The Trump administration on Friday affirmed a controversial federal Cook Inlet oil and gas lease sale held at the end of 2022, asserting that impacts to endangered beluga whales and other resources were adequately considered and no changes in the leasing plan are needed. In a Federal Register notice scheduled to be published on Monday, […]
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Alaska fisheries in 2025: turmoil, economic and environmental challenges and some bright spots
For Alaska’s fishing industry and fishing-dependent communities, 2025 was a year of turmoil and uncertainty, much of it imposed by ideological pursuits from the new Trump administration. The short-lived agency called the Department of Government Efficiency hacked away at federal funding for science across the board. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in particular was […]
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Alaska mining company pushing Cook Inlet, Hatcher Pass projects will merge with Canadian firm
A Fairbanks-based company with several Alaska mining projects, including two near Anchorage, could nearly double in size in a proposed merger with a Canadian firm. The deal, announced this week, would combine Contango Ore with Vancouver-based Dolly Varden Silver Corp. It’s the latest in a recent flurry of deals in the global mining industry, including […]
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State proposes changes to material sales regulations
The Department of Natural Resources is proposing changes to regulations in Alaska Administrative Code Title 11 relating to material sales and conveyances to state agencies, particularly to the pricing for sale of materials such as sand and gravel. According to a Nov. 26 press release, the proposed changes would enable DNR to transfer material to […]
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Trump administration proposes offshore leasing in almost all Alaska waters
The Trump administration last Thursday, Nov. 20, released a plan for offshore oil and gas leasing that would open up almost all Alaska marine waters to development, along with the entire Pacific coast and the Gulf of Mexico. The Alaska portion of the plan proposes 21 lease sales through 2031, five of them in Cook […]
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Utilities say Alaska needs an LNG import terminal. Consumers could end up paying for two.
As urban Alaska’s electric utilities look to import natural gas to fill a looming supply gap, residents and businesses face a future surge in electricity and heating prices. Some of the price increase is unavoidable: Importing gas will require expensive infrastructure, and those construction costs will be paid by consumers. But observers of the state’s […]
Read MoreStudents invited to compete in statewide radon poster contest
Students across the state are invited to participate in the fifth annual Alaska Radon Poster Contest, an event created as an outlet for Alaska youth to showcase their artistic talents and promotion for a public health program. The contest is sponsored by the Alaska Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys, the University of Alaska Fairbanks […]
Read MoreTrump administration sets terms for upcoming oil and gas lease sale in Alaska’s Cook Inlet
The Trump administration on Monday outlined its plans to auction 1 million acres of federal offshore territory in what it has called the “Big Beautiful Cook Inlet Oil and Gas Lease Sale.” The lease sale, to be held early next year under terms detailed in a notice published Monday in the Federal Register, is to […]
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‘Explosion’ of invasive European green crabs reported in Southeast Alaska
When a young Sealaska intern walking a beach in July 2022 found the first evidence of European green crab presence in Alaska – a discarded shell on a beach on Annette Island in the state’s far southeast corner – it was an ominous sign about the invasive species’ northward spread. Since then, the Metlakatla Indian […]
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Tokyo Gas signs preliminary agreement with trans-Alaska gas pipeline developer
The largest gas company in Japan has signed a letter of intent signifying that it would buy up to 1 million tons of liquefied natural gas per year from the proposed trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline. The development moves the project closer to a financial finish line that would allow the borrowing needed to build the […]
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Trump administration approves disaster declaration for Western Alaska storm
President Donald Trump granted the State of Alaska’s request for a federal disaster declaration on Wednesday, unlocking federal disaster aid to support the ongoing relief and recovery effort in the aftermath of ex-Typhoon Halong throughout Western Alaska. Gov. Mike Dunleavy formally submitted the request on Oct. 16, and applauded the announcement on social media on […]
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Murkowski says she is trying to restore some resilience funding for Alaska villages
Five months after the Trump administration canceled a series of environmental grants for Alaska, including an erosion-control grant that was to have gone to one of the villages hardest hit by ex-Typhoon Halong, the fight over the money continues. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, in her speech Saturday to the annual Alaska Federation of Natives convention, […]
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More than 66,000 Alaskans will lose food stamps within weeks if government shutdown continues
If the federal government shutdown continues, more than 66,000 Alaskans will lose federal food aid within weeks, the state of Alaska is warning. On Monday, the Division of Public Assistance within the Alaska Department of Health said that the federal government “has directed states to stop the issuance of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits […]
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One dead, dozens rescued and roughly 1,000 displaced in western Alaska communities hit by ex-typhoon
Search and rescue efforts continued into Monday in the Kuskokwim River delta in the aftermath of devastating storm surge and hurricane-force winds brought by the remnants of Typhoon Halong. The storm tore homes from their foundations and sent them floating away. One woman was found dead in Kwigillingok on Monday, according to Alaska State Troopers. […]
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Cruise ship passenger dies after fall from Juneau mountain trail
A Texas man died Tuesday after falling from the Mount Roberts trail and sliding down the mountainside. According to a dispatch Wednesday from Alaska State Troopers, they were called just after 8 p.m. and told of an ongoing search and rescue effort for two men who had fallen from the trail. The pair were visitors […]
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Sullivan discusses federal advocacy, legislation during Soldotna visit
During a visit to Soldotna last month, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan in a brief interview with the Clarion spotlighted visits to Alaska by cabinet officials, advocacy for increased military investment in the state and fisheries legislation. Since June, Sullivan said, the secretaries of the interior, energy, homeland security, health and human services, housing and urban […]
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Trump to meet Putin next week in Alaska, he says on social media
President Donald Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Aug. 15 in Alaska, Trump said in a social media post Friday. The location, timing and other details of the meeting were not immediately available. Staff for all three members of Alaska’s congressional delegation said they were unaware of the announcement ahead of time. […]
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Legislature overrides veto of bill aimed at increased legislative oversight of state oil tax revenue
A bill strengthening the ability of the state’s legislative auditors to obtain information “in the form or format requested” will become law after the Alaska Legislature on Saturday voted to override Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of the measure on a vote of 43-16. Lawmakers have said the somewhat obscure policy is significant in the face […]
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Legislature narrowly votes to override education funding veto
With not a vote to spare, the Alaska Legislature on Saturday voted to override Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s veto of education funding in the state budget, on the first day of a special session he called. The Alaska Legislature on May 2 passed a bill increasing per-student funding by $700. They fended off a veto of […]
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Alaska Legislature adjourns after overriding governor vetoes
The Alaska Legislature adjourned after the first day of its special session on Saturday, without considering bills pushed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy. The only action taken during the special session, besides voting to approve adjournment via an extended recess of the House and Senate, were a pair of votes to restore education funding slashed by […]
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Dunleavy outlines priorities for special session
Familiar policy proposals including more charter school authorizers, payments to teachers and a cross-district open enrollment provision characterize Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s agenda for next month’s special session of the Alaska Legislature — which he called on July 2. The special session starts Saturday, Aug. 2. A press release from the governor’s office on Monday outlines […]
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Federal education funding to be released after monthlong delay
The U.S. Department of Education will release federal education funding frozen by the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski announced Friday. Nationwide, around $6.8 billion in funding for migrant education and other grants was held up a day before it was supposed to be released on July 1, according to reporting […]
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Crash that killed husband of former congresswoman was overloaded with moose meat and antlers, NTSB says
A small plane that crashed in rural Alaska in 2023, killing the husband of a member of Congress, was weighed down by too much moose meat and faced drag from a set of antlers mounted on its right wing strut, federal investigators said Tuesday. The plane, a single-engine Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub, crashed shortly after […]
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Insurance authorization bill sponsored by Bjorkman, Ruffidge becomes law
A bill sponsored by both Sen. Jesse Bjorkman and Rep. Justin Ruffridge, imposing new requirements for medical authorizations on health insurance, became law Tuesday. A press release from the Alaska Senate Majority says that Senate Bill 133 was sponsored by Bjorkman, R-Nikiski, in the Senate and Ruffridge, R-Soldotna, in the House. The bill was passed […]
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Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic releases report on STI trends on the Kenai Peninsula
Kachemak Bay Family Planning Clinic has released a comprehensive new report that highlights community insights surrounding the rise in syphilis, congenital syphilis, and other sexually transmitted infections in Alaska. In a press release from June 27, the Homer-based clinic said the report underscores the continued need for access to education and health care in light […]
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Dunleavy calls special session for August
Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Wednesday called a special session of the Alaska Legislature, limited to his own proposals for education reform and a State Department of Agriculture. According to a proclamation by the governor, the Legislature will meet for a 30-day special session beginning Aug. 2 to consider an executive order creating an Alaska Department […]
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Minimum wage increases to $13 per hour on July 1
In a few weeks, on July 1, Alaska’s minimum wage will increase by more than a dollar to $13 per hour. Since 2014, Alaska’s minimum wage has increased from $7.75 to $11.91 through the Alaska Wage and Hour Act. A ballot measure, the Minimum Wage Increase and Paid Sick Leave Initiative, was supported by around […]
Read More Minimum wage increases to $13 per hour on July 1
In a few weeks, on July 1, Alaska’s minimum wage will increase by more than a dollar to $13 per hour. Since 2014, Alaska’s minimum wage has increased from $7.75 to $11.91 through the Alaska Wage and Hour Act. A ballot measure, the Minimum Wage Increase and Paid Sick Leave Initiative, was supported by around […]
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Dunleavy vetoes education funding to $500 BSA increase
Citing declining oil revenue, Gov. Mike Dunleavy on Thursday issued a veto in the state budget to reduce school funding below the amount specified by law, cutting the amount of funding the state provides to school districts per student by $200. That number, the base student allocation, was increased by $700 in an education bill […]
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National Guard begins exercise in Juneau simulating foreign terrorist attacks
JUNEAU — Cruise ship passengers unloading at the AJ Dock on Monday saw National Guardsmen donning hazmat suits on the front deck of a barge, but there was no cause for actual alarm. The guardsmen entered the boat to take reconnaissance photos of a mock chemical weapons lab as part of a training exercise this […]
Read More National Guard begins exercise in Juneau simulating foreign terrorist attacks
JUNEAU — Cruise ship passengers unloading at the AJ Dock on Monday saw National Guardsmen donning hazmat suits on the front deck of a barge, but there was no cause for actual alarm. The guardsmen entered the boat to take reconnaissance photos of a mock chemical weapons lab as part of a training exercise this […]
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