Local organizations and topics
Numbers are stories in the last 30 days.
Editorial map (Gemini + Google Maps)
Nova Minerals plans antimony refinery beside federally funded Port MacKenzie rail line
Nova Minerals, the company planning an antimony refinery at Port MacKenzie, told investors Oct. 21 that the refinery will sit directly on the 32-mile rail extension the federal government just agreed to help finish, with its own rail siding, a short spur track, running into the site.
The siding would bring antimony and other mineral ore from the Interior to the refinery, the company said in a filing with federal securities regulators. "Nova Minerals will directly benefit from the speed and efficiency enabled by the Port MacKenzie Rail Extension," said Christopher Gerteisen, the company's chief executive.
The same release identifies Gerteisen as vice chair of the Mat-Su Borough's Port MacKenzie Commission. In September, that commission recommended that the Assembly lease about 43 acres of port land to Nova's Alaska subsidiary, Alaska Range Resources, for an antimony pilot plant. At the time, the commission's agenda listed a vice chair named Christopher Gerteisen, but no record Alaska News obtained confirmed he was Nova's chief executive. The commission had published no minutes showing who attended or how members voted, and no record obtained showed a conflict declaration or recusal. The commission advises; the Assembly decides.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy announced the $249 million grant to the Alaska Railroad on Oct. 19. It covers about 80% of the $311 million needed to finish the line between Port MacKenzie and the railroad's main line near Houston, according to the railroad's fact sheet. The other $62 million would come from the borough, in aggregate, right-of-way and other materials, and in cash from the railroad and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority. State grants paid $184 million for the line from 2008 to 2015, with no state money since. With timely grant execution, the railroad expects to start construction in 2028 and finish in 2030.
What did you make of this story? (no account needed)
Have a story from Houston? Send a tip
Stories on what’s next
Community Development Block Grant Application Deadline for Fire Station 93
Houston plans a door-to-door income survey to qualify for an $850,000 fire station grant
Houston needs 51% of the people a fire station serves to be low or moderate income to get an $850,000 grant. HUD says 49.6%, so staff will knock on doors.
Latest
Giessel says free AIDEA land transfer takes over the Legislature's appropriation power
Giessel says giving 20,000 acres near Houston to AIDEA free takes the Legislature's power of the purse. Her math: a lease could bring in $14 million a year.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Houston certifies election, swears in Johansen and Brasel for new terms
Houston certified its Oct. 6 election Monday and swore in Lisa Johansen and Jeff Brasel for new three-year terms. About 5% of voters showed up.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago1 min read
Houston approves plastics recycler's permit as state reviews groundwater contamination at site
Houston approved a plastics recycler at a gravel pit where the owner's own consultant found petroleum in the groundwater. The state is still looking into it.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Houston passes two-year pause on data centers as state weighs AIDEA land transfer
Houston's City Council paused data center permits for two years while the state weighs giving 20,000 acres just north of the city to AIDEA for free.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Legislative attorneys say Houston land transfer to AIDEA may fail public-purpose test
Legislative attorneys say giving AIDEA 20,000 free acres near Houston may not pass the public-purpose test. AIDEA's director says state law already settles it.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read
Houston commission recommends giving Holding District H landowners until March for fee-free zone changes
Houston landowners in the zoning holding district may get until the end of March to pick a new zone for free. The City Council still has to sign off.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Hemp plant proposal asks Houston council for land and permitting help
A foundation wants a hemp processing plant near Houston to serve Alaska fiber growers. The state's hemp registry currently lists only retailers.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago2 min read
A Big Lake man was killed in Houston. A 72-year-old faces murder charges.
A 43-year-old Big Lake man was shot and killed in Houston on Monday night. A 72-year-old Houston man was arrested on murder and assault charges.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Comment closes Monday on giving 20,000 Houston-area acres to AIDEA
Alaskans have until 5 p.m. Monday to comment on giving 20,000 acres north of Houston to a state agency for free — and only those who comment can appeal.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min read
Alaska would give 20,000 acres near Houston to a state authority for free
Alaska proposes giving nearly 20,000 acres near Houston to a state development authority at no cost, and waiving its right to reclaim the land.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
The state wants to give away land near Houston for housing, one piece of a statewide push
The state wants to give away 42 acres near Houston, free, for housing — one of several no-cost transfers to the Housing Finance Corporation across Alaska.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
The state may give 20,000 acres near Houston to a development authority
The state may give a development authority nearly 20,000 acres north of Houston for data centers and industry. DNR sees jobs — but also reduced trail access.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read