Rio Tinto Gives Up On Pebble Mine
Mining Giant Rio Tinto announced Monday it will divest its holdings with Northern Dynasty, the sole owner of the Pebble mine prospect in Bristol Bay. Rio Tinto held 19 percent of Northern Dynasty’s publicly traded shares. But the company is not selling those shares. Instead, it will split them evenly between two charitable organizations.
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Researchers Seek Glimpse Into Lives Of Earliest Unangan Population
The Islands of the Four Mountains are at the center of the Aleutians -- geographically, and in folklore passed down from prehistoric times. But we don’t know much about the people who lived there. An upcoming expedition to the site may change that. KUCB’s Annie Ropeik caught up with the researchers in Unalaska as they prepared for their trip -- and for what it could reveal about the earliest Unangan people.
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Izembek Road Issue May Be Headed To Court
Over the last year, residents of King Cove have been ramping up their campaign to build what they say is a life-saving road through the Izembek wildlife refuge.
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Rio Tinto Gives Pebble Mine Stake to Nonprofits
The mining conglomerate Rio Tinto announced this morning it is divesting its stake in Northern Dynasty, the owner of the proposed Pebble Mine. Rio said in December it might sell, but in a surprise move, the company says it is donating its 19 percent share to two charities, the Alaska Community Foundation and the Bristol Bay Native Corporation Education Foundation.
Deal Reached For Susitna-Watana Dam Land Access
A land access dispute that threatened to delay progress on the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project has been resolved, though the agreement has come later than expected.
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Legislature OKs $5.8 Million In Capitol Repairs
The legislature has approved $5.8 million in additional repairs and renovations to the Capitol building.
Alaska House Names April as ‘Child Abuse Prevention Month’
The Alaska House of Representatives voted unanimously Thursday to name April “Child Abuse Prevention Month” in Alaska. House Concurrent Resolution 21 was sponsored by Representative Geran Tarr from Anchorage. The resolution heads to the Senate for consideration.
Coast Guard Finds Violations in Kulluk Grounding
The Coast Guard has released the results of an investigation into the grounding of Shell's Kulluk drill rig at the end of their troubled Arctic drilling season. The agency documented multiple safety violations. It also found a desire to avoid a state tax contributed to the decision to move the rig in poor conditions.
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Young Lights into Interior Secretary Over King Cove
Interior Secretary Sally Jewell already rejected a plan to build a road through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge to link King Cove to the all-weather airport at Cold Bay. These days, all three members of Alaska’s Congressional delegation are trying to get her to change her mind, and today was Congressman Don Young’s turn to press the case.
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NMFS Clears Commercial Fishing In Sea Lion Habitat
After a research review, the National Marine Fisheries Service is prepared to loosen controversial limits on fishing in the western Aleutian Islands.
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Sitka Shops For Teachers At Seattle Fair
For school districts in rural Alaska, this is prime recruiting season. Next week, they’ll hold a job fair in downtown Anchorage, looking for teachers to fill hundreds of openings statewide. But they’re also looking outside the 49th state.
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Helicopter Improves Access To Akutan Airport, For Now
For the past year and a half, people on Akutan have been taking a hovercraft to get to their airport on a different island. Now, the Aleutians East Borough has made the switch to a helicopter as their new airport taxi. The change has been a relief for residents.
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Arctic Sea Ice Reaches Season’s Maximum Extent
According to the National Snow and Ice Data Center, this year’s extent averaged 5.7 million square miles – that’s more than a quarter-of-a-million miles less than the average extent measured between 1981 and 2010, but it is also slightly above the record low measured in 2006
Investigation Of Alaska National Guard Sexual Assault Allegations Underway
The head of the federal National Guard Bureau says the investigation now underway into allegations of sexual assault and harassment within the Alaska National Guard should not be hidden away.
Feds Ask King Cove to Weigh In on Road Alternatives
A group of tribal and government officials from King Cove are back from a week of lobbying in Washington, D.C. -- and they’ve come home with a new assignment.
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Alaska Native Languages Bill Clears Final House Committee
A bill that would symbolically make 20 Alaska Native languages official state languages is heading to the House floor for a vote.
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FDA Adds Alaska Salmon Testing To Radiation Monitoring Program
Alaska fish are being tested for radiation contamination from Japan’s leaking Fukushima Nuclear energy plant. The power plant was damaged during an earthquake three years ago and continues to releases radioactive water into the sea.
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Judge Overturns Dillingham’s Annexation Of Nushagak Bay
The 2012 annexation of Nushagak Bay into the City of Dillingham has been overturned by the local Superior Court Judge.
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Landmark Subsistence Decision Stands
The Katie John lawsuit over subsistence fishing rights is finally over. The U.S. Supreme Court announced Monday it will not review a lower court’s decision to leave standing federal rules that provide a rural subsistence priority on 60% of Alaska’s inland waters.
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Boost in B.C. Mining has Alaska Fishermen Nervous
The head of British Columbia’s government has pledged to spur mining development in the western Canadian province, and that has fishermen in Southeast Alaska nervous. A group from Southeast flew to Washington D.C. this week to see how it can raise its voice in Canada.
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