[CPEO-MEF] TRAINING: "Alaskans at war with U.S. military over readiness exercises"

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Alaskans at war with U.S. military over readiness exercises
The small town of Cordova, dependent on salmon fishing, is fighting for control of its waters.

by Ryan Michelins 
High Country News
May 8, 2019
 
The air in Cordova, Alaska, is an unlikely mix of fresh glacial air and diesel fuel fumes. On one side of the isolated town rise the Chugach Mountains; on the other, a worn-looking fleet of fishing boats float in Prince William Sound, a northern branch of the Gulf of Alaska. There are no roads in or out of Cordova, and more than half of its 2,000-plus residents depend on the salmon industry. But for two weeks this May, their way of life could be under fire — literally. 

While Cordova’s fleet busily prepares for the summer fishing season, another armada will borrow the Gulf of Alaska, starting May 13. Since the Cold War, the U.S. military has periodically practiced cold-weather operations in Alaska’s waters. But locals are worried about the impacts of the Arctic readiness exercises, including possible pollution and harm to marine life, especially because many of the details are unknown. With climate change already hammering the ecosystem, it’s clear that the ocean is not a limitless supply of resources, raising questions about just how much the environment can take and who gets to say how it’s used.


…

For the entire article, see
https://www.hcn.org/articles/military-alaskans-at-war-with-u-s-military-over-readiness-exercises

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director
Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042
Voice/Fax: 650/961-8918 
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

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