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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S&P downgrades Alaska’s credit rating, citing oil prices
Alaska’s credit rating dropped a notch Tuesday from AAA to AA+. During a press conference, Gov. Bill Walker says that isn’t likely have a short-term impact on the state using bonds to fund capital projects or other state spending in the future.
Arctic air warming, but North Pole not turning to slush
The North Pole is melting according to many news outlets. But Walt Meier, a research scientist for NASA and a co-author of NOAA’s 2015 Arctic Report Card on Sea Ice, said that’s not quite accurate. Download Audio
High winds trigger power outages in Fairbanks
Mother Nature is triggering power outages across Fairbanks. Golden Valley Electric Association saw multiple areas west of Fairbanks robbed of power Monday.
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Conoco withdraws from Russian Arctic
American oil titan ConocoPhillips has sold its 50 percent stake in the Polar Lights drilling project in the Russian Arctic, according to Russian news media. The sale marks Conoco's complete exit from Russia.
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Army initiates cleanup at former Haines fuel terminal
The Haines-Fairbanks Pipeline that was built by the Army in the 1950s polluted Alaska land through fuel spills and leaks. The Army is now working to assess the contamination so that it can be cleaned up for good.
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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Models show permafrost melting faster than thought
For years researchers studying permafrost in the Arctic have seen a warming trend. Now scientists at the University of Alaska Fairbanks say it is happening even faster than expected.
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Al Jazeera documentary highlights erosion in Kivalina, Newtok
On Sunday evening, the issue of Alaska coastal erosion will be featured on the Al Jazeera America program "Fault Lines." The correspondent for the story is former APRN reporter Libby Casey. She says they highlighted Newtok and Kivilina on the northwest Arctic coast.
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Home heating assistance on chopping block with budget cuts
Gov. Bill Walker’s proposed budget, released Dec. 9, would cut just over $9 million dollars in home heating subsidies for low-income Alaskans by eliminating the Alaska Heating Assistance Program.
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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.
BlueCrest keeps pilot light on for shifting gas project
BlueCrest Energy plans to drill for oil in Cook Inlet’s Cosmopolitan oil fields from the shore just north of Anchor Point. There is also a chance the company will place a rig in the water to drill for natural gas. But debate over the state’s tax credits is making BlueCrest hesitate.
Bethel strides toward renewable wind energy
Energy officials hope two newly constructed towers in Bethel will pave the way to reducing the city’s multi-million gallon dependence on diesel fuel. The Alaska Village Electric Cooperative, or AVEC, raised the towers to collect atmospheric data for future wind turbines.
Interior Energy Project loses GVEA business to Petro Star
Golden Valley Electric Association is favoring oil over natural gas to fuel large generators in North Pole. The move reduces the utility's role as an anchor tenant for the state-backed Interior Energy Project.
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Shell seeks to extend drilling rights off Alaska
The company filed an appeal on Tuesday, asking the federal government to reconsider extending its drilling rights in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, which are set to expire by 2020.
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IEP tests LNG tanker for safety on Alaska roads
A liquefied natural gas tanker truck is being tested for possible future use by the Interior Energy Project.
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Hilcorp plans gravel island to extract Arctic offshore oil
Arctic offshore drilling by Royal Dutch Shell PLC drew protests on two continents this year, but a more modest proposal for extracting petroleum where polar bears roam has moved forward with much less attention.
For Alaskans in Paris, climate talks hit home
Alaskans were among the thousands of people who gathered in Paris over the last two weeks for international climate change talks. APRN spoke with several about why they made the trip.
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Two Interior Energy Project proposals under consideration
The Interior Energy Project remains focused on getting natural gas to the region at long targeted price point. IEP team leader Bob Shefchik says proposals being considered from 2 vying project partners would provide gas to customers at a price equivalent to 2 dollar heating oil.
Gov calls for permanent fund overhaul, income tax, cuts to PFD
Gov. Bill Walker released his plan for dealing with the state's mammoth budget deficit. It includes Alaska's first income tax since 1980, and a complete overhaul of the permanent fund -- effectively cutting PFD checks in half next year.
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