Economy & Environment
State aims $1 million at livestock farmers hit by rising cost of feed, but some see unmet need
The cost of animal feed has risen this year and the weather in Alaska has reduced its availability, which has prompted livestock farmers to ask the state government for help. And while the state government has launched a financial aid program this month, some farmers say the program won’t impact the people who need it […]
ConocoPhillips loses bid to limit competitor’s access to Alaska’s next big oil project
Oil company Santos scored a victory last week over competitor ConocoPhillips in a long-running dispute over roads needed to access Alaska’s next big petroleum development. For the past year, the companies have feuded over the rights of Australia-based Santos to cross roads that connect its new Pikka project to the North Slope oil hub of […]
It’s an honor to lead Alaska’s largest renewable resource, the Alaska Permanent Fund
This October, I was provided the opportunity to serve as the executive director of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation. As a lifelong Alaskan, leading APFC is my childhood dream come true. From meeting with Gov. Hammond with my third-grade class in 1976, to receiving the benefits of the fund’s existence throughout my life, to now […]
Despite FTX fallout, some U.S. House members still skeptical about crypto regulation
Nearly nine months after a bipartisan group of U.S. House members sent a letter questioning the Securities and Exchange Commission’s investigation into cryptocurrencies, including the failed FTX exchange, the lawmakers are maintaining their position that the agency’s approach to regulating crypto is deeply flawed. In public comments since FTX’s collapse last month, the congressmen, led […]
Villages chosen for relocation grants singled out for climate-change threats — and progress
Grants awarded to tribal governments in Alaska and the Lower 48 are only a start in what is expected to be a long process of funding relocation of Indigenous communities that are threatened by climate change, a top Interior Department official said Thursday. Interior on Wednesday announced that tribal governments in the Yup’ik villages of […]
Alaska’s congressional delegation splits on vote to block railroad workers’ strike
The U.S. Senate voted 80-15 on Thursday to approve a resolution that prevents workers in 12 Lower 48 railroad unions from going on strike. The measure, which passed the House earlier this week, now goes to President Joe Biden, who urged Congress to pass the measure. Alaska’s three-person congressional delegation split on the proposal. Sen. […]
Biden administration delays release of new Arctic Refuge drilling environmental review
The Biden administration has delayed by several months the release of a new environmental review of oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The review, known as a “draft supplemental environmental impact statement,” was originally set for release by the end of November. All oil development work in the refuge is effectively stalled until […]
North Pacific Seafoods pays EPA to settle alleged Clean Air Act violations from illegal incinerators
One of Alaska’s most prominent seafood companies will pay $345,000 to the Environmental Protection Agency after illegally operating three incinerators in Naknek. The EPA announced a settlement agreement with North Pacific Seafoods on Tuesday. Alice Corcoran, a public relations officer for the EPA, characterized the settlement as “on the bigger side of big” for the […]
U.S. House votes to avert calamitous rail strike, but Senate prospects murky
The U.S. House moved Wednesday to avoid an economically disastrous nationwide rail strike, voting to codify an agreement that members of some unions had already rejected and separately add paid sick leave that workers had demanded. The two-track approach allows Democrats to avert a strike that could cost the U.S. economy up to $2 billion […]
The bottom of the Bering and Chukchi seas could become too warm for some important species
There is danger lurking on the floor of the Bering and Chukchi seas for mussels, snails, clams, worms and other cold-water invertebrates, according to a new study led by National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration scientists. If climate change continues its current trajectory, the Bering and Chukchi seafloor areas will be too warm for those creatures […]
Albertsons-Kroger mega-deal raises questions from lawmakers about higher food prices
WASHINGTON — Members of a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee panel raised concerns during a Tuesday hearing that a proposed merger between two of the largest U.S. supermarket chains could mean a monopoly on groceries and lead to higher food prices for Americans. U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a Minnesota Democrat who chairs the Subcommittee on Competition […]
Alaska would be insulated from a nationwide railroad strike, officials say
If a nationwide rail strike takes place this month, the Alaska Railroad will keep moving, but tieups in the Lower 48 could disrupt cargo that comes to Alaska from Seattle and Tacoma, officials said this week. Several unions are planning a strike that could begin as soon as Dec. 9 after the failure of contract […]