Interior: Arctic Refuge lease sale still on track for 2019
The Trump administration remains on track to hold an oil lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge this year, a top Interior Department official today confirmed.
As sea ice melts, fish are showing up farther north off Alaska. A federal fishing trip will investigate if they’re sticking around.
Two summers ago, federal scientists discovered something shocking: The Northern Bering Sea was teeming with cod and pollock. Those two commercially valuable species had never been found in such large huge numbers that far north.
Trump administration appeals ruling that blocked Arctic offshore drilling
The Trump administration Tuesday appealed a federal court decision that blocked plans to re-open vast portions of Alaska's Arctic waters to oil drilling.
To get a count on bowhead whales, North Slope scientists head out onto the sea ice
“They’re just so graceful and beautiful. Every time I see a whale I get excited,” said biologist Craig George. “I’ve seen thousands and thousands. It’s always like seeing a bowhead for the first time.”
A judge blocked a Trump plan for a controversial road through an Alaska wildlife refuge. Now the administration is appealing.
Lawyers for the Trump administration are appealing a decision by federal judge Sharon Gleason that blocked a land exchange that was supposed to lead to construction of a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge on the Alaska Peninsula.
Climate change looks different in Southeast Alaska. Here’s how tribes are planning for that.
The Central Council of the Tlingit & Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska has a climate change adaptation plan. It wants the region to be included in the climate change discussion.
As gray whales die along the West Coast, Alaska scientists look for answers beneath blubber
Researchers are trying to determine the cause of a gray whale die-off along the West Coast, including Alaska. And they're looking at whether recent warming trends in the Arctic, and reduced sea ice, has affected their prey.
Major planned North Slope oil project gets key federal permit
Papua New Guinea-based Oil Search today announced it received a permit from the Army Corps of Engineers for its Pikka development, planned west of Prudhoe Bay.
State agencies at odds over new law to address ‘orphan’ oil wells
This month, the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission started requiring oil and gas companies to put up substantially higher bonds to cover the wells they have drilled. But a different state agency -- the Department of Natural Resources -- is criticizing the new law and asking for it to be rescinded.
Two of Alaska’s biggest exports are caught up in the US-China trade dispute
As President Donald Trump’s trade dispute with China continues to drag out, some of Alaska’s biggest exports expect to be hit with even steeper tariffs than they’ve seen in recent months.
In Utqiaġvik, learning about climate change includes studying your backyard
In Alaska’s northernmost town, eighth grade students study climate change in a way that encompasses the global picture, but pays particular attention to what’s going on in their own backyard.
Ketchikan planes in mid-air crash both had equipment designed to help avert collisions. What went wrong?
How the planes' GPS transponders were or weren't working is a question investigators will explore, they said Wednesday.
Alaska lawmakers are trying to fight crime by toughening prison sentences. Not everyone agrees that will work.
People who work with released prisoners say the best way to combat crime is enhancing access to programs that target mental health problems and drug addiction -- not increasing prison terms.
Bob Penney spent more than $300,000 to get Gov. Dunleavy elected. Then his grandson got an $8,000-a-month no-bid contract.
Clark Penney's company, Penney Capital, was hired to help a Dunleavy administration initiative to bring new businesses to Alaska and expand existing ones. Officials justified the no-bid contract by citing its urgency and Penney's experience working with wealthy investors.
In Utqiaġvik, temperatures are warmer, and the ice is changing. What does that mean for whalers?
“I think it was a little more stable, and there was a little bit more assurance that the ice you were on was not going to disintegrate on you that easy,” said whaling captain Gordon Brower.
How a small, Arctic village found itself in the middle of Alaska’s new oil boom
Alaska is on the verge of a new oil boom -- and the village of Nuiqsut is right in the middle. Now the village faces tough choices. How do you maintain a way of life when the oil industry is knocking on your door?
Big parts of Gov. Dunleavy’s agenda remain unfinished. But he still has time, tools at his disposal.
With the legislative session winding down, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy has gotten traction with some of his ideas, but many others have stalled. The governor's office is still holding out for more, but his allies say Dunleavy can still declare victory without passage of specific bills or initiatives.
Donlin Gold looks to schools, workforce development for future employees
Donlin Gold promised to hire local workers for its proposed gold mine. To fulfill that promise, the company knows that it has to start now and it has to start young.
As the Lower 48 continues to dry out, Alaska could get wetter
This past winter, parts of Southeast Alaska experienced severe drought. But a new study published in the journal Nature suggests that’s probably not a preview of what’s to come in Alaska.
New legislation introduced in Congress aims to strengthen Roadless Rule
Under the proposed Roadless Area Conservation Act, the U.S. Department of Agriculture wouldn’t have the authority to grant an Alaska-specific exemption to the Roadless Rule.