Without hydroelectric power, Alaska’s interior is dependent upon diesel and coal-powered electrical plants. And Juneau’s avalanche-induced power crisis suddenly leaves them in the same situation. Naturally, the costs are more than some Alaskans are willing to bear.

This week’s cartoon about Alaskan home heating costs even has Santa surprised–but for a different reason.

Click on the image to view the entire cartoon.

This week’s cartoon illustrates the basic problem every fisherman faces: How much does it cost to go fishing, and how much am I likely to make?

This year Southeast Alaska’s Chinook fisheries have taken a hit, with a significantly lower allocation from the Pacific Salmon Commission. Salmon trollers and charter fishermen are going to feel the pinch.

Our two favorite salmon trollers in the cartoon have their own solution to high fuel prices and lower fish quotas.

Click on the cartoon snippet above to veiw the cartoon.

Sources:

Bauman, Margaret (2008, March 16). 2008 salmon forecast predicts 18th largest harvest since 1960. Alaska Journal of Commerce. Retrieved April 27, 2008, from http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/031608/fis_20080316049.shtml

Golden, Kate (2008, April 10). Chinook allocation down by 48 percent. Juneau Empire. Retrieved April 27, 2008, from http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/041008/loc_267164185.shtml

(staff writer) (2008, April 25). Zooming diesel prices idle fleet workers, hit bottom line hard. The Dutch Harbor Fisherman. Retrieved April 25, 2008, from http://thedutchharborfisherman.com/news/story/2088

The April 16th avalanche that severed the City and Borough of Juneau (CBJ) from its main source of hydroelectric power has residents scampering for ways to save energy and make financial ends meet. Coming on the heels of the mortgage lending snafu, skyrocketing fuel and heating costs, rising food prices, lower quotas for commercial fishermen and a U.S. economy that is teetering on the edge of recession, it’s not really a good time for Juneau to have a power crisis.

The bad news is that the cost of diesel power generation and repair of Alaska Electric Light & Power’s (AEL&P) avalanche-damaged power line from Snettisham will ultimately be borne by consumers. Read more »

Smoking bans are created with the best of intentions, but it can be effectively argued that business owners should be allowed to determine smoking policy and let market forces (i.e. public preferences) take care of penalizing businesses that are filled with smoke.

And now we have another reason to think twice about no smoking ordinances as public policy: America’s smoking bans are causing fatal accidents. Read more »

Buying the “big-bang” theory and evolution as the sole means of creating the universe may take an even greater leap of faith than believing what is written in the Bible. On the other hand if creation took millions of years, maybe there’s a reason…

(Click on the image to view the entire cartoon.)

With recent news that Conoco Phillips and British Petroleum have teamed up to move ahead with their plan to move natural gas from the north slope to market, the prospects for Governor Palin’s AGIA (Alaska Gasline Inducement Act) have changed…or have they? Who’s driving here?

Click on the cartoon snippet to view the entire image.

Once again Ketchikan’s Gravina Access Project is in the news. Ten years ago we thought the bridge was expensive; now estimates are approaching $398 million. There are plenty of arguments pro and con–especially considering the price tag, but it’s time to lose the misleading label, “Bridge to Nowhere.”

News media pundits have described Ketchikan’s Gravina Access project as a bridge from Ketchikan to an island with only a few dozen residents, but that’s not an accurate picture. Each year over 500,000 people travel between Ketchikan and its international airport on Gravina Island. With no roads and limited boat service, the Ketchikan International Airport is the only way in and out of the city for most folks. Read more »

Just because hockey season is ending doesn’t mean we can’t still watch a good fight.

As usual, it’s the end of the legislative session and the climax will be the budget circus. First the Legislature takes out all the Governor’s favorite stuff. Then the governor vetoes the legislature’s favorite stuff. Then they each hold press releases to point out how bad the other is. With only a few days left in this legislative session it will all be over soon.

Read this week’s cartoon in the Ketchikan Daily News and the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner, and comment on the cartoon here.

It seems these days, from reading the Anchorage Daily News and a few others, we can assume many of our Republican politicians are related because they all have the same surname, “Who-is-under-investigation.” The few who have been indicted and convicted have given the opposition a broad brush with which to blacken the rest of the party. Read more »

Most U.S. businesses are unaware of the full implications if the polar bear or other marine mammal is declared an endangered species based on melting sea ice as a result of man-made global warming. Read more »