Erosion Report

I was surprised to find the erosion report sitting in obscurity in The Village Rural Blog on ADN.com, considering that this is a top issue in Rural Alaska. Kyle Hopkins, editor of The Village even states it in his short article. He says, "Rural issues don’t get much bigger than this, with villages in danger of falling in the ocean, but few easy answers because relocation projects come with massive price tags."
What a farce this blog is. I see it as an attempt to minimize and control the efforts rural Alaskans make to advocate for the issues. In the opening statement Kyle writes, "The Village is a Daily News blog about life and politics in rural Alaska." I have written him about my ideas, my blog and website with no response.
The report is 65 pages in length with some pages left blank. The report states that 178 communities were found to have reported erosion problems. ADN neglects this report considerably, only stating that 26 communities need some kind of 'immediate action'. While the report states that the Corps designated 26 communities "Priority Action Communities" - indicating that they should be considered for immediate action by either initiating an evaluation of potential solutions or continuing with ongoing efforts to manage erosion. Furthermore, stating that 69 additional communities should be considered "Monitor Conditions Communities".
Anchorage Daily News is grossly under-reporting this significant report that is vital to efforts by rural and Native organizations to seek assistance, such as where the report states under Table ES-1 that," The erosion issues in these communities warrant immediate and substantial Federal, State, or other intervention." I find the wording of this to be of importance. IMMEDIATE and SUBSTANTIAL intervention.
I have written news organizations and politicians alike on the issue of erosion. In a Letter to the Editor, I wrote that using surplus oil revenue, the State should fully fund the relocation of three PAC communities. Considering that there is no longer a surplus generating revenue, it would be politically impossible for a politician to press for a spending bill for relocation of Kivalina, Newtok, and Shishmaref.
In other related news, ADN and Fairbanks Newsminer reported that the National Weather Service Hydrologist Larry Rundquist says snowfall and the thickness of frozen ice are almost at historical averages in much of the state. This only further complicates the problem of erosion along river communities. Many individuals and businesses have reported amongst themselves purchasing flood insurance. Only another bill in Rural Alaska on top of the already horrendous cost of living out here.
The erosion problems in these PAC communities are threatening the viability of these communities. Yet I believe that the wait-and-see approach a majority of the Legislatures and Representatives are taking is simply a let-them-evacuate-when-the-time-comes and then set them up in a urban high school gymnasium until they can get them North Slope jobs and fully assimilate them into modern society. I hope and pray that this report is taken into serious consideration. Otherwise, rural Alaska may have to start talking about creating a separate state, flush with oil and gas revenues that can finance the gross neglect from the Urban dominated politics of the past.