Latest news with #JointResolution12
Yahoo
31-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Resolution pending in Alaska Legislature urges more federal support for NOAA weather buoys
U.S. Coast Guard Chief Warrant Officer Jeffrey Ritter supervises his crew aboard the cutter Sycamore after the launch of a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration weather buoy near Prince William Sound's Hinchinbrook Entrance on Dec. 10, 2018. The buoy, which has been periodically pulled out of the water for service and then redeployed, is designed to record and transmit weather data from a site called Seal Rocks. The information is important to oil tanker safety in Prince William Sound, but the buoy has had service outages in recent years. It has operated for only 35 days in the past year and a half, according to the Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council. (Photo by Nate Littlejohn/U.S. Coast Guard) Too many of the weather buoys floating in the waters off Alaska are out of service and the federal government should devote more resources to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the interest of marine safety, according to a resolution pending in the Legislature. The measure, Senate Joint Resolution 12, calls for Congress to 'take actions necessary to restore the full functionality,' of the NOAA's National Data Buoy Center meteorological sites in Alaska, which relay real-time weather information important to mariners. The resolution calls for the state's three-member congressional delegation to work to secure federal funding for that NOAA program, even as the Trump administration is slashing NOAA's workforce and operations. And it points to Alaska's vast size, harsh weather and heavy reliance on maritime operations. Sen. Forrest Dunbar, D-Anchorage, the resolution's sponsor, said Alaskans depend on the weather buoys and the information they provide to a degree that policymakers in the Lower 48 might not appreciate. 'These are serious life safety issues,' he said. But the resolution is about more than buoys, Dunbar said. It is a defense of a federal agency and federal scientists currently enduring an onslaught of mass firings and budget cuts, he said. 'This is a good argument for preserving National Weather Service and NOAA funding,' Dunbar said, listing one of NOAA's best-known divisions. Of the 27 National Data Buoy Center meteorological/ocean stations deployed in Alaska, seven are currently out of service, according to the center. There is particular concern about outages at a Prince William Sound site called Seal Rocks. The buoy there is supposed to be transmitting critical information about winds, wave heights and other conditions that affect the safety of oil tankers using the Trans Alaska Pipeline System terminal in Valdez. That Seal Rocks buoy, an important source of weather data for marine-safety studies, has had intermittent outages for several years and is currently out of service. It is at Hinchinbrook Entrance, the passageway between islands that connects Prince William Sound to the wider Gulf of Alaska. The area from Hinchinbrook Entrance to the Valdez terminal – which includes Blight Reef, site of the1989 Exxon Valdez disaster, is of special concern for tanker safety. Under post-Exxon Valdez rules, oil tankers are escorted there by safety tugs, and shipments by loaded tankers are stopped when winds exceed 45 knots or waves are above 15 feet at Hinchinbrook Entrance. The Prince William Sound Regional Citizens' Advisory Council, a marine safety watchdog created by Congress after the Exxon Valdez spill, raised concerns about the outages as early as 2018. Those outages continue. John Guthrie, the council's maritime operations project manager, told lawmakers at a recent hearing that the buoy has been operating for only about 35 days during the past year and a half. That hampers the U.S. Coast Guard, he said, because it has to make decisions about tanker traffic based on less-reliable information from more distant buoys, weather forecasts or chance observations by other mariners, he said. While subsistence fishers, commercial fishers and others on the water depend on the real-time weather information relayed by the buoys, 'the Seal Rocks buoy, in particular, is a key component of the oil spill prevention system in Prince William Sound. The risk of another oil spill increases whenever it is not working,' Guthrie said at a March 20 hearing of the Senate Transportation Committee. Dunbar said the Seal Rocks buoy situation should be compelling. 'Here's a concrete example where National Weather Service and NOAA funding is absolutely essential to the safety of the environment in Prince William Sound but also to the economy in the state and, frankly, the nation,' he said. Legislative resolutions do not create laws, but they express lawmakers' sentiments. Resolutions directed at federal agencies or at Congress, such as the pending resolution on NOAA buoys, are intended to persuade federal policymakers and influence their actions. The sentiment expressed in SJR 12, however, conflicts with Trump administration policies concerning NOAA and its divisions. Already, the Trump administration has fired hundreds of NOAA employees around the nation, including many in Alaska. The National Weather Service has lost about 10% of its workforce. Another 1,000 NOAA employees may be fired next. The agency is among those targeted by the administration's 'Department of Government Efficiency,' or DOGE, which is led by billionaire Elon Musk. The Trump administration's objections to NOAA appear to be related to the agency's work on climate change. Project 2025, a preelection blueprint for a second Trump administration produced prior to the 2024 election by the conservative Heritage Foundation, cited that work in its conclusion that NOAA 'should be broken up and downsized.' NOAA's divisions, including the National Weather Service and National Marine Fisheries Service, 'form a colossal operation that has become one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry and, as such, is harmful to future U.S. prosperity,' the Project 2025 'Mandate for Leadership' document said. Though Trump attempted to distance himself from Project 2025 before the November election, many of the plan's authors have high-level positions in his administration. Those include Russell Vought, director of the Office of Budget and Management, who was Project 2025's lead author. Impacts to NOAA of the DOGE-imposed cuts and restrictions go beyond lost jobs and workers. NOAA just canceled a scientific conference that has been held annually for half a century. The 2025 Global Monitoring Annual Conference would have focused on information about greenhouse gas emissions, carbon cycle feedbacks and other atmospheric science subjects. The 2024 conference was the 52nd held by NOAA. Senate Joint Resolution 12 was pending in the Senate Rules Committee as of Friday. SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
Yahoo
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Alaska governor proposes new method for picking state judges
Gov. Mike Dunleavy speaks at a news conference on Jan. 31, 2025. (Photo by Corinne Smith/Alaska Beacon) Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Friday proposed a constitutional amendment that would give future governors more latitude when picking judges for the Alaska Court System. If adopted by the Legislature, the amendment would be subject to a statewide vote in 2026. If adopted by voters, it would take effect after Dunleavy leaves office. The draft amendment, known variously as House Joint Resolution 12 and Senate Joint Resolution 13, would reduce the role of the nonpartisan Alaska Judicial Council in the judge-picking process. The council, which consists of three public members chosen by the governor and three members of the Alaska Bar Association, collects applications whenever there's a judicial vacancy. The council considers those applications and picks the most qualified people for a shortlist of nominees. If there's a tie on a particular nominee, the chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court casts the tiebreaking vote. The list of finalists, which must include at least two people, is sent to the governor, who makes the final selection. If the governor's constitutional amendment were adopted, the council would no longer be able to pick a short list of finalists based on their merit. Instead, the council would be required to forward every applicant, as long as they met the state constitution's minimum requirements. In a statement, the governor's office said, 'This resolution, if adopted by the people of Alaska would compel the Alaska Judicial Council to send all names of prospective judge candidates to the governor for the purpose of selecting judges for openings.' No hearings have yet been scheduled on the governor's amendment proposal, which was introduced Friday. Dunleavy has previously expressed frustration with the judicial selection process. In 2019, after expressing unhappiness with his options for a Palmer Superior Court vacancy, he did not follow state law, violating the timeline to fill the vacancy. The governor ultimately made a pick, but his violation served as one of three grounds for the unsuccessful campaign to recall him from office. Two years later, Dunleavy asked the Judicial Council for more options to fill a vacancy on the Alaska Supreme Court. The Council declined to modify its list of nominees, and Dunleavy picked from the original list. A year later, conservative Republicans made the state's judicial selection process a key part of their campaign to amend the Alaska Constitution. That fall, voters were asked whether they wanted to convene a constitutional convention, and those urging a 'yes' vote said they felt the Judicial Council held too much power and prevented the governor from approving the conservative nominees he wanted. On that constitutional question, Alaska voters rejected the convention by more than a 2-to-1 margin. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
AG, lawmakers propose constitutional amendment to tighten higher-ed oversight
Sen. George Muñoz (D-Gallup) is joined by Attorney General Raúl Torrez to introduce a bill to tighten oversight of university boards of regents. Attorney General Raúl Torrez and state lawmakers introduced a proposed constitutional amendment this week designed to create more accountability for university boards of regents and administrators. House Joint Resolution 12, carried by five lawmakers, including Speaker of the House Rep. Javier Martínez (D-Albuquerque), proposes amending the state Constitution to establish the fiduciary duties of members of university boards of regents and governing bodies of special schools in the state, such as the New Mexico School for the Blind and Visually Impaired and the New Mexico Military Institute. Proposed fiduciary duties include undivided loyalty, 'prudent' completion of responsibilities and acting in 'good faith' within state law and university policy. Such fiduciary duties are not currently included in the constitution. Two education bills pass through first committee The amendment also details who has authority to seek the removal of regents. Reasons for removal include 'incompetence, neglect, breaches of fiduciary duties, breaches of other duties or malfeasance,' according to the amendment. The amendment allows the attorney general to file an action in district court for removal of a regent or by a majority of regents on the board or the governor. Currently the New Mexico Supreme Court has jurisdiction over actions to remove regents. 'Our university regents are entrusted with overseeing multimillion dollar institutions that impact thousands of students and employees as well as the communities where these institutions reside,' Martínez said during a press conference Monday. 'When folks who represent these public institutions violate that public trust, they must face real consequences.' Martínez said the amendment's purpose is ultimately to increase oversight of people in power at public universities. He pointed to Western New Mexico University's board of regents, which authorized a $1.9 million payout to the outgoing university president following a report from the Office of the State Auditor detailing the misuse of hundreds of thousands of public funds. Torrez noted during the conference that he finds the WNMU board of regent's decision to award a $1.9 million severance package 'unconscionable' and 'based on our calculations, it's nearly 60 times the total compensation of the lowest paid worker in that institution.' NM AG Torrez seeks to stop WNMU president from spending his $1.9 million payout If passed by the Legislature, HJR 12 would appear on the ballot in the next general election for voters' consideration. Sen. George Muñoz (D-Gallup) joined the Monday press conference to introduce Senate Bill 266, which will require state university administrators or boards of regents to submit agreements or contracts to the State Board of Finance for approval. It also requires annual contract reports be reviewed by the attorney general and gives the attorney general authority to take civil legal action against regents or boards in breach of their fiduciary duties. Muñoz also referenced the recent actions by the WNMU board of regents, particularly their approval of the severance contract for outgoing University President Joseph Shepard which came following their decision to terminate his employment contract. 'Transparency is key as we move through this,' Muñoz said during the press conference, noting that regents will be required to get outside approval before approving large budgetary contract decisions. The legislation introduced Monday has been assigned to the House and Senate Education Committees, but has not yet been assigned a hearing date. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
