I'm confused. The Voice of the Times, staunch defender of oil fields in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, cross-country pipelines and roads and ball fields in Bicentennial Park, seems to be having a tough time with our Coastal Trail extension.
The Times advocates are letting Juneau politicians stick their noses into what is clearly a local issue, which belies their usual less-government philosophy. Most astounding, they appear to be in league with the greens, instead of bashing them as they usually do, when they contend that the Alaska Department of Fish and Game has been excluded. Isn't this the same department that Gov. Frank Murkowski just branded as obstructive?
If they would take time to check the records, instead of listening to misinformation spread by trail opponents, they would find that Fish and Game really has been involved all along. The environmental impact statement prepared by the Department of Transportation and the Municipality of Anchorage, and blessed by the feds, is a reliable document that is worthy of constructive comment, not derision.
Instead of stop-the-project rhetoric, we need answers. There are common-sense solutions to most of the problems the Times carps about that can reduce costs by $10 million to $15 million, get the trail off private property and minimize impacts to wildlife.
Of course, if the real worry is that the trail will give former Gov. Tony Knowles a leg up on U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski in two years, here's an idea. Just name it after George Sullivan, since it was his idea in the first place. Tony won't mind.
-- Mike Jens
Anchorage Daily News Letters 2/28/2003