AKPIRG Updates June 2023
SAY NO TO SECRET OIL DEALS!
Art Parties, Rally, and AK Supreme Court Hearing
HILCORP IS HEADED TO COURT THIS MONTH! ➡ Here's what you need to know, and the full calendar of events we’re hosting with the Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition leading up to the rally at the Alaska Supreme Court.
The $5.6 billion BP-Hilcorp deal was approved by the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA) in 2020 on a secret record. The City of Valdez has been taking legal action at the AK Supreme Court to appeal the approval process because of a lack of transparency and lack of accountability in the largest oil deal of our generation. Final oral arguments are open to the public.
If we win, the victory isn’t just for this one case, but it will positively set the precedent that Alaskan’s have a right to know: that we, too, are invested and impacted by the actions of our oil and gas industry. And it will give us a fair shot at making informed decisions about stewardship of our natural resources. If we lose this case, we will lose one big way we can hold oil and gas corporations accountable for our foreseeable future. Show up and demonstrate the public interest to the court.
Say NO to Secret Oil Deals!
#Spillcorp #SpillSecretsNotOil
Help us make rally signs, try your hand at screen printing, learn more about the June 27 court case and what's at stake, and connect with other activists!
Anchorage Art Party RSVP:
Fairbanks Art Party RSVP:
Welcome to Team AKPIRG, Mercedes & Mel!
This month, we welcomed two new staff members to Team AKPIRG! Introducing Mercedes Arciniega, our new Outreach Lead, and Mel Izard, our new Development Lead.
About Mercedes:
Born and raised on Dena’ina lands in Anchorage, Mercedes (she/her) is passionate about fostering creative and inclusive spaces. She's a graduate from the University of Puget Sound in music education. She has worked across a variety of industries, including post-secondary education, downtown improvement, cannabis law & advocacy, and tech. She's the Artistic Director of Sing Out Anchorage, an LGBTQIA2S+ all-ages vocal ensemble. Additionally, she's a co-producer of Arciniega Street Productions alongside her wife, Kendra. Together, they create community programming that celebrates queer, Latine, and BIPOC culture and artistry.
As AKPIRG’s Outreach Lead, Mercedes is excited to support AKPIRG's mission and cultivate meaningful connections with organizations and residents across the state. She currently lives and works on Dena'ina lands in Anchorage with her wife Kendra and their geriatric poodle Wally. Mercedes can be reached at mercedes@akpirg.org .
About Mel:
Mel (they/them) has a B.A. from American University, a M.S. from Tufts University, and a background in nonprofit development and outreach. In their role as AKPIRG's Development Lead, Mel looks forward to fostering a sustainable and long-lasting future for AKPIRG by managing grants and by growing meaningful relationships with donors and supporters.
Mel loves hot chocolate, forests, mountains, and their very small dog, Barley. They live and work on Lingít Aaní, on Áakʼw Ḵwáan lands in Juneau, Alaska, and can be reached by email at mel@akpirg.org.
We are so fortunate to have Mercedes and Mel on our team!
Military Veterans Targeted by Payday Lenders
Last week was Memorial Day, and while we all enjoyed the long weekend, we also honor all those who have served and sacrificed.
This year, we have connected with dozens of Alaskans who have been trapped in a cycle of debt after taking out payday loans. While it is no secret that Alaska has a profound military presence, many aren’t aware that military Veterans are a prime target for predatory lenders – while 7% of Americans nationwide have taken out a payday loan, 45% of Veterans have.
The Department of Defense performed a study and found that payday loan stores were circling military bases, which resulted in the creation of a 36% interest rate cap for active duty military. Veterans don’t benefit from these protections.
There's a simple and proven solution that would help protect the wealth of our Veterans, families, and everyday hardworking Alaskans: limit interest rates to a maximum of 36% APR. We must urge lawmakers to advance this simple policy solution.
Voice your support by signing the petition:
AETP: Electric Co-Op Transparency Scorecards
Alaska statute sets a high standard for transparency for Railbelt electric cooperatives -- but how transparent are their board meetings in practice? The Alaska Energy Transparency Project (AETP) did the research and found out.
This is the first of two parts of the Transparency Scorecard that AETP has developed for the Railbelt cooperatives. The second part, which will appear this summer, will cover the availability of information and documents on cooperative websites and information about board elections.
Decay Report: Public Process Irregularities in the Alaska State Legislature
The 1st regular session of the 33rd Alaska Legislature has come and gone. Some bills were passed by both the House and Senate, others have been signed into law, and more vital bills currently sit in various committees ready for their sponsors to push them through the legislative process while other bills continue to languish.
Unfortunately, a bill to reestablish campaign contribution limits, Senate Bill 17, had only one hearing late in the session. Members stated they were glad a conversation took place and gaveled out of the Senate State Affairs committee.
AKPIRG continues to track and assess the amounts of campaign contributions candidates have received in the past. We also monitor campaign events since contributions have begun to flow into campaign coffers as the 2024 campaign election season is now upon us.
AKPIRG is also alarmed at the increased rate of disregard for the public process within Gov. Dunleavy’s administration and the Alaska Legislature, where the Open Meetings Act and the Legislature’s Uniform Rules requires and protects the public’s right to know, to be provided prior knowledge of all steps occurring in the decision-making process, and to have access to materials and documents being considered at meetings.
We wrote about the serious violations of the public trust in relation to how the 67% legislative salary increases were handled by the Alaska State Officers Compensation Commission, the governor, and legislators here.
Additionally, the Alaska Legislature has created roadblocks to public participation, from confusing last-minute time changes, to severely limiting the opportunity to give public comment at all.
We are tracking these irregularities and request our readers to email info@akpirg.org with specific information about experiences that deal with irregularities for the public participation processes within our government.
AKPIRG remains steadfast in efforts to protect democracy by ensuring accountability, transparency and access to our government.
Creating Community in the Digital Equity Space 📡
Last week, the Benton Institute released a powerful message about digital equity in rural Alaska written by our very own Brittany Woods-Orrison, Broadband Specialist for AKPIRG and Native Movement.
Brittany highlights the challenges to tackling the digital divide in rural communities in Alaska, and how her identity and culture guides her work. We are so lucky to have Brittany on our team, and we are so proud of the organizing that she’s doing to raise awareness and find equitable solutions. Keep up the good work, Broadband Brittany!
Alaska’s Digital Equity plan now has a website: Broadband for Alaskans #ConnectAK! AKPIRG Broadband Specialist Brittany Woods-Orrison is part of the project and will be traveling throughout the state to do listening sessions and will be part of the process in writing the final plan. Check out the website to see when there will be listening sessions in your region and to see who's on the team.
AKPIRG Swag
We have merch! Proceeds from each T-shirt and sweatshirt go to funding the work we are doing for a better future for Alaska. It's the coziest way to support AKPIRG! Check out all the colors below.
