The FNSB Assembly's Amended Response to the Proposed Manh Choh Trucking Plan is Disappointing
I made a mistake last Friday.
I had included a small update about the Boroughs response to the Manh Choh trucking corridor on a larger post.
I had originally said that their amended opposing statement was slightly watered down during last weeks Assembly meeting, and expressed thanks for Assemblymembers who still voted for it.
Unfortunately, I was wrong. I should have waited to have the amended resolution in front of me.
The FNSB Assembly brought the Boroughs previous statement opposing the proposed Manh Choh trucking plan back up for reconsideration on March 23.
By the end of the night, it was no longer an opposing statement. It wasn’t even a statement expressing concern for the plan. It had turned into “a resolution continuing to monitor the transportation advisory committee of the Alaska/Richardson/Steese highway action plan regarding the proposed transportation route for hauling ore from the Manh Choh mine to the Fort Knox mill.”
The amended resolution cut two full pages from the original, including language about our Boroughs PM2.5 issues, mentions of similar resolutions from the cities of Fairbanks and North Pole, and notes about bus routes along the proposed corridor, as well as added language including:
“A local Alaskan trucking company has taken additional safety measures that will include all disc brakes that reduce stopping distance by as much as 30%. Furthermore, only highly qualified drivers experienced in operating in snow and ice will be hired. Additional training on the planned route will also take place”.
…which, as Assemblymember Guttenberg and others mentioned, sounds more like a commercial than language to have in a resolution.
Here is the full, new resolution.
Public testimony in our community continues to be heavily skewed in opposition to the proposed trucking plan, which would bring a fleet of enormous trucks to our roads 24-hours a day for something like the next 20 to 30 years.
Here is a link to last weeks, long, long discussion on this item on the Borough website, along with citizen comments.
I understand if you don’t have the time to listen: however, it tells us a lot about not just opinions on the plan itself, but also about what each Assemblymember imagines the role of local government to be.
Side note: Assemblymember Rotermund begins the discussion of this resolution by self-reporting an accidental violation of the Open Meetings Act. This is a whole other can of worms, but I can appreciate the Assemblymember stepping forward to own his mistake. I can assume he did not do it on purpose. It’s a good thing when representatives own their errors and do not sweep these kind of things under the rug.
Throughout the recording, I found myself nodding along to Assemblymembers O’Neall, Fletcher, Kelly, and Guttenberg. The four ultimately dissented and voted against the amended version of the resolution.
Their points included:
Public feedback in the Borough has been extensive and overwhelmingly against the proposed trucking plan.
There are a lot of lingering questions about safety remaining.
The state and federal government are moving very slowly and objections from local government can spur them to action.
The role of local government is to share the perspective of their constituents, even in cases where the Borough doesn’t have direct authority to impose restrictions or create laws.
Everyone on the Assembly realizes that the Borough doesn’t have the authority to halt trucking on public roads. But, as Assemblymember O’Neall noted, Kinross and Manh Choh are listening: they have already lowered the proposed number of trucks due to community feedback.
If each local government spoke with a unified vision, we’d have a better chance of convincing Kinross/Manh Choh/the State of Alaska to explore and incentivize other possibilities, such as refining the ore on site.
Instead, our Assembly has chosen to take a disappointing, weak, and impartial stance, and our roads are likely to get more dangerous.
Mining in Our Backyard Forum: Thursday, March 30
The League of Women Voters of Tanana Valley, the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and KUAC will host a forum entitled 'Mining in Our Backyard' with speakers representing industry, the state and community organizers. It will be on Thursday, March 30 from 7-9pm at the Schaible Auditorium on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus and live broadcast on KUAC-FM 89.9.
Confirmed speakers include representatives from the Alaska Mining Association, the Institute of Social and Economic Research, UAA, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, the Fairbanks North Star Borough Planning Department, Save Our Domes, and Advocates for Safe Alaska Highways.
Sounds like something worth attending.
Thank you for reading, and have a good Tuesday.