Commentary
Nuclear microreactors are a solution for Alaska, not a joke
In response to Lawrence D. Weiss’ commentary published by the Alaska Beacon on Nov. 30 I will first say, “What a waste of energy and print space.” I’m sure all his friends found humor in his musing. Equating nuclear reactors to nuclear bombs is not a reasonable consideration under any circumstance. Right now we have […]
How Democrats won the West
U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto’s win in Nevada guaranteed that Democrats would retain control of the Senate after the 2022 midterm elections. It also confirmed the strength of the Democratic Party in the West. Since 1992, Democrats have flipped the region away from Republican control, a shift that began with the end of the Cold […]
Are Alaska utilities up to the challenge of climate change and a looming gas crunch?
Last month, I decided to attend a board meeting at Chugach Electric Association, a cooperative that’s Alaska’s largest electric utility and serves more than 90,000 members in and around Anchorage. After I filled out a form, an employee sent me a Zoom link. I responded that I wanted to attend in person, as both a […]
Arctic Report Card 2022: The Arctic is getting rainier and seasons are shifting
In the Arctic, the freedom to travel, hunt and make day-to-day decisions is profoundly tied to cold and frozen conditions for much of the year. These conditions are rapidly changing as the Arctic warms. The Arctic is now seeing more rainfall when historically it would be snowing. Sea ice that once protected coastlines from erosion […]
Congress passes legislation that will close off presidential election mischief
Presidential elections are complicated. But in a move aimed at warding off future crises like the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, the Senate and House have passed legislation to clarify ambiguous and trouble-prone aspects of the process. Currently, all 50 states and the District of Columbia hold simultaneous elections in November. The […]
What the criminal referral of Trump means
After 18 months investigating, the House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6 Attack on the United States Capitol held its final public meeting on Dec. 19, 2022. The panel recommended that the U.S. Department of Justice bring criminal charges against former President Donald Trump for his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election results. The House […]
Alaska governor’s proposed budget glosses over Chinook and chum fisheries crash
Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed state budget does not come close to rectifying the dire straits and circumstances caused by the Chinook and chum fisheries crash on the Kuskokwim and Yukon River drainages. I have written multiple commentaries about the Chinook and chum fisheries crash and subsequent crisis for many Alaska Native communities and fisherwomen and […]
In changing climate, Alaska faces risk of extreme precipitation
Alaska has been experiencing unprecedented extreme weather, but what does that really mean for Alaskans? During the past week, 2 to 4 feet of snow fell widely across the Southcentral part of the state, seriously disrupting pre-Christmas activities for more than half of Alaskans. At the same time, record-breaking high temperatures on the North Slope […]
Health care was also on the ballot, and health care won
In November, millions of voters in red, blue and purple states voted on the future of our health care directly on the ballot. And U.S. Sen. Warnock ran his re-election campaign and run-off on health care. Health care won decisively. Voters decided to expand Medicaid in South Dakota, meaning more than 40,000 low-income South Dakotans […]
Digital technologies for biodiversity protection and climate action: Solution or COP out?
With biodiversity declining at unprecedented rates and less than a decade remaining to avert the worst effects of climate change, world leaders and policymakers are on the hunt for new and innovative solutions. In the halls and meeting rooms of global COP conferences, digital technologies have been heavily promoted to address these interrelated threats to […]
Survey of Alaska Native Corporations on adapting to climate change shows urgent work is needed
In 2021, I was awarded research funding to complete my undergraduate thesis for a Bachelor of Arts in rural development at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. The funding was sourced by the UAF Institute of Arctic Biology through the National Science Foundation. My research idea was to survey shareholders, staff and board directors of Alaska […]
Cherokee Nation wants to send a delegate to the House
In 1835, the Cherokee Nation was promised a delegate in Congress as part of the same treaty – Treaty of New Echota – that led to the death of thousands on the Trail of Tears. Nearly 200 years later, the Cherokee are still fighting to make that promise a reality. “The Treaty of New Echota […]