FandW publishes final polar bear rule 12/05/2010
Critical habitat designation wins praise from environmentalists but causes concern for oil industry, NS Borough and the state
On Nov. 24 the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service published a final rule designating more than 187,000 square miles of the Alaska Arctic offshore, Arctic barrier islands and Alaska's northern coast as cri...

NSB and Shell start new science program 11/07/2010
Shell will fund research into the Arctic offshore environment, with collaboration between industry and North Slope communities
The North Slope Borough and Shell are collaborating on a multiyear program of scientific research into the offshore Arctic environment, the two organizations announced Oct. 28. Shell is providing $2 m...

Feds get 52,000 comments on ANWR future 06/27/2010
Question of wilderness designation for coastal plain sparks spirited oil and gas debate, with wide range of interests weighing in
If anybody wonders whether the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge still matters to the American people, just ask the landlord. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service received an estimated 52,000-plus respons...

ANWR wilderness expansion sparks debate 06/20/2010
Despite notice from Fish and Wildlife Service that commentary on oil and gas development will be ignored, viewpoints flow in anyway
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, in announcing plans to revise its "comprehensive conservation plan" for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, plainly told the public it wouldn't consider comments f...

ANWR debate produces familiar arguments 05/16/2010
One slightly new twist in an old battle is each side points to the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico as justification for their position
The fight over oil and gas drilling in the northern part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge escalated May 11 over the possibility that a new management plan could put the refuge and its billions o...

ExxonMobil seeks Point Thomson air permit 05/02/2010
Company continues preparations for high-pressure gas cycling development; battle over unit's fate awaits Alaska Supreme Court action
ExxonMobil continues to lay the groundwork for its natural gas cycling project in the Point Thomson field on Alaska's North Slope. Meantime, the legal fight between ExxonMobil and the state over contr...

Another step for Shell 04/18/2010
EPA issues air quality permit for Shell's Beaufort Sea drilling operations
Another piece of the permitting jigsaw puzzle for Shell's long-sought but much frustrated plans for drilling on Alaska's Arctic outer continental shelf slotted into place April 9, when the U.S. Enviro...

Fish and Wildlife begins ANWR plan update 04/11/2010
Plan to consider new wilderness designations draws protests from Gov. Parnell, Sen. Begich; would require congressional approval
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service said April 6 that it is beginning an update of the 22-year-old comprehensive conservation plan for the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The plan will establish goals...

Shifting the OCS season 04/11/2010
Ion wants to use under-ice techniques to do seismic survey late in the year
As the days lengthen and the short Arctic summer looms on the horizon, an annual ritual has been taking place to sort out who does what in the seas around Alaska's northern coastline during upcoming b...

Bullets, flaring are Point Thomson concerns 04/04/2010
Shots from hunters could pierce pipeline and gas burn-off could melt tundra, Alaska official says in review of ExxonMobil project
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources sees potential for a couple of quirky problems with ExxonMobil's Point Thomson field development. One has to do with stray bullets. The other concerns a real...

Arctic Directory: Beaufort leasing in state's 'best interest' 03/21/2010
Finding supports 10 years of planned sales in nearshore seas extending from Barrow to Canada; Native groups claim slight from state
Alaska oil industry regulators have cleared the way for a series of lease sales over the next decade along a vast swath of coastal waters in the Beaufort Sea. The state's oil and gas director, Kevin B...