They paved paradise and put up a rocket launcher facility.
Alaska’s Kodiak Island is one of North America’s premiere, pristine habitats. Famous for its huge burley bears, world-class salmon fishing, and a multitude of magnificent shades of misty green that blanket the entire island in the summer time – hence its charming appellative: Alaska's Emerald Isle.
Kodiak Island’s 13,900 citizens and 3,000 bears never asked to be home to a rocket launcher facility. In fact, the people (if not the bears) organized and fought tooth and nail against the project; insisting that putting a rocket launcher facility on their lustrous island would severely impact their fishing and tourist industry and environment in general. But they eventually relented when the Alaska Aerospace Development Corporation (AADC) promised them that the brand spankin’ new Kodiak Launch Complex (KLC) would not cause any significant damage, and have little or no overall impact on the island’s habitat.
To further alleviate the reservations of citizens, in 1992, the promoters of the launch complex assured island residents that all launches would be for civilian uses. There would be no military role for the facility. Little did the people of Kodiak Island know at the time, behind their backs, Republican U.S. Senator Ted Stevens made sure that no Environmental Impact Statement was required for the project.
Consequently, the good citizens of the Emerald Isle began to regret their decision.
The article written by activist Bruce K. Gagnon appears on the OpEdNews website:
Local activists though knew better than to trust the assurances of these politicians. They smelled something fishy going on. They learned that each launch could release approximately 23,500 pounds of hydrochloric acid into the atmosphere and other dangerous substances into the ocean. They knew that this contamination could over time have tremendous negative impact on the local environment. (At the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, after each space launch, there are significant fish kills due to the accumulation of toxic exhaust pollutants in the water.)
People also worried what would happen to wayward missiles that failed to properly launch.
As it turns out the only launches from the Kodiak spaceport so far have been military tests.
According to Alaska activist, and Global Network board member Stacey Fritz, "Until 2001, the Air Force with its Atmospheric Interceptor Tests had been the Kodiak Launch Complex's only customer. More of those tests are planned, but in 2001 the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command arranged for the AADC to host twenty of the U.S. Army Strategic Target System missile tests, commonly known as the STARS program. These are the missiles that simulate incoming intercontinental ballistic missiles fired from Asia so that the military in the South Pacific can attempt to intercept them in mid-air with the latest missile defense technology."
Things have gone from bad to worse -- for the islanders and their paradisaical home, that is. Business is picking up for the Kodiak Launch Complex. The AADC announced last December that the complex will now require a new rocket motor storage facility and an additional launch pad. In what can only be described as an inept lack of foresight, KLC built the two existing launch pads right next to each other and cannot be used simultaneously, which of course limits the number of launches.
The additional facilities will allow multiple launch customers to be on site simultaneously, double KLC’s launch capabilities, and result in KLC being a full service spaceport. AADC is currently developing a long-term relationship with the U.S. Air Force. The USAF plans on initiating the Operationally Responsive Space (ORS) program with the goal of having launch on demand capability – placing national defense assets in orbit with very little lead time. KLC is an attractive launch site for the ORS program because the KLC offers flexible launch scheduling not available at other U.S. launch sites; and launches from KLC avoid populated areas, environmentally sensitive areas, and congested air routes."
The AADC is requesting $35 million for these launch site upgrades.
Sadly, I fear it’s too late for Alaska’s Emerald Isle. Sure, environmental activists and animal rights groups will manage to save a portion of the island for posterity's sake. But, once the military-industrial-complex gets their hooks into something – no matter how valuable that something is to the people who live there -- they never leave. As the need arises, AADC will continue to add more launch pads and support facilities, and the Kodiaks [both citizens and bears] will continue to lose their environmental nirvana.
And, it all started with a pernicious little lie. But, this is nothing new; it’s happening all over the country. The corporations work their way into a community via money and false promises, and then once established, they start dramatically expanding operations. Pretty soon, any chance to protect their communities from this corporate militaristic blight is lost as the local economies becomes reliant on the jobs and small businesses created by the corporate presence, and local politicians and the media becomes subservient to the easy money being spread around.
Let’s just hope other communities learn lessons from this unfortunate experience; organize better against corporate interests, stand stronger and longer, and resign to resist these efforts to militarize this country with everything they can muster.
Myself, I would have brought the bears with me to the negotiations. After all, it's been their island home for 12,000 years. It's only right that they have a say too.
Peace
Links to more information about the Alaska’s Emerald Isle and its brawny inhabitants:
Kodiak Island -- Explore
AF&G Division of Wildlife Conservation
Wikipedia
Shadow of the Bear