Recall Dunleavy
Petition Signing Set
Alaskans for Recall of Dunleavy will have a drive-through petition signing opportunity 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 13, at the Hames Center parking lot on the SJ Campus.
Registered Alaskan voters who have not signed this round of the recall petition are eligible to sign. For questions, or willingness to help, call Connie Kreiss at 747-5387.
Climate Connection: Catching up with… Everyone!
By Leah Mason
Have you ever wondered what people mean when you hear them talk about the “invisible hand” or “market mechanisms”? A lot of the time, they’re talking about how to make changes to the way we do things.
Does that surprise you? It might. In my experience, the people who talk about these ideas are not so enthusiastic about change. But market mechanisms CAN change things very quickly, as we’ll see over the next couple of months.
As this column noted last week, China started its national carbon market on Feb. 1, 2021, which means that the country with the largest population in the world will be thinking a lot more about carbon dioxide. A price of around U.S. $6.30 per ton now applies to electricity generation in China, and electricity companies that create carbon dioxide will have to find ways to make up for it. Like paying someone to plant enough trees to suck it all up. Although it doesn’t seem much, U.S. $6.30 per tonne is more than anyone in China was paying last week. The plan is to increase the price, and include more companies, as time goes on.
You probably haven’t seen this on your TV news, so you might be wondering why this matters. Well, it matters because the price of energy gets factored into the products and services that use it. People in the U.S. buy a lot of things made or processed in China, so those items will start to cost more. So, we’ll probably be thinking about the cost of carbon a lot more too!
Another reason this matters is that China will be putting a carbon price on products coming in from other places. This is called a border adjustment and it’s pretty standard. In fact, China is talking with the European Union about how much Chinese products will be taxed at the EU border. Both countries have a carbon price, but the price for a ton of carbon dioxide in the EU (currently around U.S. $37) is much higher than the starting price in China.
With the U.S. government getting back into step with the rest of the world, rejoining the Paris Agreement, and planning investments in clean technology, it’s also reassuring to have companies and organizations seeing which way the wind is blowing. Interestingly, big oil companies like Shell, BP, Total, Statoil, Eni and the BG Group were asking for a carbon price back in 2015. In 2019 they were joined by Exxon and Mobil. Almost two years later even the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has stated that the “climate is changing and humans are contributing to these changes.” It has asked for Congress to create policy that takes a market-based approach to “encouraging innovation and investment to ensure significant emissions reductions, while avoiding economic harm for businesses, consumers and disadvantaged communities.”
Luckily for them we have something like that, and HB 763 is already in the House. See the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act at https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-bill/763. Check out the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s statement at https://www.uschamber.com/climate-change-position
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Leah Mason is a member of the Sitka Citizens’ Climate Lobby.
Sitka Cyclists
Set to Ride,
Win Prizes
Sitka cyclists can participate in the ninth annual International Winter Bike to Work Day on Feb. 12.
‘‘Sitka cyclists are hardy souls, and many of us ride our bikes all year round, not just in the summer,’’ a Sitka Cycling Club spokesperson said. ‘‘Now Sitka cyclists can ride and win prizes.’’
This year the celebration will be simple, since many people are working from home or are out of work due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the event has been rebranded as WinterBikeALoopza. Cyclists are being encouraged to ride loops around town if they aren’t actually riding to work or school.
To participate, riders go to the International Winter Bike To Work Day website, https://winterbiketoworkday.org/, and commit online to riding to work on Friday, Feb. 12. Those who work at home can use a bike ride for errands or sport as their bike commute for the day. On Feb. 12 stop by the Yellow Jersey Cycle Shop, 329 Harbor Dr., between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. to enter a contest to win prizes, including a reflective vest from the shop.
Cyclists are being encouraged to be safe in their rides by wearing helmets, bright reflective clothes, and having working solid white headlights in front and blinking red taillights in back. They also should follow the rules of the road, such as riding on the right side of the road – not on the sidewalk – and stopping at all stop lights/stop signs.
The group is gathering door prizes, and businesses or people wanting to donate can contact Charles Bingham at charleswbingham3@gmail.com or Doug Osborne at douglaso@searhc.org for more information.
‘‘We are looking for items such as gloves, reflective safety vests, water bottles, helmets, etc., although some businesses donated gift cards, bike books, or non-biking and non-winter items in past years,’’ the organization said.
Fishermen’s Expo
Slated for Feb. 22
Alaska Longline Fishermen’s Association will hold its virtual mid-winter Fishermen’s Expo on Feb. 22.
Commercial and subsistence fishermen of all gear types can attend free and interactive classes on bathymetry mapping updates, loan and financing opportunities for fishermen, how to deal with sleep deprivation while fishing, fisheries policy and management updates, skipper training for ALFA’s Crewmember Training Program.
Lunch will be provided for Sitka participants. Visit alfafish.org for information and to register. Call 738-1286 with questions.
Moment of Prayer
Event for MMIWG
A moment of prayer for Missing & Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls is being planned for noon Feb. 9 outside on the ocean side of the Sitka Public Library, where the Amber Webb Qaspeq Project is being displayed in the window.
For information, email Rev. Julie Platson at stpetersbytheseak@gmail.com.
Bike Maintenance
Workshop on Tap
The Salty Spoke Bike Coop will hold basic bicycle maintenance workshops at the Salty Spoke on the last three Saturdays of February, 11 a.m.-noon.
Subjects covered will likely include routine chain maintenance, rust prevention techniques, safety checks, pumping tires, and brake adjustments.
Workshops are $20 for the general public, free for members. The coop is located around the back of the Hames Center on the SJ Campus. Masks and social distancing are required. The class is capped at eight participants. Learn more at saltyspoke.com.
