper and Ryan Anderson, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities. (Photo by Yereth Rosen/Alaska Beacon)
“They need additional food supplies, and it’s difficult to get people out there,” he said.
He said Kipnuk’s runway was still damaged, and planes could not land there. Power is still out there as well. “There has to be a short-term assessment done of those homes that are out there, whether they are livable or not livable … and needs to be made as quickly as possible,” Hoffman said. “Winter is coming.”
The state of Alaska has activated a multi-agency emergency response, and with the governor’s extended disaster relief declaration, residents and communities are eligible for recovery assistance, including temporary housing assistance.
“We’ve had a few injuries; we’re moving into a higher-level care as needed, and then we’re moving right on in to support sheltering, and then right on into the next to support the ability for people to live in a safe, warm place through the winter,” Roberts said.
U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, said he was communicating with officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, who would provide assistance.
“FEMA right now is in direct contact with our state and local officials and has an incident management team on the ground and a FEMA search and rescue group pre-positioned on standby,” Sullivan said. “As we move into the recovery phase – and we’re not there yet – the federal agencies need to act very quickly. We’re going to be seeing freeze-up and very cold weather, probably quite soon. So they have committed to being very ready to move into that phase of operations once we get there.”
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, underscored the trauma residents are experiencing from this disaster. “When the waters subside, when the analysis is complete — we have many, many families (and) we have communities that are in trauma, that will be in shock over the loss and so, making sure that we have trauma specialists, if you will, that are culturally in tune with the region and with the people there is something that I think we all need to be challenged to think about,” she said.
While the Trump administration has recently cut or frozen significant amounts of federal funding for rural Alaska, like for infrastructure and climate resilience initiatives, Murkowski said she will continue to push officials for federal support.
“I think this disaster that we are seeing is yet one more reason why the delegation needs to lean in and make sure that the administration fully understands the value of what it means to to have a level of preparedness, to have a level of resilience in an area that is so exposed on our western flank,” she said.
This week’s disaster came as the remnants of Typhoon Halong battered the region Saturday night into Sunday, sweeping north across the western Alaska coast. The National Weather Service reported hurricane-force winds up to 107 mph in the Kusilvak Census Area, 100 mph in Toksook Bay and 98 mph in the island of St. George in the Bering Sea.
The storm has now weakened over Canada and is moving east, said meteorologist David Kramer, but flood warnings are still in effect for the Kuskokwim Delta and western and northwest Arctic coasts through Tuesday.
Another storm is forecasted for the Kuskokwim River delta region early on Wednesday morning, with winds gusting up to 40 mph from the southeast, and water levels from one to three feet.
“From the records that we set recently, over six feet, this is significantly less impact,” Kramer said. “The main concerns are high water levels, rough surf and the potential for some coastal erosion.”
A gray seal surveys its surroundings, Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, off the coast of Brunswick, Maine. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
AP- Republican lawmakers are targeting one of the U.S.’s longest standing pieces of environmental legislation, credited with helping save rare whales from extinction.
Conservative leaders feel they now have the political will to remove key pieces of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, enacted in 1972 to protect whales, seals, polar bears and other sea animals. The law also places restrictions on commercial fishermen, shippers and other marine industries.
A GOP-led bill in the works has support from fishermen in Maine who say the law makes lobster fishing more difficult, lobbyists for big-money species such as tuna in Hawaii and crab in Alaska, and marine manufacturers who see the law as antiquated.
Conservation groups adamantly oppose the changes and say weakening the law will erase years of hard-won gains for jeopardized species such as the vanishing North Atlantic right whale, of which there are less than 400, and is vulnerable to entanglement in fishing gear.
Here’s what to know about the protection act and the proposed changes.
Why does the 1970s law still matter
“The Marine Mammal Protection Act is important because it’s one of our bedrock laws that help us to base conservation measures on the best available science,” said Kathleen Collins, senior marine campaign manager with International Fund for Animal Welfare. “Species on the brink of extinction have been brought back.”
It was enacted the year before the Endangered Species Act, at a time when the movement to save whales from extinction was growing. Scientist Roger Payne had discovered that whales could sing in the late 1960s, and their voices soon appeared on record albums and throughout popular culture.
The law protects all marine mammals, and prohibits capturing or killing them in U.S. waters or by U.S. citizens on the high seas. It allowed for preventative measures to stop commercial fishing ships and other businesses from accidentally harming animals such as whales and seals. The animals can be harmed by entanglement in fishing gear, collisions with ships and other hazards at sea.
The law also prevents the hunting of marine mammals, including polar bears, with exceptions for Indigenous groups. Some of those animals can be legally hunted in other countries.
Changes to oil and gas operations — and whale safety
Republican Rep. Nick Begich of Alaska, a state with a large fishing industry, submitted a bill draft this summer that would roll back aspects of the law. The bill says the act has “unduly and unnecessarily constrained government, tribes and the regulated community” since its inception.
The proposal states that it would make changes such as lowering population goals for marine mammals from “maximum productivity” to the level needed to “support continued survival.” It would also ease rules on what constitutes harm to marine mammals.
For example, the law currently prevents harassment of sea mammals such as whales, and defines harassment as activities that have “the potential to injure a marine mammal.” The proposed changes would limit the definition to only activities that actually injure the animals. That change could have major implications for industries such as oil and gas exploration where rare whales live.
That poses an existential threat to the Rice’s whale, which numbers only in the dozens and lives in the Gulf of Mexico, conservationists said. And the proposal takes specific aim at the North Atlantic right whale protections with a clause that would delay rules designed to protect that declining whale population until 2035.
Begich and his staff did not return calls for comment on the bill, and his staff declined to provide an update about where it stands in Congress. Begich has said he wants “a bill that protects marine mammals and also works for the people who live and work alongside them, especially in Alaska.”
Fishing groups want restrictions loosened
A coalition of fishing groups from both coasts has come out in support of the proposed changes. Some of the same groups lauded a previous effort by the Trump administration to reduce regulatory burdens on commercial fishing.
The groups said in a July letter to House members that they feel Begich’s changes reflect “a positive and necessary step” for American fisheries’ success.
Restrictions imposed on lobster fishermen of Maine are designed to protect the right whale, but they often provide little protection for the animals while limiting one of America’s signature fisheries, Virginia Olsen, political director of the Maine Lobstering Union, said. The restrictions stipulate where lobstermen can fish and what kinds of gear they can use. The whales are vulnerable to lethal entanglement in heavy fishing rope.
Gathering more accurate data about right whales while revising the original law would help protect the animals, Olsen said.
“We do not want to see marine mammals harmed; we need a healthy, vibrant ocean and a plentiful marine habitat to continue Maine’s heritage fishery,” Olsen said.
Some members of other maritime industries have also called on Congress to update the law. The National Marine Manufacturers Association said in a statement that the rules have not kept pace with advancements in the marine industry, making innovation in the business difficult.
Environmentalists fight back
Numerous environmental groups have vowed to fight to save the protection act. They characterized the proposed changes as part of the Trump administration’s assault on environmental protections.
The act was instrumental in protecting the humpback whale, one of the species most beloved by whale watchers, said Gib Brogan, senior campaign director with Oceana. Along with other sea mammals, humpbacks would be in jeopardy without it, he said.
“The Marine Mammal Protection Act is flexible. It works. It’s effective. We don’t need to overhaul this law at this point,” Brogan said.
What does this mean for seafood imports
The original law makes it illegal to import marine mammal products without a permit, and allows the U.S. to impose import prohibitions on seafood products from foreign fisheries that don’t meet U.S. standards.
The import embargoes are a major sticking point because they punish American businesses, said Gavin Gibbons, chief strategy officer of the National Fisheries Institute, a Virginia-based seafood industry trade group. It’s critical to source seafood globally to be able to meet American demand for seafood, he said.
The National Fisheries Institute and a coalition of industry groups sued the federal government Thursday over what they described as unlawful implementation of the protection act. Gibbons said the groups don’t oppose the act, but want to see it responsibly implemented.
“Our fisheries are well regulated and appropriately fished to their maximum sustainable yield,” Gibbons said. “The men and women who work our waters are iconic and responsible. They can’t be expected to just fish more here to make up a deficit while jeopardizing the sustainability they’ve worked so hard to maintain.”
Some environmental groups said the Republican lawmakers’ proposed changes could weaken American seafood competitiveness by allowing imports from poorly regulated foreign fisheries.
Alaska Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom (Photo by Greg Knight/News of the North)
NOTN- Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom announced last week that she is officially running for governor, saying she hopes to lead Alaska toward “a stronger, more self-sufficient future” built on resource development, job creation and a focus on public safety.
In an interview with News of the North on Tuesday, Dahlstrom said she was motivated to launch her campaign because she wants to “make Alaska a place where families can put down roots, businesses can grow, and communities can thrive.”
“I decided to step up and run for Governor because I believe in Alaska’s future.” Said Dahlstrom, “I want our kids and grandkids to be able to stay here and have successful lives. And I know that we have some challenges, but we have many, many opportunities right in front of us, and I think I’m the person that can help bring some of these things to fruition.”
Dahlstrom, who has served as lieutenant governor since 2022 under Gov. Mike Dunleavy, previously served in the Alaska House of Representatives and as the state’s corrections commissioner. She says these experiences have shaped her vision for Alaska.
“Serving in the legislature, I was able to craft legislation that really tightened crime laws and made Alaska safer for everyone.” Dahlstrom said, “I feel confident the experience I have is going to be beneficial for Alaska.”
Dahlstrom said her top priorities include lowering energy costs, expanding resource development, and supporting job creation as a way to improve both economic and mental health across the state.
“Having a job is probably the one thing you need to help have good mental health. When people have a job, they feel successful about themselves, and they’re moving forward, their mental health is better.” Said Dahlstrom, “We’re high on mental health and substance use issues, and we need to be working towards fixing that.”
Dahlstrom also called for “unleashing Alaska’s resources,” including mining and drilling.
“I’m going to continue helping the government, the State, the President and others in Alaska in unleashing our resources, so we are able to mine and drill to get the wonderful things we have in this State, there’s going to be jobs everywhere, and it’s going to be a wonderful situation.”
If elected, Dahlstrom said her first 100 days in office would focus on meeting with legislative leaders and reviewing department budgets.
Dahlstrom, who moved to Alaska as a teenager and said she “fell in love with the state.”
“I came here when I was 18 for a vacation, and I just never wanted to leave,” she said.
Dahlstrom joins a crowded republican race for governor, following term-limited Mike Dunleavy.
NOTN- Sealaska Heritage Institute held a public ceremony yesterday to officially open new Indigenous Science Building and dedicate a newly carved totem pole that will take its place on Juneau’s waterfront.
The event, held on Indigenous People’s Day included the formal naming of the facility, the dedication of a Sukteeneidí kootéeyaa (totem pole), and cultural performances at Heritage Plaza next to the Walter Soboleff Building.
SHI President Rosita Worl said the four-story building will serve as a hub for education programs that center Indigenous knowledge, languages and values while incorporating modern science and technology.
“The Indigenous Science Building will offer learning experiences that showcase the traditional knowledge of Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian peoples that has existed for thousands of years. By bringing Indigenous knowledge that integrates Western science into the classroom, we will empower youth and community members with critical thinking skills that will strengthen regional economies and deepen our knowledge of the environment,” Worl Said.
The building will feature a traditional foods kitchen, digital media lab, Indigenous science research lab, and fabrication and makerspace facilities. It will host K–12 and community programs, after-school and weekend classes, and summer workshops for students from Alaska and beyond.
The façade features a monumental art installation based on an original piece by the renowned Haida artist Robert Davidson, whose work also inspired the facades of the institute’s Walter Soboleff Building and Atnané Hít, the Sealaska Heritage Arts Campus building, which SHI opened in 2015 and 2022 respectively. During the ceremony, the facility will officially be given the name Indigenous Science Building.
During Monday’s ceremony, the new totem pole was dedicated as part of SHI’s Kootéeyaa Deiyí (Totem Pole Trail) project in downtown Juneau. The pole was carved in Ketchikan by Haida artist Lee Wallace and five apprentices.
