What enviros won by losing the pipeline battle
With the pipeline turning 40, a look back at how Big Green fought Big Oil, how that fight transformed the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, and why Congress ever agreed to it.
After months of fighting, House offers Senate a compromise on oil, gas tax credits
After five months of back and forth, the legislature may be close to compromising on changes to the state’s oil and gas tax credit system. Listen now
Enstar Natural Gas asks for permission to boost residential rates
Southcentral Alaska’s only gas supplier wants to boost residential bills by 4.6 percent to pay for mostly infrastructure investments. Listen now
Ask a Climatologist: Remembering the record breaking July snow
Back in 1970 on July 19, it snowed 9.7 inches at the Summit weather station just south of Cantwell on the Parks Highway. Listen now
Working around the clock to make sure the trans-Alaska Pipeline holds water
"The first week I went to work was the only week in two and a half years that I worked less than eighty hours a week. Many times we would work twenty-four hours a day." Listen now
Facing global gas glut, ConocoPhillips to mothball Kenai LNG plant
ConocoPhillips hasn't found a buyer for its liquefied natural gas plant on the Kenai Peninsula. Now, a company spokesperson said it’s going to save expenses by mothballing the facility this fall. Listen now
Fast times and fat wallets – how Alaska got its pipeline
The trans-Alaska pipeline was the largest privately-funded construction project in the world, built across the biggest U.S. state and faced with unprecedented natural obstacles. It came with an $8 billion price tag, but true costs and benefits of the pipeline are still being calculated.
BP leak investigation led to shutdown of 5 more wells
BP was forced to plug five at-risk wells on the North Slope after investigating an oil leak that happened this April. Listen now
Eruptions can’t stop sealife from calling Bogoslof home
Before Bogoslof volcano started erupting, it was a haven for endangered Steller sea lions, fur seals and sea birds. But scientists did not know when and if animals would return to the eastern Aleutian Island. Listen now
Marine debris won’t stop, but neither will those cleaning it up
On many Alaska beaches, plastic washes up faster than it can be picked up. The remote locations and mountains of plastic make Chris Pallister’s clean up work incredibly expensive. Listen now
State’s cruise ship monitoring program shielded from budget cuts by tourists
Over a million cruise ship visitors are projected to land in Juneau this year. And the summer cruising season is a big boost for coastal retailers. But, it also brings all of the noisy traffic, haze and water quality issues of big cities — to small towns in Alaska. Listen now
Ask a Climatologist: For summer in Alaska, 70 is the magic number
Juneau has had very few days above 70 this summer. In contrast, Anchorage logged its warmest temperature of the year Sunday, 76 degrees. Listen now
When the lights went out – Alaska’s great recession
Less than ten years after oil started flowing, Alaska’s economy cratered. The recession was quick and deep. Ten banks failed, real estate values plummeted and tens of thousands of people fled the state. It was Alaska’s great recession, 20 years before the rest of the country went through almost the same thing.
After a rocky start, Unalaska’s subsistence salmon run hits target escapement
While Unalaska’s biggest subsistence salmon run got off to a slow start this season, it’s now at a sustainable level. Listen now
Murkowski’s healthcare vote causes a stir in Washington and Alaska
The Alaska Dispatch News is reporting that the Trump Administration threatened to target Alaska as retribution for Senator Lisa Murkowski’s stand against Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act this week. Listen now
Less mercury found in Beaufort Sea polar bears; that’s not necessarily a good thing
Melissa McKinney expected to see some fluctuation in the polar bears' mercury levels. But the sudden drop off surprised her. Listen now
Ask a Climatologist: August is Alaska’s rainiest month
August is the rainiest month in Alaska. But how rainy? That depends on where you live. Listen now
Changing climate pushes polar bears toward more dangerous interactions with humans
Human-polar bear interactions are part of life in Arctic communities, but as melting sea ice forces polar bears onto dry land, they are becoming more common and potentially more dangerous. This is the message of a recent scientific paper. Listen now
State lets Conoco expand North Slope unit, but with conditions
The state is trying to speed up development of oil fields on the North Slope by putting pressure on ConocoPhillips to explore a new area. Listen now
Teaching the next crop of whale entanglement responders
Unalaska has experienced three entangled whales in the last two years. There used to be only one person on the island who could respond to the incidents. But thanks to a recent training, a new response team is in place. Listen now