Traveling to Bethel with U.S. Sen. Mark Begich today, Bureau of Indian Affair’s (BIA) regional director for Alaska, Niles Cesar, announced the BIA will provide emergency financial assistance to help residents in Emmonak struggling with the price of fuel.
At a video conference arranged with several villages through the Yukon Kuskokwim Health Corporation, Cesar told participants that the BIA has agreed to waive eligibility rules so more people in Emmonak can receive assistance of up to $1,000.
"I am extremely pleased that the BIA has answered Senator Lisa Murkowski and my request for assistance to help these residents get through the winter," Sen. Begich said. 'This is not a long-term solution, but it’s a step in the right direction. I am hopeful the State of Alaska will step in and help solve this for the future." (Don't hold your breath Mark.)
Sen. Begich arranged the meeting in Bethel today and asked BIA officials to go with him. Cesar said the assistance may range from $400 to $1,000 depending on a person’s income. He didn’t know how many people would eventually receive the extra help, but said the average person will receive around $500.
Cesar also said his office is requesting the wavier be made available to 56 villages in Western Alaska and to 11 villages in the Northwest Arctic. Sen. Begich endorsed the request to expand the waiver to help more villages.
Yeah I wish it were more money per household, and I am sure that it will end up being much more, but the main point is that our two Senators did SOMETHING. And you know what? They did it in a bipartisan way.
And meanwhile we have Governor Sarah and a planeload of Christian evangelists setting out tomorrow en route to the WRONG VILLAGES for a carefully coordinated photo-op.
Oh yeah THAT is effective leadership!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
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Contributing writers (especially bloggers) are being sought for a book about Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin and her media coverage, especially pertaining to her many “gates” –trooper gate, turkey gate, bridge to no where gate, rally gate, etc. Please email pjc@dejazzd.com.
ReplyDeleteWell, $500 per person is a good beginning, especially in light that I have read that many households are quite big and have a couple of generations living in the same space. (I think I read somewhere that in some households up in Emmonak there are something like 17 people. 17x500=$8,500. It will help a bit, but not much, in light of the cost of groceries and fuel up there...
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