On Sunday, Juneau Empire columnist Ben Brown, makes a good pitch for an array of arts and artists. It represents a what’s happening for the coming summer in Juneau, as well as, in a couple of other communities in southeast.

During the week of May 9-13, the RCA will be conducting a hearing in the City Assembly Chambers in Juneau from 9 a.m.to 5 p.m. This is an evidentiary hearing for the purpose of examining questions that Juneau People’s Power Project have posed along with evidence provided by RAPA.

JPPP wants to know why AEL&P wants a 24 percent increase; are they entitled to it?

Lake Dorothy is built, so they want to pay for it; why did the actual cost far exceed the initial estimate?

An often heard argument for re-opening the AJ Mine in Juneau is the need for more jobs in our community.  That proclaimed need is born of pro-business rhetoric based on an unsustainable perpetual growth model, and does not accurately reflect the reality of Juneau’s economy.

Alaska’s unemployment rate is 16 percent lower than the national average. The City and Borough of Juneau’s unemployment rate is the second lowest in the state only to the North Slope Borough. These statistics do not point to a current need for jobs for Juneau.

I would like to applaud Southeast Alaska Conservation Council‘s effort in mobilizing folks to share their concerns about the reopening of the A.J. Mine at Thursday night’s CBJ task force public hearing. The testimony at the hearing aired many concerns the citizens of Juneau have about what the reopening of such a mine would have on our community. Pollution of the primary water source for the city to the changes in our quality of life such a development would bring are paramount concerns people testified about.