Doyon shareholders reject more time to comment on land swap
Published Tuesday, March 18, 2008
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Stumble It!Doyon Ltd. shareholders rejected a resolution last week that had sought to ask the federal government for more time for public comment on a proposed land swap within the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, according to the corporation.
The proposed trade would give Doyon more than 100,000 acres of federal land — thought to be rich in oil and gas — in exchange for wetlands and property important to wildlife habitat within the Yukon Flats refuge.
Friday’s resolution, which emerged for a vote at the corporation’s annual meeting Friday in Fairbanks, aimed to ask the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to extend the 60-day comment period — which ends in one week — on the Environmental Impact Statement for the land swap. Doyon reported after the meeting that more than 90 percent of the votes were cast against the proposal, which soundly defeated the resolution.
The vote came one day after directors at Tanana Chiefs Conference voted to extend the comment period. TCC, a nonprofit, and for-profit Doyon, Limited, are Alaska Native organizations that cover the Interior Alaska region. Doyon Senior Vice President Aaron Schutt did not speculate on how the corporation should interpret shareholders’ motives in rejecting Friday’s resolution. He said the company follows the will of its shareholders and board of directors.
“It was a pretty overwhelming vote,” Schutt said.
The proposed land trade has caused concern from some Interior Alaska communities, which, proponents say, would benefit from a jump-start to rural economies. Others have urged the government to do more to make the 400-page EIS accessible to Alaska Natives, some of whom speak English as a second language.
The resolution had not been included in the set agenda for the corporation’s annual meeting Friday but was instead unexpectedly proposed from the floor by a shareholder, Schutt said. Meeting organizers then drafted the motion into a written measure and distributed it thorough ballots to those in attendance, who Schutt said represented 62 percent of the corporation’s stockholders.
“Something as important as this, we wanted to make sure we took the time to have ballots made and distributed” instead of simply holding a voice vote, he said.
The Fish and Wildlife Service already extended the comment period on the EIS from 45 to 60 days to give people extra time to weigh the pros and cons of the proposal, agency spokesman Bruce Woods said.
“We recognized that it’s a controversial and complicated deal,” he said.
The Fish and Wildlife Service’s Alaska regional director will decide whether the federal government will continue with the land exchange, according to the service. If the director signs the exchange agreement, it will be forwarded to Congress for further review, the agency has said.
The public can read the plan, and comment on it in writing or electronically, through March 25. It can be found online at yukonflatseis.ensr.com/yukon_flats/default2.html.
Community Discussion
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yep you would push it tru, with out respect for the rest of all of persons liveing in the area, and off that land,your showing a rush to do so shows youv got something to hide, or you could care less for all that live in the areas around it,to have a say in it,most all are not for it, but that appers not to meen much to you all that are pushin this land deal, have a nice day,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,
What the people dont know is that Doyon is one of the major land owners in the Yukon Flats and thay are going to develope it with are with out the land swap. Read the small print!!
money is temporary, land is forever!
money hungry, DOYON SUCKS!!!
Now is the time for our shareholders to understand the very 'importance' of how you fill out your proxy ballots, especially when you know you're not going to be there. The second go around in voting for any proposals or resolutions from the floor gives this person the right to vote your votes. If you don't state who should vote for you (on the left side of the ballot)when you're not there, then the board votes for you. That is exactly what happen to your votes and that's how we lost. It kinda stupid when the TCC votes to extend and then our Doyon votes against extending the comment period. That was all we asked to give you more time to look over the documents so you can make inform decisions. I surely hope you write a comment whether you are for or against, don't let Doyon or anyone else take your right to vote, just vote.
I cant believe this!.. yet it is not so surprising considering the dirty manner is which DOYON has been playing this land exchange game. DOYON sure does go thru a lot of trouble to manipulate our voices. Its a shame because I was there and I seen the numbers. There were more votes for extending the comment period. Even though the wording on the ballot was confusing and most of the people I talked to said they couldn't vote for some reason. I guess none of that matters now that they got their front page article. This is a dirty game and unfortunately its our own people who are the pawns. It is too much to ask for the actual shareholders to have their voices be heard? This issue is too important and we are intelligent enough to make up our own minds. Not be yes men for anyone else. Thats why we are still here today... we're strong people. If they actually had people with hearts in those positions the sky would really be the limit! Unfortunately the DOYON board is more likely to win an oscar in this performance than to even win my vote. NAN K'EERAHAHTYAA GOO AII!!!
“Something as important as this, we wanted to make sure we took the time to have ballots made and distributed” instead of simply holding a voice vote, he said.
if it was this important.. why did they not already have it on the agenda?
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