The Three Plagues The Three Plagues March 26, 2021 Dear Friends and Neighbors, Nothing like the newsletter to wrap up another low-drama, low-key week in the Capitol. Ahem. But hey, it’s actually still light out sometimes when I leave work. And Passover starts tomorrow night. The holiday remembers plagues past, but also celebrates springtime and hope. It's also a holiday with a really big emphasis on handwashing. I mean, there's a lot. Is This A Disaster or What? Southeast has some of the best COVID vaccination rates in the state. And Alaska's are some of the best in the nation. But new cases are still happening, and people are still dying. So the state still needs the tools to deal with COVID and its economic fallout. We will for a while. But we don't need ALL the powers the government gets in a full-fledged disaster. We haven't for months now. There’s been a lot of squabbling in the Capitol and the press about whether to extend the disaster declaration or take another approach. I don’t think it much matters what we call it. Let’s just pass a bill that does what Alaskans need. That means doing the health things: expanded telehealth, vaccine distribution, COVID testing at airports, and accepting the extra federal funding for Medicaid. We need to let hospitals keep screening people before they walk in the building (turns out that's an "alternate care site" under federal rules, and it takes a waiver.) It also means we give the helping hand: continue Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, take the emergency-based money for food assistance, and get federal economic stimulus money to Alaska businesses and local governments. The House spent hours on the floor today passing a bill to do those things. It says the word 'disaster.' The Senate Finance Committee will look at it next week, and the bill they move probably won't. As long as it does the things Alaskans need, I don't care. We should have done this in February. I got a banner printed for legislators and staff to sign thanking SEARHC for the vaccine doses that'll protect Capitol workers. Clinic Manager Angela Sprinkle and VP Eric Gettis accepted it on behalf of the consortium. To quote Dr. Zink, "Alaska's success with vaccinations is Tribal success with vaccinations." Nothing Is Forever I got through half my questions for the Attorney General nominee in his first (of two) confirmation hearings this week. In response to one of my questions, he announced a big step forward in Alaska's work to clean up toxic 'forever chemicals' in drinking water. Too many communities have PFAS in their wells, including here in Gustavus. We’ve known for a long while that these chemicals are toxic, even when used exactly as directed. Since we first took office, Rep. Hannan and I have been pushing the state to sue the companies that make them. The governor's first chief of staff and AG were dead set against taking on the PFAS problem. After years of 'no' from Law, when I asked AG nominee Tregg Taylor to promise he'd work with the Department of Environmental Conservation on the issue, he said the suit against the first manufacturer is already filed! (He got a little excited, it's actually about to be.) I'm confident there will be more. Getting Alaskans clean drinking water, and ultimately cleaning up all the poisoned sites, will be expensive. The chemical companies should bear some of those costs. Dramatics Sometimes things come through that look more like they're to score points than change policy. That's too bad. This week we saw a resolution in the Resources Committee supporting ANWR drilling. It's a perennial. But this version had a derisive reference to "proponents of anthropogenic climate change" in a section that went on (through some twisted syntax) to make it look as though burning fossil fuels doesn't warm the planet. I'm happy to say I pulled that bit out. We also saw a Friday afternoon announcement that the governor plans to take "physical sovereignty" over every inch of navigable water in Alaska. In a fiery press conference, he said this was something he's been pursuing with Uncle Sam for more than a year. (Interesting that both the Trump and Biden Administrations thought his requests were over the top, but let's set that aside for a second.) The U.S. Supreme Court's decision in the Sturgeon case a few years ago really changed the law on who gets a say over what happens on Alaska rivers flowing through federal parks & refuges. It was a big enough change that the governor may have a legal leg to stand on. But this angry presser—complete with warnings to avoid physical confrontations with federal law enforcement—was way out of place. A month ago when the Department of Law briefed the Resources Committee on major fights with the feds, this wasn't even on their list. Now it's ride or die? All my best, Did someone forward you this newsletter? Did you fall into it through the series of tubes? Want more? SUBSCRIBE Events & Happenings Around District Q Read Across Juneau StoryPaths are so much fun! Raven and the Tide Lady is here! Don't miss out on the last leg of the journey with CBJ Parks and Rec, JEA, SHI, and the Juneau Public Libraries. This is a traditional Northwest Coast Raven story. Happening April 2nd – 4th at the Rainforest Trail. Juneau Tidal Echoes! April 2nd at 5 pm—Tune into hear this year's launch of "Tidal Echoes" the UAS Literary and Arts Journal. It'll feature artist Lily Hope and writer Hank Lentfer. Check out the event here! Earth, Wind, and Strings? Join the Juneau Symphony April 4th for their “Strings and Friends” concert at the Mendenhall Glacier—remotely! It’s a great cast of local musicians and vocalists that you won’t want to miss. Sign up here!  Virtual 46th Alaska Folk Fest! It’s not in person but it'll still sound great—bring the sweet sounds of the Folk Fest to your living room this year. Tune in from April 5th - 11th. All the details are on this page! Is there an event in our district I should know about? Please call or email! Snail Mail? Alaska State Capitol Room 419 Juneau, AK 99801 Call: 800 550 4947 907 465 4947 Email Me! ‌ ‌ ‌ Contact My Staff: Edric Carrillo 907 465 6419 [email protected] Cathy Schlingheyde 907 465 6827 [email protected] CJ Harrell 907 465 4947 [email protected] Senator Jesse Kiehl | Alaska State Capitol, Rm. 419, 4th Avenue & Main Street, Juneau, AK 99801 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Customer Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]