Mining News: Seasoned mine builder joins NovaGold 01/17/2010
Gil Leathley's five decades of experience is expected to be invaluable as the company continues to build world-class mines
NovaGold Resources Inc. tapped a wealth of mining experience recently when it appointed Gil Leathley as senior advisor to the junior's president and CEO, Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse. "Mr. Leathley is one of...

Mining News: Junior jumps in with both feet at Ambler 01/17/2010
NovaGold agrees to buy Arctic VMS project for US$29 million; opts to focus on environmental studies, Northwest community in 2010
NovaGold Resources Inc. has cut a deal with Rio Tinto subsidiary Kennecott Exploration Co. to purchase 100 percent interest in the precious-metal-rich Ambler copper-zinc property in Northwest Alaska....

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...

Anchorage to assess Beluga whale listing 01/10/2010
The Municipality of Anchorage has hired attorney William Stelle of law firm KandL Gates LLP to coordinate the municipality's response to the National Marine Fisheries Service designation of critical hab...

Time to take a stand on climate change? 01/10/2010
Alaska legislators want information to determine a strategy on responding to climate change actions and the use of the ESA in AK
The stakes are high and the rhetoric climbing in the debate between those who want to apply the Endangered Species Act for the protection of wildlife potentially threatened by a warming climate, and t...

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...

Assuring your approval 01/10/2010
Modern permitting involves doing due diligence, proving sustainable benefits
There was a time when people tended to view permitting as simply a question of obtaining government agency approval for certain specific actions planned for a project. But that's no longer a viable ap...

Noah tells legislators time to choose 01/03/2010
Says Legislature funding too many options, confusing market; Irwin says information isn't in for standalone or AGIA line to market
Alaska legislators heard two different views in mid-December of what they should do about gas projects in the state: Harry Noah, the outgoing project manager for the state's in-state gas project, said...

Swenson named in-state gas line manager 01/03/2010
Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell has named Bob Swenson of Fairbanks to replace Harry Noah as the state's in-state gas line project manager. Noah announced his resignation earlier this year, citing the demands...

BP plans new operations center for Northstar 01/03/2010
Project involves fabricating, hauling enormous module by barge to production island in Alaska's Beaufort Sea; cost not specified
BP is applying for state and federal clearance to place a huge new module on its Northstar production island in Alaska's Beaufort Sea. The module would house a new operations center with living quarte...

ANGDA resolves EIS project description 12/27/2009
Authority's board approves moving ahead with Beluga to Fairbanks gas line permitting work, exclusive agreement on propane project
The Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Bureau of Land Management appear to have come to an agreement on a project description of ANGDA's Beluga-to-Fairb...

Mining News: Junior lauded for innovative reclamation 12/20/2009
Western Copper cleans up abandoned workings on Casino property, while targeting zero environmental impact from current activities
Western Copper Corp. won the coveted Robert E. Leckie Award for 2009 for outstanding reclamation of old abandoned workings on the Casino Property in west-central Yukon Territory. But the junior explo...

Mining News: Pebble bobs to, fro on waves of opinion 12/20/2009
Fisheries board rejects plan to establish Bristol Bay fish refuge; Native corporations differ sharply on mining project's impact
The Pebble Partnership, a 50-50 joint venture between Northern Dynasty Minerals Ltd. and Anglo American plc, can chalk up one win and one potential loss toward the development of a mine at its copper-...

Mining News: Livengood explorer could build mine 12/20/2009
Junior seems reluctant to turn over multimillion-ounce Alaska gold asset to major; vows to assemble operations team in early 2010
International Tower Hill Mines Ltd.'s rapidly expanding Livengood gold project could prove to be the catalyst that transitions the Vancouver B.C.-based junior from explorer to producer. "The Livengoo...

Mining News: Selwyn teams with Chinese miner 12/20/2009
Investor will sink C$100 million into new joint operator charged with advancing giant zinc-lead deposit to commercial production
Selwyn Resources Ltd., owner of the zinc and lead deposit of the same name in the mountains of eastern Yukon Territory, has entered a binding framework agreement with a large Chinese corporate investo...

Planning for different power outcomes 12/20/2009
In developing an integrated resource plan for power generation and transmission in the Alaska Railbelt, consultancy firm Black and Veatch evaluated four possible future power scenarios, Kevin Harper, Bl...

BBNC opposes offshore leasing, Pebble 12/20/2009
Native regional corporation says oil and gas leasing, mine development are too risky for fish-rich Bristol Bay; others fire back
A major stakeholder in the Bristol Bay region has come out against offshore oil and gas leasing in the North Aleutian basin. The Bristol Bay Native Corp. announced Dec. 11 its board passed a resolutio...

Noah: standalone line work on schedule 12/20/2009
Parks Highway route selected because it is shorter, could cost less; gas conditioning in Cook Inlet, at PBU facilities, considered
Harry Noah, special manager of the in-state gas pipeline project, told Alaska legislators Dec. 16 that the standalone or bullet line - a project which would deliver gas just within Alaska, not to outs...

Power for the future 12/20/2009
AEA publishes draft integrated resource plan for Alaska Railbelt electricity
The Alaska Energy Authority has published a draft regional integrated resource plan that presents options and recommendations for the future of electricity power generation, transmission and demand ma...

Corps begins work on Point Thomson EIS 12/13/2009
ExxonMobil is moving ahead with development permitting for its Point Thomson project. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers published a notice Dec. 4 of intention to prepare a draft environmental impact s...

Fugro wraps up Shell survey in Chukchi 12/13/2009
News reports that the U.S. offshore division of Fugro GeoServices has successfully completed the fieldwork portion of a shallow hazards survey in Alaska's Chukchi Sea for Shell EandP were confirmed Dec....

Parnell budgets Umiat road permitting 12/13/2009
Proposes $8 million line item in FY 2011 budget for permitting an all-season road; claims lack of infrastructure holding up development
Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell is planning to include $8 million in his fiscal year 2011 budget for the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to permit a road to Umiat. A road to Umiat, a stag...

Remote basin exploration moves forward 12/13/2009
Independent Trio Petroleum plans to drill first well in Selawik basin in late 2010, permitting for both oil and gas
A Bakersfield, Calif., independent is preparing to drill an oil and gas well next year in one of North America's last unexplored basins - northwest Alaska's Selawik basin, in more recent years referre...

State reverses Holitna license decision 12/13/2009
Overturning a 2006 decision, DNR finds that a gas exploration license in Southwest Alaska is in the best interest of the state
Alaska officials have again decided that an exploration license in the Holitna basin is in the best interests of the state, returning in a 2005 ruling that had previously been overturned. In a decisi...

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...