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Alaska natural resources agency OKs bigger off-road vehicles on most state land
Alaskans can now use larger and heavier recreational off-road vehicles on most state land without a specialty permit, a move intended to accommodate the growth of side-by-side off-road vehicles. In late July, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources issued new general permissions that allow vehicles up to 80 inches wide and up to 2,500 pounds […]
State appeals federal court ruling that allows ConocoPhillips to keep Willow drilling data secret
The Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission is appealing the decision of a federal judge who ruled in March that ConocoPhillips, a major North Slope oil producer, may keep some drilling data secret. According to a filing dated Wednesday, the commission is appealing the decision by U.S. District Judge Sharon Gleason to the 9th U.S. […]
State board postpones vote on rule barring transgender girls from girls’ high school sports teams
Alaska’s state school board unexpectedly delayed a vote on a proposed regulation that would prohibit transgender girls from playing on girls’ high school sports teams. Board chairman James Fields said the delay was warranted by “hard questions” about whether the regulation could violate students’ right to privacy, among other legal issues. “I’d be in favor […]
Alaska sets rules for new nuclear facilities; vulnerable coasts are out
You can build a small nuclear reactor in Alaska, but not within 2,700 feet of a house. On Monday, Lt. Gov. Nancy Dahlstrom signed a package of regulations that dictate where small nuclear reactors, sometimes called “microreactors,” may be built in Alaska. The regulations arrive as the U.S. Air Force advances plans to build the […]
Alaska accuses souvenir store of selling fake Native art and products from ‘Yakutat alpacas’
A state judge has ordered a tourist shop outside Denali National Park to stop selling products labeled as “made in Alaska” after the state of Alaska accused the shop of repeatedly selling fake souvenirs and art. According to a complaint filed by the Alaska Department of Law on Thursday in Fairbanks, the owners of a […]
Dunleavy nixes Alaska e-bike bill with rare veto as sponsor says she will seek override
Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Friday vetoed just the fourth bill of his five-year tenure, canceling legislation intended to deregulate electric bike use in Alaska. The governor has frequently used line-item veto powers to shrink the state budget but has rarely vetoed policy bills. Thirty-nine other states have passed laws similar to the bill the governor […]
Judge dismisses lawsuit over liability for contaminated Alaska Native corporation lands
A federal judge on Tuesday dismissed a year-old lawsuit by the state of Alaska against the federal government over liability for contaminated land given to Alaska Native corporations under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act. No Alaska Native corporations or Native groups joined the lawsuit, and in an order published July 18, Judge Hezekiah Russel […]
University of Alaska picks Philadelphia-sized section of Interior Alaska to own under new law
The University of Alaska has begun using a new federal law to take over unused land, and its first pick is spooky. According to a public notice posted Wednesday, the University has requested to take over about 100,000 acres near Spooky Valley, west of the Dalton Highway in the Ray Mountains of Interior Alaska. It’s […]
Alaska AG opposes keeping abortion-related medical records private across state lines elsewhere
Alaska Attorney General Treg Taylor joined 18 other Republican attorneys general last month in a letter calling on the federal government to preserve state governments’ access to private medical records. That access could be used to restrict access to abortion and gender transition care. The attorneys general are opposing a proposed federal rule that would […]
Facial recognition remains unregulated in Alaska, even as it grows in use
Alaska Airlines is planning to use facial recognition technology by summer 2024, part of a system intended to speed preflight check-ins. The company is optimistic about the program, noting that it is “working to get (customers) through the lobby and to security in 5 minutes or less,” but privacy experts say it’s an example of a […]
Another campaign complaint filed against opponents of Alaska ranked choice voting
Supporters of Alaska’s ranked choice voting system are again alleging that opponents of the system are violating state campaign law. On Monday, Alaskans for Better Elections filed a complaint against former Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kelly Tshibaka, a nonprofit that she operates, and Alaskans for Honest Elections, which is campaigning to repeal ranked choice voting […]
Alaska attorneys expect little impact from U.S. Supreme Court ruling on stalking
In a decision last month, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the stalking conviction of a Colorado man, saying that local courts had incorrectly considered the First Amendment. Following the decision, some national commentators warned that the court had “declared stalking to be protected by the First Amendment,” because prosecutors will now be required to prove […]