Anchorage Daily News

Talk of Palin as VP contender gets weekend boost. Conservative columnist Bill Kristol writes in The New York Times Sunday that Sarah Palin fits into a McCain VP strategy of "Don't fight the public's desire for change; co-opt it."

Of Palin and Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal, Kirstol writes: The two young governors also have this advantage: They're very popular with conservatives, especially social conservatives. And they're real reformers. They've begun to do in Baton Rouge and Juneau what many voters would like to see done in Washington. Principled conservatism and vigorous reform could be a winning combination.

Kristol notes that there are "plenty of moderate and conservative women who don't consider themselves feminists but would be pleased to see a qualified woman on the ticket."

Catch Palin on Friday's National Review online interview with Larry Kudlow. The Washington Times quotes Newt Gingrich extolling Palin's potential as a Republican VP candidate. (Warning: After viewing the site once, I had problems reloading it.)

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FAA shuts down a well-known Southeast Alaska flying service. The Alaska Journal of Commerce and Avweb.com report that the FAA filed an emergency order to shut down L.A.B. Flying Service in Haines over safety concerns.

The FAA alleges that in 2002 and '03, there were five instances when things broke or fell off L.A.B. airplanes in flight. Since 2004, the company has committed an "astounding number" of maintenance-related violations, the FAA said. Then, in May of this year, the company took an engine out of an airplane that had been destroyed in a fire and bolted it to another airframe without making any effort to check for heat damage, showing a "callous disregard" for safety and "an appalling lack of the care, judgment and responsibility required of a certificate holder," according to the FAA.

L.A.B. Flying Service has a statement posted on its Web site, and the 28-page FAA report can also be accessed.

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TransCanada says Exxon Mobil key to Alaska gas pipeline. TransCanada's chief executive officer Hal Kvisle told Canada's Globe and Mail this morning that no ground will be broken on an Alaska gas pipeline until the oil giant signs on.

The story explains that in Alaska, it looks like the rivals are TransCanada, with state approval and $500 million in incentives, versus BP and Conoco Phillips, which have announced Denali, a separate pipeline project, without seeking state approval.

But the story points out that BP is already TransCanada's largest customer in its sprawling gas pipeline network, and Conoco and TransCanada are partners in a major new oil sands pipeline. Exxon is a TransCanada partner in the Mackenzie Valley pipeline. Kvisle said Alaska and Mackenzie won't compete; Mackenzie is due to begin construction in 2010, and he suggested Alaska wouldn't break ground before 2015.

In this foggy and seemingly fractured picture, Calgary-based TransCanada is positioning itself in the role of intermediary, hoping to own part of the pipeline while getting closely involved in its design and construction by pitching its pipeline expertise as an important card.

In Alaska, however, Exxon remains the deciding factor.

"Things aren't always as they seem," Kvisle said. "Exxon is not the front-and-center party in the press, but I know for a fact that they've got very hard work going."

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High food and fuel prices lead villagers to consider defying state and federal subsistence fishing closures. The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner reports this morning that Fort Yukon tribal leaders recently urged fishermen to ignore subsistence closures and take fish they need.

After meeting with state and federal managers, tribal leaders backed off their threat to fish illegally. However, Ed Alexander, who sits on Fort Yukon's tribal council, said, "I'm concerned about the people. If they're not eating salmon, they're going to have to eat food they buy from the grocery store at a much higher cost, and it's not healthy. We need to be eating traditional foods." Alexander said mushers attending a tribal meeting said they might have to shoot their dogs if they can't afford to feed them.

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Teck Cominco proposes $120 million pipeline to end Alaska suit. Bloomberg.com reports that the world's second-largest zinc producer has suggested spending $120 million to install a 53-mile pipeline from the company's water treatment facility to the Chukchi Sea, eliminating the need to discharge water into the Red Dog Creek.

Construction of the pipeline will be contingent on the company receiving regulatory permits to mine its undeveloped Aqqaluk property at the Red Dog site. The company also agreed to pay for filtration units and its maintenance until the pipeline can be built.

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He's still our Uncle Ted. Daily News columnist Heather Lende had a Sunday tale in The Washington Post, describing Sen. Ted Stevens' recent visit to Haines over the Fourth of July weekend. A few excerpts:

But he did not travel to Haines for our Fourth of July celebration in a flag-fluttering motorcade. There were no dark suits or Ray-Bans either. He wore khakis, a flight jacket and walking shoes and was squired around town in a borrowed minivan by a friend. He arrived early for a veterans appreciation ceremony in a nearby Tlingit Indian village park. He chatted easily with the adult children of old friends, many now gone, with whom he worked to make sure that they and other Alaska Natives got title to their ancestral lands. He patted a stray dog and thanked everyone for inviting him.

In Haines alone, Ted has helped fund our public radio station, new library and Native-run health clinic. He has been the patriarch of the 49th state since it was a twinkle in his eye. The other day he spoke on the radio, reminding Alaskans that he has always been there for us and asking that we help him now. It may be too much to expect, but after all these years, it's not too much to ask.

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Bethel DA's office reorganizes to tackle sexual assault cases. The Tundra Drums reports that as of mid-July, Bethel prosecutors will assign rape and sexual assault cases to a single attorney, David Buettner.

The seriousness of the Yukon-Kuskokwim region's problem with rape and sexual assault surfaced in January when the Alaska State Troopers released a study suggesting that Western Alaska "leads the state in cases of sexual abuse of a minor and sexual assaults against women." Troopers in Bethel investigated more of those cases than any other post in 2003 and 2004.

Difficulties in prosecuting these cases include not having qualified officers in villages to do the investigation, no DNA collection and long delays. Buettner has attended national training on sexual assault response techniques and met with troopers recently to describe the type of evidence he needs in cases.

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Coast Guard deploys to Barrow. The prospects of an ice-free Northwest Passage has brought the U.S. Coast Guard north, deploying two HH-65 Dolphin helicopters, one from Air Station Kodiak and another from the West Coast, along with two small boats.

"My first year in Alaska proved the Arctic is not an issue 10 to 20 years into the future," said Rear Adm. Gene Brooks, commander of the 17th Coast Guard District.

"The Arctic is upon us now."

No Coast Guard base is planned for Barrow yet, reports the Tundra Drums

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Shell Oil to test unmanned flights over the Beaufort Sea. The Alaska Journal of Commerce reports that the oil company will try out unmanned aerial vehicles to spot marine mammals in the Beaufort Sea.

Ten unmanned flights are planned in August and September, accompanied by a manned De Havilland Twin Otter with trained marine mammal observers aboard. Results from both types of surveillance will be compared.

The spy-type unmanned aircraft costs $100,000 and will fly from a research vessel stationed offshore from Prudhoe Bay. The flights will target 12 inflatable kayaks meant to simulate whales.

Information from these flights will be used to verify whether unmanned surveys will be an accepted method of meeting and monitoring mitigation requirements issued by the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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Other headlines of interest to Alaskans:

>Daughter pleads to keep parents in jail (Statesman Journal.com)

>Denali bus drivers reach tentative agreement (Alaska Journal of Commerce)

>New book: "The Fisherman's Frontier: People and Salmon in Southeast Alaska (Tri-City Herald)

>Delegation introduces bill to protect Alaska Native whaling rights (The Arctic Sounder)

>NASA green technology could revolutionize oil cleanup (Daily Galaxy blog)

>Ted Stevens tanks (LA Times Top of the Ticket blog)

>Interior Alaska flooding update (Fairbanks Daily News-Miner)

>Homer struggles with utility costs (Homer Tribune)

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