Lower 48

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell proposed a new way forward on a natural gas pipeline Thursday, saying if demand for gas has shifted from the Lower 48 to Pacific Rim markets, the state must be willing to move with it.

The battle over the Pebble Mine in Southwest Alaska is extending to the Lower 48. This week US Senator Maria Cantwell, from Washington State, sent a letter to the head of the EPA urging her to – if necessary – consider using the Clean Water Act to stop the development of the mine. If the EPA uses its veto power over the mine before the permitting stage, it would be a first for the federal agency.

Alaska fire fighters have headed to the Lower 48 to help with wild fires and other natural disasters. Alaska Fire Service spokesman Doug Stockdale says 133 overhead personnel, seven fire crews and two aircraft from Alaska have been deployed south to assist with incidents in 11 states.

When it comes to dental care in Rural Alaska, the need far outweighs available care.

36 Alaska Post Offices In Danger of Posting, Rural Alaska Program’s Success Attract Outside Dentists, Men in Juneau Earn Significantly More than Women, Bethel Residents React to Newspaper Shutdown, and more...

The dream of getting a gas pipeline to connect Alaska’s North Slope with the Lower 48 is an old one, and in recent years, it’s seemed closer than ever. But even as the company TransCanada works toward building a line, skepticism is mounting among some members of Alaska’s Congressional delegation that a project will happen any time soon, if at all.

House Votes to Bar FDA Approval of ‘Frankenfish’, Congressional Delegates Divided on Likelihood of Gas Pipeline, UAA Professor Urges Better Management of Oil Reserves, Annual Finances Released by Congressional Delegates, and more...