Unique payment plan for companies who owe TAPS settlement money
A new state law allows those companies to pay that debt with tax credits, meaning the state might not see any of that money. At least, not in cash. Listen now
State, Native Corps ask U.S. Supreme Court to enter fray over polar bear habitat
The State of Alaska and a dozen Native organizations have filed a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking it to overturn a ruling that designated vast swaths of coastal Alaska as critical habitat for polar bears.
Village awarded federal grant for river turbine design
The U.S. Department of Energy has picked a southwest Alaska village for funding to advance development of an underwater river turbine that could replace diesel power with clean energy.
Are great white sharks sinking their teeth into Bering Sea seals?
In the past three years or so, Brandon Ahmasuk says something strange has been opening its jaws to marine mammals in the Bering Sea. Listen now
In a warming Arctic, October in Utqiaġvik presents an especially striking picture
Billy Adams, a hunter in his 50s, says that when he was growing up in Utqiagvik, there was almost always ice attached to the shore by now. Listen now
Group launches campaign to keep Arctic in oil lease plan
Alaska and national business and labor groups launched a media campaign Monday to keep Arctic areas in the next five-year federal offshore leasing plan.
Twenty groups organized as the Arctic Coalition are urging the Obama administration to retain a Beaufort Sea lease sale in 2020 and a Chukchi Sea lease sale in 2022.
Alaska Christmas trees: backyard charm or out-of-state beauty?
This year, the Governor’s Mansion is decorated for the holidays with a Sitka spruce tree from the Tongass National Forest. But Alaskans in the capital city aren’t just decking the halls with local greenery. Listen now
Cook Inlet leaks draw more scrutiny for Hilcorp and its aging infrastructure
State regulators on Monday announced an oil leak from an underwater pipeline owned by Hilcorp in Cook Inlet was halted successfully. Listen now
Climate change will cost Alaska hundreds of millions per year, report finds
A report from the University of Alaska Anchorage notes some of the biggest climate change-related costs come from damage to infrastructure and communities in rural Alaska as permafrost thaws and coastlines erode.
Anchorage Petroleum Wives Club welcomes new era with new name
The Anchorage Petroleum Wives Club has been around longer than Alaska's been a state. Founded after the first big oil discovery in Alaska, its purpose was to welcome the wives of the oil workers flooding into the state. But a lot has changed since then, so the Anchorage Petroleum Wives Club recently decided it's time to rebrand. Listen now
Hilcorp plans gravel island to extract Arctic offshore oil
Arctic offshore drilling by Royal Dutch Shell PLC drew protests on two continents this year, but a more modest proposal for extracting petroleum where polar bears roam has moved forward with much less attention.
One Arctic species is listed, one isn’t. Did politics play a role?
Two of the Arctic’s most iconic animals, polar bears and walrus, face challenges with retreating sea ice. But they haven't been granted the same federal protections. Listen now
Beyond believers and deniers: for Americans, climate change is complicated
On Tuesday (March 28), President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at rolling back many of the Obama administration’s efforts to curb climate change. The order comes as surveys show Americans remain divided over global warming’s causes and consequences. Listen now
At low prices, North Slope production taxes could drop to zero
Many lawmakers say they never understood how the tax system would work at very low prices. But industry says this was always part of the deal. Download Audio
Southeast tribal organization says it will support the Paris Climate Accord
"We’re responsible for these lands," Central Council President Richard Peterson said. Listen now
Court rules in favor of municipalities in pipeline case
A ruling by the Alaska Supreme Court Friday has strengthened the role municipalities have in setting the tax value of Trans-Alaska Pipeline and similar structures. The ruling overturns a lower court decision that said the Alaska Department of Revenue had the final say. Download Audio
The coronavirus pandemic is devastating Alaska’s budget, and it could cost you your PFD
The Legislature approved a budget last weekend that’s predicted to drain 70 percent of the cash left in the state's primary savings account. And things will be even worse without a substantial increase in the price of oil.
Alaska’s congressional delegation sticking by Sea Grant
When President Donald Trump’s blueprint budget came out in March, it included eliminating funding for the Sea Grant program for next year. But Alaska’s congressional delegation doesn’t want it to go away. Listen now
Biggest-ever earthquake recorded on North Slope
A large earthquake was recorded on the North Slope, 52 miles southwest of Kaktovik, at around 7 a.m. Sunday morning. Listen now
A wrench and a spark shut down TAPS for nine hours
A worker with a hand-wrench sparked the fire that shut down the trans-Alaska pipeline for nine hours in April. The fire forced the evacuation of more than 50 people at a remote pump station near Coldfoot. Download Audio