Rising seas, peat may have caused Ice Age extinction event
A research paper published yesterday says large ice age mammals may have gone extinct in northern Alaska when grassland turned to peat and rising sea levels covered the Bering Land Bridge.
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Alaska LNG representatives visit Homer Rotary
The Rotary Club of Homer-Kachemak Bay hosted representatives of the Alaska LNG Project Thursday. Alaska LNG is a co-venture between the state and other stakeholders: Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips, BP and TransCanada. The project representatives said they want to give Alaskans a clearer picture of what Alaska LNG will mean for their communities.
Study: Carbon emissions from northern fires likely underestimated
A recent study indicates fires in the Yukon Flat region of Alaska are releasing more carbon into the atmosphere than previously thought.
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House approves TransCanada buyout
With a unanimous vote in the House on Wednesday, the Alaska legislature has approved Gov. Bill Walker’s request to end the state’s partnership with TransCanada -- and take a larger role in the project to build a natural gas line from the North Slope.
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Interior Energy Project finalists pitch their plans
The Interior Energy Project is moving forward. Wednesday night finalists for an effort to bring natural gas to Fairbanks made public presentations at Pioneer Park.
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Homer, state argue over gas assessments
The City of Homer wants the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to pay a little more than $26,000 in natural gas assessments for eight state-owned plots of land. DOT refuses. The city and DOT are negotiating a solution.
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With Alaska LNG project, how secret is too secret?
The Alaska legislature officially gaveled out of its third special session this year. The House and Senate united behind Gov. Bill Walkers bid to buy out TransCanada. But the session was also marked by divides, especially over how much of the project should be kept secret.
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Study: Tundra fires induce permafrost melt, land change
Wildfire on Arctic tundra can cause permafrost melt from the top down, contributing to landscape slumping, known as thermokarst.
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Ice locked in glaciers may substantially contribute to sea level rise
Researchers say more than half the ice locked up in glaciers could be gone by the end of the century. A new study suggests the resulting runoff could raise the earth’s oceans three inches or more. The study suggests fisheries and hydro-electric dams could also be impacted by the change.
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Feds take public comment on Hilcorp’s offshore Liberty project
Shell may have given up on drilling off Alaska's coast, but federal regulators are now taking public comment on another -- though very different -- offshore drilling proposal.
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Forecast: $80 oil at decade’s end
The International Energy Agency is predicting the return of higher oil prices, but not soon enough to end the gut punch to Alaska’s budget.
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Arctic Council looks to Alaska citizen science network
A tribal citizen science network that got its start in Alaska is being touted as a model for tracking climate change in the Arctic. The eight-nation Arctic Council plans to expand the Local Environmental Observer Network to other Arctic nations.
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Reporters’ roundtable: the Alaska LNG project
The Alaska LNG special session came to a close last week. It was the third special session held this year. Zachariah Hughes hosts a reporter's roundtable diving into the complex issues surround the LNG project. What decisions came out of this session? And what exactly does this mean for Alaska?
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Warming landscape triggers northward habitat shift
For years scientists have documented changes in Alaska’s vegetation due to a warmer climate. Now, researchers are noting animals establishing new habitats on the North Slope in response to the altered landscape.
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Alaska holding out against emission-cutting policies
The Arctic is on the front lines of climate change. Alaska is warming at twice the rate of the rest of the planet. A group called Alaska Common Ground hosted an all-day forum in Anchorage over the weekend to answer the question, "What are we doing about it?"
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Statoil will exit Alaska, following Shell
Norwegian oil company Statoil said Tuesday (Nov. 17) that it will end exploration efforts in the Chukchi Sea and close its Anchorage office. The decision comes just two months after Shell ended its quest to drill in the Arctic Ocean, citing disappointing results at its first well.
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Gas line team reshuffle puts scrutiny on high salaries
As the state prepares to take a larger role in the Alaska LNG gas line project, its leadership team is once again in flux. The changes are bringing new attention to the salaries involved -- including one negotiator who has been paid about $120,000 a month since June.
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Conoco advances project in NPR-A; Independents snap up North Slope leases
ConocoPhillips announced today (Nov. 18) that it will move ahead with construction of a $900 million project in the North Slope's National Petroleum Reserve. And small independent companies collectively spent $9.5 million for the right to drill on state land on the North Slope.
AK: With sustainable logging in mind, Galena looks to forests for fuel
Large-scale logging on the Yukon River started about a hundred years ago. These days, villages like Galena are once again looking to the forest for an energy supply. But this time, a new generation of loggers is thinking more about sustainability.
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Walker replaces 2 on gas line board ahead of crucial vote
Gov. Bill Walker is once again shaking up the state's gas line team. On Friday, Walker replaced two of seven board members for the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, or AGDC.
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