Cook Inlet oil and gas lease sales set for June
The federal government this week announced it’s holding an oil and gas lease sale for over a million acres in Cook Inlet this June. Listen now
$50 million budget cut latest indicator of waning support for state gasline project
The head of Alaska’s Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) is in China this week, working to attract buyers and woo investors into supporting a state-run LNG export project. Meanwhile, political support in Alaska for the ambitious project is waning. Listen now
State says harsh conditions, not aging infrastructure, culprit in Cook Inlet gas leak
Now that the state's had time to investigate, Geoff Merrell with the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation said aging equipment probably wasn't to blame for the gas leak. Listen now
Ask a Climatologist: Sizing up Alaska’s summer
Summer in Alaska is full of endless daylight, a few mosquitoes and also some pretty amazing or terrible weather, depending on the year. So how are forecasters sizing up the long term outlook for June, July and August? Listen now
Senate sends oil tax credit overhaul back to the House
With the end of session looming, Alaska’s Senate passed its version of an oil tax credit reform bill on Monday. Listen now
Less sea ice means shorter hunting season for polar bears and scientists
Scientists travel into the Arctic every year to study polar bears. It helps them estimate the population. But this year, they had to cut that research short. Melting sea ice is making the task a lot more difficult. Listen now
State gasline corporation raises specter of eminent domain
The rumor mill in the Kenai Peninsula community of Nikiski is up and running again after the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) mailed letters to landowners last week. Listen now
Tillerson gets earful on climate change from Arctic governments
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson got an earful from governments around the Arctic today — on the topic of climate change. Listen now
Murre colonies struggle to reproduce following die-off
The massive murre die-off that left tens of thousands of dead birds on Alaska’s coast in 2015 and 2016 may be over, but the population is still struggling. In the Gulf of Alaska and Bering Sea, surviving murres are failing to reproduce. Listen now
At Fairbanks Arctic Council meeting, the big question mark is climate change
As representatives from eight Arctic nations gather in Fairbanks, one issue is looming over the meeting: climate change. Listen now
Anchorage Petroleum Wives Club welcomes new era with new name
The Anchorage Petroleum Wives Club has been around longer than Alaska's been a state. Founded after the first big oil discovery in Alaska, its purpose was to welcome the wives of the oil workers flooding into the state. But a lot has changed since then, so the Anchorage Petroleum Wives Club recently decided it's time to rebrand. Listen now
Ask a Climatologist: Tracking “green up” in Fairbanks
Trees and shrubs are starting to turn green in much of Alaska. But Fairbanks is the only community in the state with an historical record tracking the green up date. Listen now
Only 3 gallons spilled from Hilcorp platform in April…and it wasn’t crude
The state has concluded that just three gallons of liquid escaped from one of Hilcorp’s platforms into Cook Inlet in early April. Listen now
Runaway melt: Alaska permafrost is thawing even in winter
When you think of carbon emissions, you probably think of the exhaust that comes from your car. But it comes from the ground, too. Listen now
Decades of trawl surveys help Bering Sea climate change research
There’s a new tool to help scientists and others interested in monitoring how Bering Sea fisheries respond to a changing climate. Listen now
Hilcorp announces project to bypass oil terminal by Redoubt volcano
An environmental group is praising oil and gas company Hilcorp after it announced a new pipeline project in Cook Inlet. Hilcorp said the project would eliminate the need to store oil at the Drift River Terminal. Listen now
Study asks why species bounced back – or didn’t – after Exxon Valdez
When the Exxon Valdez spilled 11 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound in 1989, the immediate effects were pretty obvious. Researchers estimate that hundreds of thousands of sea birds and thousands of sea otters died within months, among other impacts. Listen now
Divisions deepen as lawmakers tinker with Alaska’s oil tax credits
Ranking members of both the Senate and the House seem to agree that the state needs to break free of a system that will leave it owing nearly $700 million in cash payments to oil companies by the end of the year. But Senate Republicans have completely rewritten the House’s version of a reform bill. Listen now
Alaska Sea Grant’s funding secure for now
The White House wanted to cut Sea Grant’s funding for the remainder of this fiscal year. If the request had been approved, several projects in Alaska would have ended as early as this summer. Listen now
Scientists see the future in the bellies of fish
Southeast Alaska is home to hundreds of glaciers and a lucrative fishing industry. As those glaciers retreat, the freshwater they send into the ocean could begin to dry up. Scientists are trying to figure out how that will impact the marine environment. Listen now