Liz Ruskin, Alaska Public Media
Liz Ruskin is the Washington, D.C., correspondent at Alaska Public Media. Reach her at lruskin@alaskapublic.org. Read more about Liz here.
Shell Rigs Leave Dutch for Chukchi, To Wait
Shell is still moving its drill rigs into the Arctic, even as one of its icebreakers prepares to head back south for repairs. The unexpected crack in the hull of the Fennica has added uncertainty to the start of the short Arctic drilling season.
It’s Official: Obama to Visit Anchorage Aug. 31
The White House announced today that President Obama will visit Alaska at the end of next month. On Aug. 31 Obama will visit Anchorage to address a State Department conference focused on climate change that is expected to draw foreign ministers from Arctic and non-Arctic countries.
Ohio newspaper endorses Mt. McKinley name change
The longstanding Alaskan campaign to restore the name "Denali" to Mount McKinley got an unlikely endorsement today.
Short $1B, Icebreaker Advocates Consider Leasing, Sharing
Nothing illustrates American disinterest in the Arctic as much as its tiny inventory of icebreakers. Alaska leaders, among others, say the country can’t assert its national interests, or see the economic benefits of a melting Arctic, without more icebreakers. But some now ask, why buy when you can lease?
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Coast Guard Gears Up for Shell’s Chukchi Season
Coast Guard Commandant Paul Zukunft says if Shell is allowed to drill in the Chukchi Sea this summer, the Coast Guard will be there with five ships and two aircraft. But, the admiral says, nothing about the Arctic is easy.
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49 Voices: Michelle Sparck of New Jersey
This week for 49 Voices, we’re going far afield, to hear from an Alaskan living in …New Jersey! Michelle Sparck grew up in Bethel, one of a set of triplets born to Lucy Sparck, of Chevak, and the late Harold Sparck, who moved from Baltimore to Bethel in the ‘60s.
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Governor, Delegation Rally to Stymie JBER Cuts
The reduction of 2,600 soldiers from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson isn’t expected to begin for more than a year. Alaska officials hope that gives enough time to stop it, or at least mitigate the loss. Gov. Bill Walker Thursday pledged a campaign to retain Alaska’s military forces and attract new ones.
First Lady Wows Crowd at Native Youth Confab
About 30 Alaskans in their teens and 20s were in Washington, D.C. today to participate in the first-ever White House Tribal Youth Gathering. The highlight for many was a passionate speech by First Lady Michelle Obama.
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Sec. Jewell Pledges More Soverignty to Tribal Youth Visiting DC
Some 30 Alaska Native teens are in Washington D.C. today for the first-ever White House Tribal Youth Gathering.
Army to Cut 2,600 Soldiers from JBER
The Army said today it plans to cut 2,600 troops from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage and another 75 soldiers from Fort Wainwright in Fairbanks. That would slice two-thirds of the personnel from the 4-25th, the only airborne brigade in the Pacific.
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IG Finds Service to Veterans Lacking at VA clinic in Mat-Su
The Inspector General for Veterans Affairs has verified a host of problems at the VA’s Mat-Su outpatient clinic.
Shell Finds Fracture in Hull of Icebreaker
An icebreaker leased to Shell sprang a leak and had to return to Dutch Harbor early Friday morning. The MV Fennica carries the company’s capping stack -- a critical piece of safety equipment for Shell’s plan to drill two wells this summer in the Chukchi Sea.
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Young Amendment Blocks ANWR Wilderness Plan
Alaska Congressman Don Young this afternoon added an amendment to a bill that would block the feds from spending any money on a plan that calls for more wilderness in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
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A Dark View of Geopolitics in the Arctic
World leaders speak of the Arctic as a "zone of peace and co-operation." But continued tranquility is just one forecast for the region. A much darker scenario came today from a Canadian policy scholar with an insider's view of Russia.
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Sen. Murkowski Pushes For Tweaks To Affordable Care Act
The Affordable Care Act has special provisions for American Indians and Alaska Natives. They’re exempt from the individual mandate requiring Americans to purchase health insurance, since they’re already entitled to health care through the Indian Health Service.
State Applauds Supreme Court Ruling On Subsidies
More than 16,000 Alaskans will keep their health insurance subsidies under a ruling issued Thursday by the United States Supreme Court. The Court ruled 6 to 3 in favor of the argument that the Affordable Care Act allows residents in states like Alaska to access federal subsidies on healthcare.gov.
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$1B Icebreaker Isn’t In the Coast Guard’s Stars… Yet
Congress does not appear close to finding $1 billion to fund a new Coast Guard icebreaker, but Thursday, the Senate Commerce Committee approved a bill authorizing $14 million to plan for one.
Sen. Sullivan: VA Must Own Up to Alaska ‘Crisis’
A new Veterans Affairs program aimed at reducing long wait times for health care has had the opposite effect for scores of Alaska vets. At a congressional hearing today, Sen. Dan Sullivan said the Choice program is undermining older systems that helped Alaskans use their VA benefits to get treatment outside the VA.
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Young a Lonely GOP Voice for Puerto Rican Statehood
Rep. Don Young took some flack for holding a fundraiser in Puerto Rico last week, just days before chairing a subcommittee hearing on statehood for the U.S. territory. But at the hearing back in Washington this afternoon, Young made it clear he’s no Johnny-come-lately to the question.
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Enviros: Shell’s Arctic Plan Violates Walrus Rule
Environmental groups say they’ve found a fundamental flaw in Shell’s plan to drill in the Chukchi Sea this summer. They say Shell’s plan to use two drill rigs at once violates a 2013 Fish and Wildlife regulation aimed at protecting walruses.
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