Rachel Waldholz, Alaska's Energy Desk - Anchorage
Rachel Waldholz covers energy and the environment for Alaska's Energy Desk, a collaboration between Alaska Public Media, KTOO in Juneau and KUCB in Unalaska. Before coming to Anchorage, she spent two years reporting for Raven Radio in Sitka. Rachel studied documentary production at the UC Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism, and her short film, A Confused War won several awards. Her work has appeared on Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Marketplace, among other outlets.
rwaldholz (at) alaskapublic (dot) org | 907.550.8432 | About Rachel
rwaldholz (at) alaskapublic (dot) org | 907.550.8432 | About Rachel
Apache to pull out of Alaska, citing low oil prices
The company is one of the largest leaseholders in Cook Inlet, where it has been exploring since 2010. A spokesperson said the company expects job losses to be "minimal," since Apache has been scaling back operations in Alaska for the past year. Download Audio
Why Alaska Republicans chose Cruz (and Trump, too)
Amid record turnout, Ted Cruz squeaked out a win over Donald Trump in Alaska. Party members said voters responded to both candidates' anti-establishment messages. Download Audio
Alaska Republicans go to the polls on Super Tuesday
Republicans are holding their Presidential Preference Poll on Tuesday. Alaska will send 28 delegates to the Republican Convention -- the same number as Oregon, despite Alaska's small population. Download Audio
In rural Alaska, building wind power means building people power
When it comes to energy innovation in rural Alaska, technology is only half the story. The real necessity is people power. Download audio
At the mouth of the Kusko, a pioneering wind system
The four villages of the Chaninik Wind Group are aiming to replace 50 percent of their diesel use with wind in the next few years. Along the way, they're pushing the limits of what's possible when it comes to integrating renewable energy into a grid. Download Audio
Murkowski field hearing highlights rural Alaska’s unique energy issues, solutions
When Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski chose Bethel for a field hearing of the Senate Energy Committee – which she chairs – she had a very specific point to make. Download Audio
Murkowski’s Bethel hearing to feature U.S. Energy Secretary
U.S. Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz will join a host of state and federal officials in Bethel on Monday to talk rural energy needs. Download Audio
ConocoPhillips looks west, to the National Petroleum Reserve
Despite oil prices hovering around $30 a barrel, ConocoPhillips is plowing ahead with projects in the National Petroleum Reserve Alaska. The company invited Alaska journalists on a tour this week of CD5, its newest drill site -- the first to produce oil from the NPRA and, the company hopes, the gateway to more development. Download Audio
Crew maps polar bear dens on Alaska’s North Slope
Each winter, when the tundra freezes, the North Slope gets busy. It's the travel season, the time of year when oil producers can put in ice roads and move heavy vehicles over the frozen ground. But before any of that can happen, one task comes first: looking for polar bears. Download Audio
BP announces another round of layoffs, but not in Alaska
The company will cut 3,000 positions from its worldwide marketing and refining operations. That comes on top of the 4,000 layoffs BP announced last month in its global production and exploration units.
Lawmakers hear Alaska LNG faces “significant economic headwinds”
As natural gas prices following oil in an extended plunge, lawmakers heard a series of updates on the Alaska LNG project -- and tension between the Walker administration and the state's three oil company partners once again spilled into the open. Download Audio
Railbelt utility overhaul could mean more renewables, cheaper power
Utilities from Homer to Fairbanks are in discussions to overhaul the way electricity is generated and transported across the region. The goal is cheaper electricity -- and more renewable power.
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Alaska job forecast holds steady despite plunging oil prices
As oil prices have dropped to levels that were unthinkable just a year ago, many Alaskans are wondering whether the state is facing economic calamity. The short answer is: not yet. We spoke with state labor economist Neal Fried, to ask how it's possible that at $30 dollars a barrel, Alaska is still doing pretty well.
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Alaska’s Budget is a Sandwich
Thanks to a drop in both oil prices and production, Alaska is facing another major budget deficit this year. Cutting spending, raising taxes, and dipping into the Permanent Fund are all on the table in this video.
On methane, Alaska tells feds to clean up their act first
The Interior Department has proposed new rules aimed at reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry.
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Alaska, Inc: The roots of the Permanent Fund dividend
As lawmakers consider changes to the Permanent Fund and dividend, we look back at how, and why, these two very Alaskan institutions were created.
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Gov’s plan aims to reshape state’s relationship with oil
Governor Bill Walker says the state must change how it does business: he argues it's time for Alaska to tap its enormous savings accounts.
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S&P warns further downgrades may be on horizon
Standard & Poor's downgraded Alaska's credit rating Tuesday after months of warnings to shore up the state budget. With plunging oil prices wreaking havoc on the state's budget, the agency knocked the state down a notch from the top AAA rating it has held for the last four years.
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Amid plunging gas prices, how competitive is Alaska LNG?
This month, the state committed to another year of work on the Alaska LNG project, the effort to bring natural gas from the North Slope to the Kenai Peninsula for export. But with natural gas prices plunging alongside oil, APRN's Rachel Waldholz asks: should Alaska be worried?
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Governor’s budget proposes major changes to oil tax credits
The governor's budget gets about half a billion dollars from the oil and gas industry, proposing deep cuts to the state's system of oil and gas tax credits.