Elizabeth Harball, Alaska's Energy Desk - Anchorage
Elizabeth Harball is a reporter with Alaska's Energy Desk, covering Alaska’s oil and gas industry and environmental policy. She is a contributor to the Energy Desk’s Midnight Oil podcast series. Before moving to Alaska in 2016, Harball worked at E&E News in Washington, D.C., where she covered federal and state climate change policy. Originally from Kalispell, Montana, Harball is a graduate of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Hoping for jobs and lower fuel costs, an Alaska Native Corporation explores for gas
Alaska Native Regional Corporation Ahtna, Inc. is searching for natural gas to reduce local energy costs and provide jobs. Last week, Ahtna, Inc. subsidiary Tolsona Oil & Gas Exploration LLC started drilling an exploration well on state land near Glennallen. Listen Now
Walker to return to S. Korea to pitch gasline plan
Governor Bill Walker is going back to South Korea Saturday for the second time this month to pitch his gasline plan. It's Walker's third trip to Asia as governor. Listen Now
Conoco aims to up North Slope production with new drilling rig
ConocoPhillips Alaska has announced plans for a new drilling rig on the North Slope that will more than double the area it can develop from a single drill site. Listen Now
Questions surround Walker’s gas line plan
Gov. Bill Walker is making the case that his new gas line plan will get the project off the drawing board and on to Alaskan soil. But it’s not hard to find skeptics who say Walker is just creating more paperwork.
Alaska emergency crews study up for nation’s first LNG by rail
Starting tomorrow, the Alaska Railroad will be the first in the nation to carry liquefied natural gas by rail. With the Federal Rail Administration’s blessing, LNG will travel the tracks from Anchorage to Fairbanks.
State Natural Resources department hires new oil and gas overseer
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources announced it has hired a new deputy commissioner in charge of oil and gas. Mark Wiggin left Brooks Range Petroleum to take the post, where he worked as an engineering and development manager. Listen now
Alaska Natives protesting Dakota Access pipeline share mixed views on oil
About 60 demonstrators, including many Alaska Natives, gathered in downtown Anchorage Saturday afternoon to sing, dance and carry signs. They were there to support North Dakota’s Standing Rock Sioux tribe in their fight against the Dakota Access oil pipeline.
Alaskans protest North Dakota pipeline by paddling in solidarity
Members of the One People Canoe Society from Juneau paddled in unison today down the Missouri River in North Dakota. The trip is a show of solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux who are protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline Project. A federal court is expected to rule on whether pipeline construction goes forward tomorrow.
Grid referee could ensure cheaper electricity for Alaska’s Railbelt
For the first time in years, the state is seriously talking about putting a kind of referee in charge of how electricity moves from point A to point B. That could lower Alaskans’ electric bills. The Railbelt’s power companies are working on making this happen, but they’re also nervous about handing over the keys to just anyone. Listen now
Fire Island Wind sees expansion on the horizon
After years of talks and setbacks, there’s momentum to expand the Fire Island Wind project. The first turbines started spinning on the island near Anchorage four years ago, but a planned expansion has been stalled ever since. Listen now
Cleaner electricity for Peninsula village to arrive by way of Anchorage
The Native Village of Perryville on the Alaska Peninsula has a new power generator. It will help the village use more renewable power and save on costs. Contractors have almost finished putting it together –- but at the moment, it’s almost 500 miles away from its destination. Listen now
State fund for renewable power falls prey to budget woes
Since 2008, the state has set aside a pot of money for renewable energy projects like small dams and wind turbines. Called the Renewable Energy Fund, the projects it's backed have replaced tens of millions of gallons of expensive diesel in communities from Skagway to Nome. Listen now