NOAA extends beluga comment period 01/17/2010
At the request of Alaska's congressional delegation the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has extended by 30 days the public comment period on the proposed designation of 3,000 square mi...

Chukchi air permit takes Shell closer to 2010 drilling program 01/17/2010
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's Jan. 7 decision to propose an amended air quality permit for Shell's planned exploration drilling in the Arctic Alaska outer continental shelf of the Chukchi...

Salazar launches 'major reforms' for onshore leasing program 01/10/2010
Secretary of the Interior says reforms include new guidance to field managers, new reviews
Citing pushback from the public on the level of onshore oil and gas leasing under the Bush administration, President Obama's Secretary of the Interior, Ken Salazar, said in a Jan. 6 press conference t...

Energy policy: a neglected stepchild? 12/27/2009
The Congressional focus on greenhouse gases and climate change is pushing U.S. energy policy into the background, lawyer says
While debate in the U.S. Congress centers on greenhouse gas emissions and climate change, energy policy and U.S. energy security have become somewhat neglected, Tom Roberts, a member of Washington, D....

Legislators want heavy oil discussions 12/20/2009
Heavy oil is thick as honey and hard to pump out of the ground. That's where most of it has stayed while lighter crude is available. But heavy oil may be the future of Alaska's petroleum development,...

Murkowski proposes Arctic port site study 12/13/2009
U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski has introduced a bill to study the possibility of building a deepwater port in the Arctic. The measure would direct the defense secretary to conduct the study with an eye towa...

Obama picks Persily as new coordinator 12/13/2009
Veteran of state government, journalism will replace Pearce, lead small agency designed to streamline work on Alaska gas pipeline
President Obama on Dec. 9 announced he'll nominate Larry Persily of Juneau for the job of federal coordinator for Alaska natural gas transportation projects. If confirmed by the Senate, Persily will r...

Beluga territory 12/06/2009
NMFS designates 3,016 square miles of CI beluga whale critical habitat
While controversy has reigned over the National Marine Fisheries Service October 2008 listing of the Cook Inlet beluga whale under the Endangered Species Act, NMFS has moved ahead with making a determ...

Pearce steps down as gas line coordinator 11/22/2009
President asked for resignation; legislative aide Persily says feds are checking his background for 'possible federal position'
Drue Pearce, the first and so far the only person to hold the position of federal coordinator for Alaska natural gas transportation projects, announced Nov. 16 she'll vacate the job at the request of...

Mining Explorers 2009: Coeur regains tailings permit 11/01/2009
High Court ruling allows miner to construct tailings facility; first gold in 2010
Hailed as a landmark ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 6-3 to uphold Coeur d'Alene Mines Corp.'s tailings disposal permit at the Kensington gold mine located about 45 miles, or 73 kilometers northw...

Senate passes bill with icebreaker funding 10/25/2009
The full U.S. Senate has passed the 2010 Homeland Security Appropriations conference report that includes $32.5 million in funding for enhancements to U.S. icebreaker capability, Sen. Lisa Murkowski,...

Massive OCS feedback 10/25/2009
NOAA, Natives oppose much of 2010-'15 leasing plan; drillers, lawmakers endorse
A key scientific agency is advising the Obama administration against oil and gas leasing in large portions of the nation's Outer Continental Shelf. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration...

OK for Shell plan 10/25/2009
MMS approves Beaufort Sea 2010 drilling if permitting requirements met
On Oct. 19 Shell passed another major milestone in its multiyear quest to start exploration drilling on Alaska's Arctic outer continental shelf, when the U.S. Minerals Management Service approved the...

House bill requires two tugs for tankers 10/11/2009
Provision in Coast Guard bill would extend dual escorts even to ships with double hulls; similar legislation pending in Senate
Federal legislation authorizing Coast Guard appropriations for 2010 has a provision expanding the requirement for dual tug escorts of oil tankers traveling through Alaska's Prince William Sound. The C...

Salazar says he's in no hurry on decision 09/27/2009
Public comment period closes Sept. 21 on Department of Interior's five-year OCS plan; Parnell pushing for Alaska OCS development
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said Sept. 17 he's in no hurry to make a decision on whether to allow offshore drilling in federal waters off Alaska and other states, a remark that disappointed advocat...

Mining News: Corps gives go-ahead for Kensington Mine 08/30/2009
After years of litigation, Coeur Alaska prepares to construct tailings facility; EPA tells state agency it will not oppose permit
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Aug. 14 re-issued a long-disputed tailings permit to Coeur Alaska for the Kensington Mine. Modifications to the permit extend its expiration to 2014, offsetting the fo...

The winds of change in Arctic Alaska 08/30/2009
Politicians seek views on future Arctic policies in the face of climate change, industrial development and environmental protection
As the Arctic warms, the summer sea ice retreats and evolving weather patterns disrupt communities in northern Alaska, opinions on how to respond to the changes sweeping across the northernmost part o...

NEA spuds King Salmon geothermal well 08/23/2009
Exploration targets potential resource under the eastern end of Alaska Peninsula; could provide power for local communities
After more than 10 years of investigation and planning by Southwest Alaska electric cooperative, Naknek Electric Association, the co-op's first geothermal exploration well, the Naknek-G No.1, is augur...

Oil Patch Insider 08/16/2009
Alberta's pubs with no beer
A quenching drink after an often long, cold (or sweltering), grimy day in the Alberta oil sands is gradually coming with more no-alcohol restrictions. Especially at the 77 lodges and work camps over t...

Murkowski promotes OCS revenue sharing 08/02/2009
Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has introduced the Domestic Energy Security Act of 2009, a bill that would grant coastal states a 37.5 percent stake in all rents, royalties and bonuses from oil and gas...

New bills seek U.S. icebreaker funding 08/02/2009
On July 24 Sen. Lisa Murkowski introduced two Senate bills, one designed to fund construction of two new Polar class icebreakers and both designed to improve Arctic mapping, navigation and the maritim...

Mining News: 260,000 abandoned mines still mar West 07/26/2009
GAO: States assess functional royalties on hardrock mining; Murkowski urges caution as U.S. Senate debates modernizing mining law
Though Alaska has more than 7,300 abandoned hardrock mine sites, most of which are located on federal lands, the state's problems are relatively small potatoes compared with the estimated 260,000 aban...

Mining News: EPA wants second look at Kensington plan 07/26/2009
The federal agency seeks re-evaluation of gold project's tailings permit; leaders say Supreme Court ruling should be final word
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to take another look at the tailings disposal permit it issued for the Kensington gold project near Juneau. In a Jul...

Murkowski secures icebreaker funding 07/12/2009
Sen. Lisa Murkowski says that she has persuaded the Senate Appropriations Committee to include $32.5 million in funding for a polar icebreaker program in the Homeland Security Subcommittee's $44.3 bil...

Murkowski picked for GOP leadership 07/05/2009
Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski has been picked by fellow Republican senators as vice chairman of the Senate Republican Conference. It's the fifth-highest GOP leadership position in the Senate. Murkowski s...