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Alaska Supreme Court considers whether Hilcorp’s financial information should stay secret
Three years after Hilcorp Energy Co. took over as operator of the Prudhoe Bay oil field and the near-half owner of the trans-Alaska pipeline, the Alaska Supreme Court is considering whether the public should have access to that privately held company’s financial information. The Supreme Court on Tuesday heard arguments in a case pressed by […]
Study: Erosion has made the Bering Strait a meter deeper on the Alaska side than it used to be
The narrow channel of water that separates Alaska from Russia is a little bigger than it used to be, new analysis shows. A research project found that the Bering Strait is at least a meter deeper on the Alaska side than previously believed, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Alaska Fisheries Science Center. […]
Alaska documents sharp increase in number of babies born with syphilis
The number of Alaska babies born with syphilis acquired from their mothers has increased dramatically in recent years, prompting recommendations for much more rigorous prenatal testing and counseling from health providers. Of the 26 identified cases of congenital syphilis from 2018 to 2022, all but one occurred in the last three years, according to a […]
Defending Alaska seafood, commissioner questions sustainability of Russia-caught fish
The commissioner of Alaska’s Department of Fish and Game has urged the organization that certifies seafood harvests as sustainable to revoke its endorsements for Russian-caught fish. Commissioner Doug Vincent-Lang is calling on the Marine Stewardship Council to stop certifying Russian harvests. He made both a moral argument and a plea in defense of the Alaska […]
Tick surveillance shows mixture of new species now in Alaska
More than 2,000 ticks collected over a decade in Alaska revealed a pattern: New tick species are being introduced to the state, often through dogs traveling from the south. They’re joining the handful of tick species endemic to the state, which are usually found on small mammals like rabbits. The results are detailed in a […]
New estimate for Cook Inlet belugas shows hope for endangered population
The number of endangered beluga whales swimming in Alaska’s Cook Inlet increased slightly in the past four years, providing “a glimmer of hope” for a population that crashed in the 1990s and remained at a low number long after that, according to a new estimate released on Thursday by federal biologists. The latest population estimate […]
Greens Creek Mine operator fined for violations concerning lead-containing waste
The operator of Southeast Alaska’s Greens Creek Mine, the nation’s largest silver producer, has agreed to pay $143,124 and to take corrective action to settle a series of hazardous waste violations, the Environmental Protection Agency said on Wednesday. This waste settlement comes amid debate over the company’s efforts to expand its waste-disposal operations at Greens […]
Pebble Mine company to pay shareholders who claim they were duped
The company behind the controversial Pebble Mine in Southwest Alaska has agreed to pay nearly $6.4 million to a group of shareholders who claim they were misled by corporate leaders. Vancouver-based Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. reached the settlement with the named plaintiffs, according to documents filed last week in the U.S. District Court for the […]
Alaska salmon task force charged with developing science plan
Federal and state leaders have appointed 19 experts to a special task force responsible for creating a science plan to better understand Alaska’s salmon, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Fisheries Service announced on Friday. Task force members must address sustainable management and a response to the recent crashes in the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers. […]
Flooding causes damage and brief closure of Alaska’s only road to the North Slope
The sole road connection to Alaska’s North Slope oil fields was closed briefly on Wednesday and Thursday when floodwaters ate into a large chunk of roadway. The closure was near the northern end of the Dalton Highway, the 414-mile road that connects Livengood, a community 80 miles north of Fairbanks, to Deadhorse, the oilfield center […]
Avian influenza has returned to Alaska, and so have health advisories
Migrating birds have returned to Alaska, and so has the highly pathogenic avian influenza that began to sweep through global bird populations in 2020. That means Alaskans should continue to be vigilant about the strains that have arrived in the state from across both the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, experts said during a webinar Tuesday […]
Court filings provide mixed picture of Ambler road progress
A federal decision on the controversial plan to build a 211-mile road through the Brooks Range foothills to provide access for mining development might come a few months later than previously anticipated, according to recent court documents. However, other recent legal developments indicate positive signs for the road’s prospects. The Bureau of Land Management, the […]