AKJames

You have it right, Clear has a shoppette that falls under this program. It's the size of a small gas station, and partners with the Eielson and Wainwright commissaries for grocery orders and dry cleaning.

It's such a bad faith response. The community is upset because they were not meeting any reasonable definition of "primary care services" in spite of receiving grants targeting those needs.

Westinghouse Long Duration Energy Storage Solution Selected for Department of Energy Program in Alaska Westinghouse Electric Company announced today the Department of Energy has selected its project to deploy a 1.2 GWh utility-scale long-duration energy storage system in Healy, Alaska in support of pla...

And the Westinghouse thermal storage project planned for Healy is advertised as supporting future wind developments, but the design begs to use cooling water from Healy 1 and 2. info.westinghousenuclear.com/news/westing...

cchrc.org/thermal-stor... The Cold Climate Housing Research Center has an interesting small scale thermal storage system

Yep it's probably just an air conditioning system. That seasonal use is also in the approvals for the other big commercial buildings with this kind of system.

Thanks! And kudos to the DNR staff who upload all this to mapper.dnr.alaska.gov !

Looks like this is still TBD but Alaska's non-contact cooling water general permit calls for a maximum 13°C for fresh water.

This doesn't seem unusual. Consider other nearby non-contact cooling water permits like the ANTHC office building (211Mgal/yr, TWUA A2018-105), UAA campus (243Mgal/yr, TWUA A2024-93), or Providence (1.87Mgal/day, LAS 14312).

I'm getting real "smoke filled room" vibes from Alaska democrats deciding what 1 person to run for governor, house, and senate.

We should look at 2 or 3 good choices, and they can still drop before the deadline. But this whole calling dibs strategy is less than inspirational.

Just learned that Judy Bittner retired last month from her 30+ year post as Alaska's State Historic Preservation Officer. Happy Retirement!

And heads up to any journalists looking to use the word historiography in a human interest story.

Better map from the Susitna Valley Forest Plan website, which treats the West Susitna Access Road as a given. It's an interesting jigsaw of land ownership!

West Susitna Access Road is probably relevant to this Susitna Valley State Forest, but is the timing a coincidence?

TVSF looks like some infill and expansion near existing state forest, and some interesting expansion around military lands

Looks like a new "Susitna Valley State Forest" and significant but scattered additions to the Tanana Valley State Forest.

Flyer for public meetings on Tanana Valley State Forest proposed expansion

First I've heard about this. Wonder what it's about...

Simpsons meme - Jealousy is when you worry someone will take what you have. Envy is wanting what someone else has. What I feel is envy.

This table cites the Sept 2022 issue which in turn cites AirDNA.com. We're reading tea leaves. If housing is a priority then step 1 is accurate data.

We need something like @andrewgrayak.bsky.social 's old bill HB184, the Short-Term Rental Registry, to report defensible data for the entire state.

Air Plan Approval; AK, Fairbanks North Star Borough; 2006 24-Hour PM2.5 Serious Area and 189(d) Plan The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is reopening the public comment period on the proposed rule entitled "Air Plan Approval; AK, Fairbanks North Star Borough; 2006 24-hour PM2.5 Serious Area and...

Back to the question: on one hand this gives you the tools to decide for yourself whether you want to retrofit your new house. On the other hand, it requires one more inspection during a home sale which takes time and adds cost. See the fed register for commenting instructions. Thanks for reading!

These audits save money by showing where a new homeowner should focus their efforts. New windows? Attic insulation? New boiler? No changes required, but you'll have a specific list of steps that will save you money and contribute to healthier air. Plus there are tons of grants and loans. 3/4

This rule requires a home energy audit before selling their house. It's not that different than paying for a septic inspection, or surveying plot plan, or a building inspection, all common requirements under state laws or mortgage rules. No home energy changes required, just a factual report. 2/3

Feds open second round of public comment for Fairbanks air quality plan The Environmental Protection Agency said in early February that it would allow for additional comment because of feedback about a new home energy audit requirement. Now, that second public comment per...

FNSB has some of the worst air in the nation, causing measurable health harm to children, the elderly, and honestly everyone living and working in Fairbanks or North Pole. Take all that on one hand, and in the other hand consider the burden of a home energy audit when selling your house. 1/2

Facebook screenshot of AK Senator Shower sharing a link to a website that opposes the Alaska Long Trail.

Facebook screenshot of AK Representative Kevin McCabe's spouse with several claims about the house debate on education.

My most common surprise is in the vein of 'that's so brazen I don't even know where to start.' Here's two examples. My experience is these points get repeated in real life, so I find it helpful to jump past the bewilderment and get right into pursuasion.

X is a wasteland but it's still the only centralized source of announcements from federal and state agencies. Facebook has Borough-specific and local talk if you can filter the chaff. Facebook also has lots of deeply MAGA stuff that I'd rather not engage with (but better not to be surprised).

Juneau's tourism sector unsure what will happen at Mendenhall Glacier as summer season approaches Most of the staff at the Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center were fired earlier this month, leaving city tourism leaders worried that one of Juneau’s most popular visitor destinations may reduce service...

Speaking of, here's some great reporting from Juneau. 1.6 million cruise ship passengers, 260 businesses, and the first cruise ship arrives April 14.

I'd love to see perspectives from Alaska's other NPS-adjacent communities. Are cruise ships responding to reduced interpretive schedules? Will Katmai have staff to shoo people away from the bears?

#aknews Here's an interview with the Denali Borough mayor about the federal job cuts and downstream impacts to the local and regional economy. 600,000 people visit Denali NP every year.

Screenshot from EPA's TRI Facility Report for MAHN CHOH MINE DEVELOPMENT, 2023.

Of course that's the 1-time releases. Mahn Cho's only TRI report so far is from 2023 and shows zero air emissions or releases to land. This July we'll see their estimates for a year with large scale transport, which should include any dust sloughing off their trucks.

Ore geochemical data from the Mahn Choh Geochemical Baseline Report, available on the Mahn Choh page of the ADNR website. These metals levels aren't exactly good, but for 1 spill I'd be much more concerned about diesel and coolant.

Final 2020 New Source Performance Standards for Residential Wood Heaters | US EPA Regulatory information related to NSPS for new residential wood heaters, new hydronic heaters and new forced-air furnaces

Maybe it was a good point back in the first drafts, when folks argued that NSPS standards for residential wood heaters were outdated and didn't meaningfully reduce PM2.5. But the 2020 updates addressd that.

Interior realtors, leaders express disapproval of new air quality regulations Fairbanks Realtors and Borough leaders said they are concerned about a new regulation from the Alaska Dept. of Environmental Conservation that targets property sales in the interior.

I sympathize with buyers and sellers who prefer not to complicate their home sales, but it is entirely incorrect to say the data does not support these regulations. #aknews