A radical alternative to a natural gas pipeline
We've been hearing a lot about the cost of the proposed LNG pipeline and many believe that the project may not pencil out.
Here is an idea the would kill four birds with one stone: Liquefy the gas on the North Slope and build a rail link to transport it to our cities and to a port for shipment overseas.
Here's why the idea makes sense: A rail line would be cheaper to construct and operate than a pipeline and the technology exists that will permit shipment of LNG.
Now the other reasons.
Despite the fervent promises of SB 21 supporters, North Slope oil production will continue to decline to the point that the pipeline will have to be abandoned, leaving behind substantial reserves of stranded oil. Transporting this oil by rail could be the only way Alaskans could benefit from this precious resource.
Like it or not, global warming is a reality and someday, Prudhoe Bay may become an international port. Having a rail line in place to transport goods to and from other countries could energize Alaska's economy the same way Anchorage's airport did after it became a hub for international freight flights. Of course, in order to complete this picture, Alaska and Canada would have to cooperate on a rail line connecting the Alaska Railroad to the existing rail system in British Columbia.
Last, having a railway system stretching from Prudhoe Bay down to America would open great new opportunities for tourism and commerce.
Before we commit to a multibillion-dollar project, I hope our governor and lawmakers will pause for a moment and consider the benefits of transporting LNG by rail.
— Eric Treider
Soldotna
State public minerals corporation is a foolish idea
Mr. Featherly's alluring idea for creating an Alaska Public Minerals Corp.(ADN, Oct. 31), even if only pie-in-the-sky, is actually very worrying. Given corporate behavior over the last few decades, to "convey Alaska's mineral resources to a professionally managed corporation with the requirement that the earnings be distributed to every current and future Alaskan" could be considered folly, to put it mildly.
Ms. Restino brings the $840,000 CEO salary request for the gas-pipeline project to our attention (ADN, Nov. 1). What percentage of all of Alaska's minerals wealth could "professional managers" siphon off as salary to themselves — 99 percent? The corporate mandate is to maximize profits in bottom-line dollar form for the corporation and shareholders. What happens to public wildlife and fish resources or environmental concerns? Such trivialities would be obstructions to a minerals profit maximization corporation. Alaska's classic minerals-fishing conflict would be greatly exacerbated.
Meanwhile, time is an arbitrary concept, so if daylight saving time is too inconvenient would it make sense to split the difference and move the hour up or back half an hour and keep it there all year for the whole hemisphere? Thirty minutes is about right to warm up the computer, have a cup of coffee and check email whether it is dark or not outside. Just wondering.
— Ken Green
Cooper Landing
Bring lung cancer out of the shadows
Every five minutes, a woman in the U.S. is told she has lung cancer, and at current survival rates, only half of them will be alive a year from diagnosis. Lung cancer is the
No. 1 cancer killer for men and women, killing more Americans than breast, cervical, prostate and colon cancers combined every year.
November is Lung Cancer Awareness Month, a time to bring more awareness to the disease. Increased attention on this disease is desperately needed. Lung cancer has been in the shadows for decades.
And so the American Lung Association launched Lung Force, a new movement to rally everyone to raise their voices and make lung cancer a public health priority. And we focus on women, because while lung cancer diagnosis have fallen 28 percent among men in the past 37 years, diagnoses in women have close to doubled. Through highlighting womens stories, we hope to take lung cancer out of the shadows, and make it a cause people care about.
Through Lung Force, we have set out to raise awareness about lung cancer so everyone understands their risks and to advocate for innovations in research that will lead to earlier detection and more personalized treatments, so everyone has a fighting chance.
We have made great strides in early detection and treatment. Millions of Americans at high risk for lung cancer now have access to potentially lifesaving lung cancer screening which can detect lung cancer before there are symptoms, when it is easier to treat. To find out if you should be screened for lung cancer, visit lung.org/lcscreening.
If just half of everyone at high risk for lung cancer was screened for the disease, it is estimated that we could save over 13,000 lives each year. Lung cancer screening is now largely covered for those considered high risk for most private insurance plans, and just this year through Medicare.
We are on the cusp of major positive changes in lung cancer. If you or a loved one has been touched by lung cancer, share your story to inspire others to do the same.
Learn more about lung cancer and how to #ShareYourVoice at LungForce.org.
November is COPD Awareness Month
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, sometimes known as chronic bronchitis or emphysema, is a progressive lung disease that makes it harder for people to breathe over time. As of 2013, the CDC states that 5.7 percent of Alaskans were diagnosed with COPD but it is assumed that many are not yet diagnosed and may never be. Although this disease is not curable, it is preventable and with early detection can be treated to relieve symptoms.
When COPD sets in, airways in the lungs become inflamed and the air sacs lose their elasticity, making it harder to transfer oxygen to the blood stream. The lung tissue is destroyed and there is an overproduction of mucus, causing blockages in the airways. Typical symptoms include chronic coughing, wheezing, frequent lung infections, shortness of breath, blue lips or fingernail beds (lack of oxygen in the blood) and fatigue. While smoking causes close to 90 percent of COPD cases, it is not the only way it can be developed. Long-term exposure to air pollution, secondhand smoke, dust, fumes, and chemicals are also factors.
November is COPD Awareness Month and I strongly encourage people to take time to learn more about this disease atwww.lung.org. Here, you can check for common symptoms, causes and risk factors, diagnosis and treatment, and how to fight the battle with those you love.
— Katie Steffens
Anchorage
APD budgeted revenue spiked
With the ongoing discussion concerning the adjustments to the APD fine schedule it may be prudent to take a quick look at the past history on this subject. The city's Internal Audit Report 2005-9 is titled "Traffic Citation Revenue — Anchorage Police Department."
In 2001, 22,986 citations were written resulting in $2,709,457 revenue collected. In 2004, 38,420 citations were written resulting in $3,583,885 revenue collected. However, the projected budgeted numbers for this citation budget line item ran from a low of roughly $3,200,00 in 2003 to a high of $8,000,000 in 2005.
While it is true that individual officers do not have 'quotas' to be met it is certainly true that the department as a whole does have budgeted numbers for "Traffic Citation Revenue" that are expected to be met. It may be prudent to not consider budget projections to be collected from this budget line item until those funds are actually banked.
I would encourage all to review the findings of this report, which is available on muni.org, as this conversation continues.
— Bob Maier
Anchorage
Rugby should have been covered
Wondering how the sports page had no mention of the Rugby World Championship played on Saturday, Oct. 31. A special match up as both teams were from "down under" — New Zealand All Blacks vs Australia Wallabies. New Zealand won.
Attention ladies: These athletes are our eye candy. Big, broad shoulders, handsome, wear no helmets or shoulder pads and have zero body fat despite they're being way over 6 feet and well to the 200-plus pound range. They are well conditioned athletes and the plays are easy to follow — get the little ball across the goal line.
Shame on ADN for not mentioning this world event.
— Marilyn Lee
Anchorage
Meeting goals, 'for the children' only a ruse to increase salary
Here's a recent quote from an Anchorage School Board member on the importance of finding a new superintendent.
"I think if you go back to that it says we want to be very aggressive on (Destination) 2020 goals, we want to get the academic achievement up, we want to get graduation rates up and we have … to be aggressive, we need to be innovative. It's not going to be easy and we're just looking to achieve those goals."
Now read between the lines:
"I think if you go back to that it says we want to be very aggressive on (Destination) 2020 goals, we want to get the academic achievement up, (MORE MONEY) we want to get graduation rates up (MORE MONEY) and we have … to be aggressive, (focus on getting MORE MONEY) we need to be innovative. (find ways to get MORE MONEY) It's not going to be easy and we're just looking to achieve those goals."
All they need is more money, like the past 20 years, and all of these goals will suddenly be met. And it's always "for the children." If someone asked me to achieve those goals, I would think they were asking I apply myself more to meet them, not just raising my salary as an incentive to do so with no obligation whatsoever.
— Shawn Roberts
Chugiak
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