Economy

All Alaska economy and business news, including the Alaska Economic Report.

Nick Mavar Jr. medevac

‘Deadliest Catch’ boat’s owners sue show over deckhand’s botched diagnosis

The lawsuit was filed by the F/V Northwestern’s owners Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Alaska.
Chum salmon in water

Dunleavy again vetoes research project on salmon bycatch

The $513,000 would have looked into the origin of salmon caught by the Bering Sea pollock fleet.
electric vehicles

National political fight over electric vehicles surfaces in Alaska

The fossil fuel industry and its backers have criticized the Biden EV vision. But in Alaska, where the vehicles' use is expanding, they are winning fans.
Aniak

‘It’s not right’: Aniak residents share pain of spiking power bills with regulators

More than 30 Aniak residents spoke about the hardship caused by the quadrupling of their May power bills from Aniak Light & Power Company.
man exiting legislative chamber

Alaska Senate moves toward rejecting some of Gov. Dunleavy’s 12 executive orders

Senators expressed concerns about several of Gov. Mike Dunleavy's 12 executive orders. The Legislature has until mid-March to reject them.

Interior Department unveils geothermal energy initiative

An interior department initiative hopes to pave the way for geothermal energy development across the western United States.  The plan announced this week by...

Alaska job forecast holds steady despite plunging oil prices

As oil prices have dropped to levels that were unthinkable just a year ago, many Alaskans are wondering whether the state is facing economic calamity. The short answer is: not yet. We spoke with state labor economist Neal Fried, to ask how it's possible that at $30 dollars a barrel, Alaska is still doing pretty well. Download Audio

Naknek Electric, Deep in Debt, Outlines Geothermal Plan

The Naknek Electric Association has released a plan explaining where they’re going with their geothermal project. The member-owned electricity cooperative filed for bankruptcy last year after problems with the more than decade-old geothermal exploration.
solar panels

Alaska’s big shift to renewable energy appears stalled, as future access to natural gas in doubt

Reporter Nat Herz with the Northern Journal says efforts to craft a mandate for utilities to pursue renewable energy haven't gotten very far.
The Cook Inlet Natural Gas Storage Alaska facility

Despite decades of warning, looming natural gas shortage threatens to drive up Alaska energy prices

For the second time in just over a decade, utilities are talking about importing liquified natural gas amid looming Cook Inlet gas shortages.

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.
A state ferry on the water at dusk.

Alaska Marine Highway System plans for 3 new ferries in 4 years

Three new ferries will be added to the fleet by the end of 2027. One of them will be a hybrid model, and one will be electric.
Power transmission lines on poles in the foreground, with mountains in the distance.

Anchorage will likely see higher bills with LNG imports, but some say renewables could delay that

The Northern Journal's Nat Herz reports that renewable energy advocates say conservation, along with more power generated from solar and wind projects, could delay a shift to LNG by up to five years.
a beige building that says "ConocoPhillips Alaska Inc" on the front, over the door

AOGCC orders ConocoPhillips to pay penalties for 2022 blowout at Alpine field on Alaska’s North Slope

The well blowout led to a weeks-long release of natural gas and a brief evacuation at the company’s Alpine oil field.
an outdoor setting

Advocates make an economic-development case for improving Alaska’s outdoor trails

Funding decisions should consider trails’ role in an outdoor recreation sector that is a bright spot in the state’s troubled economy, they say.
a Chilkat weaver

Chilkat weavers who learned online during COVID see their robes come to life

The weavers are apprentices of Lily Hope, who offered classes virtually during the pandemic.
An aerial view of Fort Yukon.

Four years into the Yukon salmon collapse, an Interior Alaska village wonders if it will ever fish again

Gwichyaa Zhee, also known as Fort Yukon, has always depended on salmon. But for the fourth year in a row, managers have severely restricted fishing, as the Yukon River king and chum salmon runs collapsed. Residents say the closures have been devastating to their way of life.
people wave signs on a picket line

No new offer in Mat-Su school bus drivers’ strike as parents’ anger builds

The bus strike has tangled transportation in a district that serves roughly 19,000 students across a region about the size of West Virginia. 
data servers

Net neutrality is back: U.S. promises fast, safe and reliable internet for all

The U.S. will reinstate Obama-era regulations for internet service providers that promise fast, reliable and fair internet speeds for all consumers.

Winter salmon trolling starts slow in Southeast Alaska

From October through the end of December, winter trollers had caught only around 5,500 king salmon. That’s almost 2,000 fewer kings than last winter’s catch during the same time period.