Opening the Arctic Refuge brought Alaska’s largest Native corporation $22.5 million from BP and Chevron
Arctic Slope Regional Corp. collected $22.5 million from a pair of oil companies after Congress opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge’s coastal plain to drilling in 2017, according to corporate documents.
As Anchorage warms, wintertime is defined by ice as much as snow
For many in Anchorage, winter and its accompanying outdoor opportunities are something to relish rather than escape. But residents of the state’s largest city are being forced to renegotiate their relationship with winters.
Polar bear protections delayed oil exploration in the Arctic Refuge. A new study shows how companies can still move forward.
A new study says that by using infrared sensors to detect dens, and accepting strict limits on when to survey specific areas of the coastal plain, polar bear disturbance can be dramatically reduced – from as many as eight dens if no restrictions are abided by, to one or less using the most conservative approach.
LISTEN: A Washington Post correspondent talks about reporting on climate change on Alaska’s North Slope
The Washington Post made the Alaska North Slope village of Nuiqsut front page news earlier this month, under a provocative headline: "Alaska's warming, but can't quit big oil." We talked with the reporter who wrote the story.
Our reporter is trying to learn more about Hilcorp. Here’s how you can help.
Alaska's Energy Desk reporter Nat Herz is exploring Hilcorp's company culture as it's set to become one of the biggest players in Alaska's oil industry. He's written an open letter to Hilcorp employees asking for their help.
Alaska utility regulators ask Hilcorp, BP for more details on $5.6B deal
The Regulatory Commission of Alaska is asking the companies for five new sets of documents. They include the purchase and sale agreement, charts detailing the companies' corporate ownership and operating structure, and additional financial statements.
A Colorado wildcatter found a huge new North Slope oil field. Now it’s buying up new federal leases in Alaska.
Armstrong Oil and Gas, which found and then sold a mammoth field on Alaska's North Slope, just bought up about 1 million acres in oil leases in the National Petroleum Reserve.
A year after a dam was removed, this river near Anchorage is still waiting for water
The effort to remove the dam on the lower Eklutna River couldn’t succeed on its own because upstream, utilities divert the river into a hydroelectric power plant. Officials say it will take years before they decide whether to add more water that could help restore salmon.
Democratic presidential candidates spent seven hours talking climate change. Alaska wasn’t discussed.
In the first-ever prime-time presidential climate change forum, Democratics spent seven hours on the issue. But there was no substantive discussion of Alaska, even though the state is one of the most affected by global warming.
After leaving Trump administration, Balash will work for oil company that’s developing an Alaska project
Joe Balash, the high-level Alaskan appointee at the U.S. Department of the Interior who pushed to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil leasing, is taking a job with an oil company seeking to develop a major project in Alaska.
Here’s how a Kenai Peninsula wildfire could cause higher electric bills in Anchorage and Fairbanks
The wildfire damaged transmission lines that carry power from a major hydroelectric dam near Homer, officials said. And it could be months before the lines are fixed.
Wildfires and warming could transform Alaska’s forests, making leafy trees dominant over evergreens, study says
If wildfire frequency and temperature rise in Alaska like the paper’s authors expect, broadleaf trees like birch and aspen could become dominant, taking over from evergreens like spruce, which are better adapted to cold weather and scarce nutrients.
BP and Hilcorp just announced Alaska’s biggest oil industry deal in years. Here’s why it matters.
If you don't work for an oil company, you might be wondering: Why should I care? And why does this matter? We asked and answered some of the big questions.
With ANWR drilling on its doorstep, an Alaska Native village is poised to profit
It’s still too early to know if petroleum even exists in the refuge in commercially-viable quantities. But if it’s found, Kaktovik’s residents are simultaneously positioned to be among the biggest beneficiaries, and to experience some of the biggest disruptions.
As polar bears encroach on this Alaska village, feds charge whaling captain with illegally shooting one
As Arctic sea ice melts, polar bears are spending more time near the Alaska North Slope village of Kaktovik. Now, federal prosecutors have charging a whaling captain there with killing one in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
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.
For decades, the government stood between the Unangan people and the seals they subsist on. Now, that’s changing.
The tribal government of St. Paul island, in the Bering Sea, has pushed the federal government for years to relax strict subsistence rules that have blocked access to seals and forced residents to buy expensive groceries. New rules could take effect soon, but they face opposition amid a decline in the seal population.
Brazil dam disaster sparks questions over the safety of Donlin’s tailings dam
A tailings dam collapsed last month in Brazil, killing more than 150 people. That accident raised fears among some residents in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta about the safety of the tailings facility and dam that Donlin Gold plans to construct for its large gold mine. Donlin says its design is much safer than the one that collapsed in Brazil.
Interior: No 3-D Seismic exploration in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge this winter
An Interior official has confirmed there will be no 3-D seismic exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge this winter.
With rain in the forecast, Ketchikan switches back to hydroelectric power
The second half of October brought enough rain for Ketchikan’s electric utility to switch off its diesel generators.