Eyes on the Horizon Eyes on the Horizon April 9, 2021 Dear Friends and Neighbors, This issue is all about the future! Some of it distant, some immediate. Speaking of which, I hope you immediately have a great weekend. Also, I got my second dose of COVID vaccine today, and I’m so excited I could burst into song. Talking with local tourism business owners Holly Johnson, Laura Martinson, & Kyle McDonnell about Alaska's tourism economy. (See the last story) Clean, Green, Transport Machine It’s been a long time since I went to a ribbon cutting. (Or any public event, really. But let's stay focused.) I'm also not sure you're supposed to cut a ribbon when you dedicate a vehicle. But it would be a little awkward to break a bottle of champagne over the front bumper, so we did the ribbon/scissors thing as Juneau rolled out the first electric transit bus in Alaska! It's a huge improvement over our old diesel buses. This is quieter, costs less to run, has way fewer parts to maintain, and emits no carbon dioxide. Plus, bus riders have historically sucked enough exhaust fumes to make a person sick. Not an issue with electric. I worked on this issue when I was on the Assembly, so it's great to see it happen. And it's just the beginning. The city has six more on order. As the old fleet wears out, CBJ's plan is to replace them all with vehicles that run on Southeast Alaska's reliable, affordable, salmon-safe hydropower. Reps. Story, Hannan, and I recently worked with the Department of Transportation to make sure Alaska keeps applying for the federal grants that helped make this happen. Soon, not only will Capital Transit be the best bus service in Alaska, it'll be the greenest. Speaking at the ribbon cutting for Alaska's first electric transit bus! (Photo stolen from Matt Miller) The Statute & The Suit I wrote a couple weeks ago that the state would finally bring suit against PFAS manufacturers. On Wednesday, the AG's office announced the lawsuit is filed. The state is suing 3M, Dupont, and many others for knowingly selling these toxins without adequate warning. I’m glad Alaska will hold these companies accountable and get them to help deal with their toxic messes. Coincidentally, I introduced SB 121, my bill to deal with PFAS on the same day. The bill is focused on making sure Alaskans have clean drinking water and stopping more spraying—especially of toxic firefighting foams. Alaska needs the health-protective standards in SB 121. They'll let Alaskans with contaminated wells get clean drinking water. And we need to prevent any more contamination going forward. I'm glad Rep. Hannan plans to introduce an identical bill in the House. There are some places where federal law still requires the PFAS-containing foam. And it’s still needed for potential large fires in the oil and gas industry. SB 121 requires phasing those out as soon as it's safe and legal. We really can't stop spraying these forever chemicals soon enough. Reps. Story & McKay, and Sens. Stedman & Micciche joined me at the governor's signing ceremony. Large Craft Advisory This afternoon, the Governor signed SJR 9, my resolution calling on the federal government to give Alaska a temporary pause on some laws preventing big ships from coming this summer. All three members of our Congressional delegation have bills to do that. At the same time, the ships need COVID safety approval from the CDC. The agency appropriately wants ships to take a lot of extra precautions. That makes good sense. But they're being very slow to give detailed guidance on what that needs to look like. A few details came out early this past week, but not enough to justify staffing up a big ship and taking it out of mothballs. There's more work to do! Along with signing the resolution, the governor announced he's making a plan to provide some relief for Alaskans who work in tourism. I think that's an appropriate use for some of the "Biden money" (I know, I know... technically it's the American Rescue Act) that's coming to our state. I look forward to working with the Governor and other legislators to get this much needed help to Alaskans. 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 Virtual 46th Alaska Folk Fest! It’s not in-person, but it still sounds 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 here! National Poetry Month The Juneau Public Libraries have free “Blackout Poetry Kits!” Take a page from an old piece of literature and black out words to make a poem! Available at all Library Branches. Serene Contemplations Enjoy the Juneau Symphony String Quartet April 18th – you won’t want to miss out on hearing amazing local artists play Haydn & Bach, and sing Handel and Mozart. Community Cleanup Earth day is right around the corner which means we can do our part to help clean it up. May 1st Join CBJ, Litter Free, and Trout Unlimited in this Litter Free event! Spring Fling This year Haines’ annual party will be outdoors on April 23. By then I’m just sure we’ll have sprung forward and left the snow behind! Clean Sweep Spring cleaning is right around the corner! Join the Skagway Chamber of Commerce April 17th, to help clean the community. Pitch in here. April Madness This is it! Your last chance at the finals of the Skagway Public Libraries “Tournament of Books”! It's "Leave the World Behind" by Rumaan Alam vs. "Piranesi" by Susanna Clarke. Help pick the winner April 10th at 4 pm. Read up and join in! I-Spy We might not be out of winter yet, but try and find all the spring time objects at the Kone Kompany and pick-up your checklist at Grizzly’s General April 3rd – 18th and help support the FTC Robotics Team! Skagway Vaccines The Dahl Memorial Clinic now has COVID-19 vaccines available for everyone 18 years and older. Call the clinic today to book your appointment! Chilkat Indian Village: Town Pick-ups If you need help getting groceries, medicine, or packages, the good folks at the Tribe can help! Reach out here for assistance. 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]