Nathaniel Herz, Northern Journal
America’s first Arctic ambassador was just confirmed weeks ago. Now he could be out of a job.
It’s standard for politically appointed ambassadors like Mike Sfraga to leave their posts during a presidential transition.
Arctic Bitcoin? Hilcorp, tech firm aim to test North Slope data center
A Hilcorp oil field in Alaska’s Arctic is set to host a tech firm that wants to use natural gas-fired power to mine digital currency.
Data centers face growing opposition Outside. Gov. Mike Dunleavy wants them in Alaska.
The Republican governor says Alaska has in excess what the data industry is finding increasingly scarce Outside: land and water.
Hilcorp again eyes Interior Alaska for oil exploration
Oil and gas company Hilcorp appears to be moving toward new oil and gas exploration work in Alaska’s Interior.
How Alaska regulators ignored a gas conservation scheme
When Anchorage’s big electric utility asked regulators’ permission last year to raise its rates by 5.5%, renewable energy advocates responded with a counterproposal.
Two Kodiak trawlers caught 2,000 king salmon. Now, a whole fishery is closed.
The incident is sure to draw more scrutiny on the issue of bycatch — the unintended harvest of fish by boats targeting other species.
Bottled water companies and Anchorage’s water utility engage in feud
The president of one of the companies said the utility’s leaders had taken a “scorched earth, take no prisoners, Sherman’s march to the sea” decision-making approach.
In sign of North Slope evolution, privately owned Texas company targets Chevron’s Alaska assets
A little known Texas company is buying a share of a key North Slope pipeline and asked to buy all of Chevron’s oil interests in the region — reviving questions about the Alaska oil industry’s capacity to decommission aging infrastructure and pay damages in the event of a spill.
In internet-less Sitka, it’s both ‘mayhem’ and a ‘golden moment’
Starlink units are a precious commodity. But people are talking, sharing stories and “doing what they used to do without the internet.”
Small Cook Inlet producers say they need state government help before drilling for new natural gas
One company says it needs more support after $7 million of its loans were forgiven. Another wants a royalty reduction to drill a well.
Alaska’s embattled economic development agency signs contracts with 7 law firms
The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, or AIDEA, is pushing an array of controversial projects across the state.
Inside the ‘titanic’ legal case that will help determine Alaska’s energy future: an analysis
Written testimony and public hearings help explain how an Anchorage electric utility’s proposed rate hike could affect consumers.
As salmon season kicks off, some Alaska fishermen fear for their futures
“We’re trying to do multi-generation fishing,” Buck Laukitis said. “But believe me: It keeps me up at night, wondering about the future.”
In Northwest Alaska, an economic engine runs low on ore
Red Dog mine has sustained hundreds of jobs and generated billions of dollars for Alaska Natives. It's set to close in 2031 unless its operator gets environmental permits and decides to expand.
Shell abandons North Slope oil leases, raising questions about the industry’s future in Alaska
As the world pivots toward lower-carbon energy sources, experts say some of the state’s hard-to-tap oil prospects are becoming less attractive.
Could Alaska be the final destination for Japan’s carbon pollution?
A new federal study reflects growing interest in injecting and storing climate-warming carbon pollution in underground reservoirs in Alaska.
Alaska Senate proposes $7.5M aid package for struggling fish processors
The program would add to more than $100 million in salmon and Alaska pollock purchases — more than 1,500 truck loads — announced earlier this year by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Western Alaska tribes, outraged by bycatch, turn up the heat on fishery managers and trawlers
The debate is increasingly urgent, as subsistence harvesting bans continue and proposed fixes threaten to impose steep costs on industry.
Alaska fishermen and processing plants are in limbo as a state-backed seafood company teeters
"We are all sort of on pins and needles," said a local official in King Cove waiting to learn the fate of Peter Pan Seafoods’ shuttered plant.
Alaska development authority signs contracts with ex-Dunleavy aides, paying up to $295/hour
Rex Rock and John Moller, both former rural affairs advisors to Gov. Mike Dunleavy, were hired by AIDEA through a competitive procurement process.