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.
Low Pollock Years Linked to Ice Retreat
The years 2002 through 2005 were bad for Bering Sea pollock. The biomass plunged during those years. In a presentation in Washington, D.C., a NOAA fisheries biologist said today ongoing research points to two suspects: ice and fat, in league with each other.
U.S. House Panel Advances Fisheries Law
The U.S. House Natural Resources Committee today moved a bill to renew the Magnuson-Stevens Act. The sponsor, Alaska Rep. Don Young, says the bill makes minor changes to the fisheries law. But some fishermen and conservationists say it undercuts environmental protections and the requirement of science-based management.
Military Construction Bill Has Money for F35s at Eielson AFB
The U.S. House today passed a military construction bill that includes $37 million for buildings at Eielson Air Force Base to support two squadrons of F-35s. The bill has almost as much for a new boiler at the Eielson power plant, and nearly $8 million for the Fort Greely gym.
EPA Head: Alaska ‘Uniqueness’ Could Mean Immunity From CO2 Rule
Administrator Gina McCarthy says Alaska's request for an exemption from the power plant rule will get serious consideration.
Murkowski: Alaskans ‘Scared to Death’ of Water Reg
The White House is reviewing a highly controversial EPA rule on streams and wetlands. Sen. Lisa Murkowski pressed the EPA boss on it, saying it has Alaskans from all sectors worried.
Icebreakers? Sure, but CG Boss Says Cutters Come First
The head of the Coast Guard says the country must invest in new icebreakers to meet a predicted increase in Arctic drilling and marine traffic. But he also told a U.S. Senate panel today the Coast Guard needs lots of ships, and icebreakers aren’t the top item on his acquisitions list.
BOEM Explains 75% Chance of Arctic Oil Spill
Inside a thick government report on the impact of off-shore oil leasing in the Chukchi Sea is a phrase that grabs the attention. It says there's "75% chance of one or more large spills." Today, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management put out a fact sheet to clarify what it means by that 75 percent figure.
US Senate Confirms Attorney General Nominee Loretta Lynch
The U.S. Senate today voted to confirm Loretta Lynch as attorney general. Both Alaska senators voted against her, saying she has not shown she has the independence to stand up to the Obama White House.
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Alaska Miners Dispute Claim That ‘Much’ Of Alaska’s Federal Lands Are Open To Mining
Alaska mining advocates are taking issue with something Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said last week, while defending federal resource management in Alaska.
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Sullivan Wins Amendment to Let States Prosecute Mann Act
Sen. Dan Sullivan added an amendment to the human trafficking bill the U.S. Senate passed today. It addresses a problem he faced as Alaska’s attorney general, when the feds declined to prosecute Bill Allen on sexual abuse charges.
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Arctic Priorities Questioned on Eve of U.S. Chairmanship
The United States assumes chairmanship of the Arctic Council next week, kicking off a two-year window to assert American priorities in the region. The U.S. and other member nations have committed to making the Arctic a “zone of peace.” But now, some Arctic watchers wonder if the U.S. needs to add an item to its Arctic priority list: get tough with Russia.
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Interior Secretary Sally Jewell Defends Federal Land Management
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell today defended the federal government’s land management and brushed off calls from legislators in Alaska, and other states, to seize federal lands.
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Oil Price Likely To Dip Again After Brief Surge
The price of Brent Crude hit above $63 a barrel today, the highest it's been this year. That gives Alaskans something to cheer about, but the head of the U.S. Energy Information Administration told a Senate panel Thursday two political events on the horizon would likely bring the global price down.
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U.S. Senate Favors Secure Rural Schools – Secure Docs, Too
The U.S. Senate last night passed a bill to continue Secure Rural Schools. That’s a federal revenue-sharing program that delivers some $14 million to local governments in Alaska, primarily in Southeast, to compensate for low federal timber receipts. The bill also helps Medicare providers nationwide.
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Murkowski Campaign Shows Financial Might
Sen. Lisa Murkowski is up for re-election next year, and her fundraising is going strong. Her campaign today reported she raised $700,000 in the first three months of the year, and has $1.5 million on hand.
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Eielson Will Keep F-16 Squadron
The Secretary of the Air Force told Alaska officials Tuesday that Eielson Air Force Base will keep its F-16 Aggressor squadron. Alaska Congressman Don Young says it’s good news on its own but it also improves the chances the Eielson will get F-35 aircraft, too.
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Greenpeace Activists Banned from Arctic Rigs
Greenpeace protesters have climbed down from an Arctic-bound drill rig in the Pacific. The activists said rough waters drove them off their high-seas bivouac on Shell’s Polar Pioneer this Saturday -- nearly a week after they climbed aboard.
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Public Comment Period Opens Up For Shell’s Chukchi Plan
If you want to comment on Shell’s plan to drill in the Chukchi Sea this summer, now is your chance. The U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced Friday that it considers Shell’s latest exploration plan and supporting documents sufficient enough to begin an official review. The determination kicks off a public comment period that lasts through the end of April.
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With New Purchase, Shell May Be Less Keen on Arctic
Royal Dutch Shell announced this week a plan to purchase a major British LNG company, and statements by top executives suggest Shell may now be less committed to its future in Alaska's offshore Arctic.
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Long After Civil War’s End, Rebel Raiders Fought On in Bering Sea
One hundred and fifty years ago, on April 9, General Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox, Va. Textbooks typically say this event signaled the end of the Civil War. But a few historians make the case that the last shots of the war were actually fired from a Confederate ship off Alaska’s coast, in the Bering Sea.
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