Reactions to Shell’s decision range from remorse to relief
Governor Bill Walker is calling Shell’s announcement a "huge disappointment." He says the end of Shell’s offshore dreams means the state must push harder for the federal government to allow drilling in another controversial region -- the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
State demands Hilcorp monitor environmental impact of Cook Inlet gas leak
The state is asking oil and gas company Hilcorp to dramatically step up environmental monitoring near a natural gas leak in Cook Inlet. Listen now
More Indigenous knowledge needed to navigate ‘new Arctic,’ scientists say
A letter signed by over 200 scientists asks for more Indigenous input on the National Science Foundation's flagship initiative on Arctic warming.
As the Bering Sea warms, this skipper is chasing pollock to new places
“Across the board, everybody has a story about something that they haven’t seen before,” said Dan Martin, a 53-year-old captain of a Bering Sea pollock trawler. We took a fishing trip with Martin to find out what he’s experiencing as the Bering Sea heats up.
Should Alaskans fear diseases frozen in the permafrost?
Russian officials say warming permafrost could be linked to a deadly anthrax outbreak in Siberia this month. Permafrost can be found almost everywhere in Alaska — from the Arctic coast to Anchorage. But at least one expert isn’t alarmed about the potential for thawing ground to bring old diseases back to life. Listen now
After over 40 years at Prudhoe Bay, general store manager to retire
The North Slope community of Deadhorse is an unusual place. Its No. 1 purpose is to serve the oil field its next to: Prudhoe Bay. There are no houses, there's no downtown and no parks; just a series of industrial lots and gravel roads in the middle of the tundra. But Deadhorse does have a store. And the man who runs it is retiring this month, after 42 years. Listen now
With negotiations delayed, Administration proposes $7M cut to gas line budget
State officials have put a number on how much they will trim from next year’s budget for marketing liquefied natural gas from the proposed pipeline: $7 million. That’s the cut Governor Bill Walker’s administration will make to its budget request. It reduces the number of companies marketing gas to customers in Asia from three to one.
Alaska law says lobbyists can’t fundraise for candidates. But the invitations keep coming
Some of Alaska’s most prominent lobbyists are boosting the fundraising efforts of political candidates, prompting questions about whether they’re breaking a state law that’s designed to limit lobbyists’ influence over the legislative process. Listen now
As wildfires blaze, Southeast glaciers could be feeling the melt
Out on the glimmering white expanse of the Juneau ice field, a group of students and scientists work an assembly line of sorts. Listen now
For sale: A stake in an array of ConocoPhillips’ Alaska projects
On the block are old, new and unbuilt projects: the Kuparuk River Unit, which is Alaska’s second-largest oil-field; the newer Alpine unit to the west; and the undeveloped Willow prospect in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska.
Native groups object to prison sentence of Kaktovik man who shot and wasted polar bear
After a Kaktovik man was found guilty of killing and wasting a polar bear in a small North Slope village, several prominent Alaska Native organizations are calling the sentence “inappropriate.”
Tesoro settlement resolves alleged Clean Air Act violations
As part of a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Justice, the Tesoro refinery in Nikiski will spend millions of dollars to reduce emissions that are potentially harmful to public health and the environment.
Lawmakers quiz state regulators on $5.6B Hilcorp, BP deal
House and Senate Resources committee members asked about everything from layoffs to whether Hilcorp has the financial resources to manage the assets it wants to take over.
Big sockeye runs, struggling kings creates complicated balancing act for Bristol Bay managers
Faced with another huge sockeye run this summer, managers in the Nushagak District say they will try to allow fishermen to harvest the above-average sockeye run that's predicted and also conserve chinook.
Eighty tons of contested Bristol Bay salmon trashed in Anchorage landfill
Even after a disastrous season where the F/V Akutan ended up disabled, the crew was hopeful the fish could be saved and they would get paid. That didn't happen. Listen now
Alaska’s largest rural solar project set to break ground in Kotzebue
The city of Kotzebue has used wind power for decades to supplement its fuel use, and is now about to break ground on a brand new solar project.
Repsol latest in string of oil companies to leave Chukchi Sea
In the seven months since Shell abandoned its quest to drill in the Arctic, at least four other companies have given up their leases in the region. Download Audio
Walker’s bills to swap oil tax credit debt for bond debt making progress
A bill that would have the state issue bonds to pay oil and gas companies is on the move in the legislature. Listen now
As the U.S. moves to open ANWR to drilling, Canada says ‘not so fast’
As part of their strategy going forward, opponents to drilling in ANWR are looking beyond Washington, D.C. and across U.S.-Canada border for support. Listen now
Fauske resigns as president of state gas line corporation
Dan Fauske has resigned as president of the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation. It follows other recent changes at the corporation, which is responsible for Alaska's share of the proposed $45 to $65 billion project to bring natural gas from the North Slope.