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A pipeline wants to more than double its rates, and Alaska has a stake
A North Slope pipeline company wants to more than double its gas-shipping rates — and since Alaska takes a cut of that gas's value, the hike could dent state revenue too. Comment by July 21.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
Barents Sea hits record low ice while Beaufort stays locked, splitting Arctic in two
Barents Sea hit record low ice in June while Alaska's Beaufort Sea stayed locked, shifting when North Slope communities can hunt and travel.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago3 min read
HB 381 exempts Alaska LNG project property from municipal taxes, replaces with volumetric splits
HB 381 replaces municipal property taxes on the Alaska LNG project with a new volumetric tax. • Phase 1 revenue splits favor pipeline communities while Phase 2 directs 48 percent to the Kenai Peninsula Borough. • The state expects the project to generate 26 billion dollars over 30 years. • Tax changes expire if construction misses a December 31 2034 deadline.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read
North Slope mayor: 'Nothing about us without us'
The North Slope mayor used a Founders' Day message to demand the region get a real voice in federal and state decisions about its land — a bid for leverage it doesn't formally hold.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Chukchi Sea ice runs above median for third straight late June
Sea ice off Wainwright sits thick and late for the third straight June, delaying walrus and whale hunts in an Iñupiat community where ice sets the hunt's terms.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
54 years of the North Slope Borough
Fifty-four years ago, Iñupiat leaders founded the North Slope Borough to tax the oil built on their land and govern their own homeland — an anniversary the mayor marked this week.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
Rough water off Alaska's Arctic and Northwest coasts, easing by Sunday
Small craft advisories are up for Alaska's Arctic and Northwest coasts through Friday — winds near 25 knots, seas to 7 feet — before things calm down by Sunday.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
On the roadless North Slope, the villages' winter road is made of snow
On the roadless North Slope, a snow trail is how cut-off villages get winter fuel. A Native-owned company builds it — across fragile tundra and caribou country.
by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
In Koyuk, old fuel tanks left petroleum in the ground. Now someone will measure it.
Two old fuel tank farms left petroleum in the ground in Koyuk, part of a statewide legacy of thousands of contaminated sites. A federal grant will assess how bad it is.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read
A landslide has closed the Dalton Highway, the main road to the North Slope
A rain-triggered landslide closed the Dalton Highway north of Coldfoot on Monday — blocking the main road to the North Slope and the freight bound for the oil fields.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read
ConocoPhillips is finding new oil in the Kuparuk field, in rock decades of drilling missed
The Kuparuk field has fallen 80% since its 1992 peak, but ConocoPhillips is reviving it by tapping Coyote and other reservoirs that older drilling technology overlooked.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
A gravel permit, and how North Slope oil is built on gravel
ConocoPhillips wants to expand a gravel pad at its Kuparuk field. It's a routine permit — but a small look at how North Slope oil is literally built on imported gravel.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read
At America's northernmost airport, the fuel is Iñupiat-owned
A dull fuel-lease notice at Utqiaġvik's airport hides a good story: the company keeping the northernmost airport supplied is an original ASRC business, built to serve the Iñupiat.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read
Why Washington's permitting overhaul lands harder in Alaska than almost anywhere
About 60% of Alaska is federal land, so Trump's NEPA permitting overhaul hits harder here. The complaint that reviews are too slow is bipartisan; how far to cut is the fight.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
A federal royalty-rule change could shortchange the states and tribes it's owed to
A federal plan to simplify mineral royalties could shortchange states, tribes, and Native owners, as an audit finds the agency isn't collecting what it's owed.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
A Florida company wants to expand a big offshore oil unit on the edge of ANWR
A Florida company wants to expand an offshore oil unit on the edge of ANWR — and the state tagged it "approved" before comments even opened. Weigh in by July 21.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
What APA's ice-road permit signals for the eastern North Slope
A state notice for "ice construction and off-road travel" sounds dull — until you notice it's APA Corp staging a winter drilling run on the eastern North Slope.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
On the wild Alatna, a guide makes his case to the state
A Fairbanks guide wants the state's OK to run commercial trips on the Alatna — a Wild and Scenic river so remote the only way in is by floatplane.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
North Slope, Fairbanks, Valdez sue over pipeline tax values
Three Alaska municipalities sued June 22 over how pipeline companies value their assets for local taxes, challenging assessments that affect borough and city revenue.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
Hilcorp wants five years to drive across North Slope subsistence land
A company wants 5 years to drive industrial rigs across North Slope tundra people hunt on. The real fight is who sets the rules, and when.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Point Thomson is the remote gas field Alaska's pipeline dream depends on
You know Prudhoe Bay. You probably don't know Point Thomson — the remote, pricey field Alaska's whole pipeline dream quietly leans on. And it's stirring.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Nalukataq season carries Alaska whaling traditions into summer
Nalukataq celebrations honoring bowhead whale hunts move across five northern Alaska communities from mid-June through early July, distributing whale meat and muktuk to mark the tradition.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
UIC just crossed $1 billion in revenue — a milestone almost no village corp reaches
UIC just crossed $1 billion in revenue. Almost no Alaska Native village corporation gets there.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alyeska Seeks Land to Armor the Pipeline Against Floods
Alyeska wants more North Slope land to wall the pipeline off from flooding — the same week the rivers are rising, and a year after the Sag took out the Dalton Highway for real.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Nuiqsut's Lifeline River Is Rising Again
The Colville is flooding again from Umiat toward Nuiqsut — a year after hitting its highest level on record — and it's the only road the village's fuel and fish travel on.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Sag River nears bankfull, threatening Dalton Highway washout
Sagavanirktok River near bankfull on North Slope threatens Dalton Highway washouts between mileposts 310 and 340 through Thursday afternoon, with ice-blocked culverts posing particular risk to the primary road serving oil fields and communities.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Alaska regulators say gas-line oversight hinges on federal decision
Federal regulators claim exclusive authority over Alaska's proposed North Slope gas pipeline, blocking state oversight of ratepayer costs. • The project's split into in-state and export phases may give Alaska regulators a limited role if federal jurisdiction is revisited. • Lead developer Glenfarne is targeting a final investment decision this year and first gas by 2029.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
North Slope rivers expected to rise as snowmelt, rain combine
It's finally spring in the arctic
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
Alaska Board of Game proposes hunting, trapping rules for Ambler Road
Alaska Board of Game is proposing hunting and trapping restrictions in Game Management Units 23 and 24 if the 211-mile Ambler Road is built across the Brooks Range. Public hearings are July 22-23 in Fairbanks.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Senate Finance weighs Alaska LNG tax worth $124M a year — and whether it's enough for host communities
Governments are making compromises on the amount of property tax they'll receive - not all are happy about it
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read
DNR offers 50-year North Slope lease for gas-powered data center
Alaska DNR offered a 50-year lease to STAK Energy for a massive data center on the North Slope that would use natural gas to power 1 to 3 gigawatts of computing, with public comments due June 15.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
Mid-June snowstorm closes Atigun Pass, Arctic gateway for North Slope projects
The Arctic doesn’t respect summer.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
North Slope pipeline company seeks to double metering capacity at TAPS
Kuparuk Transportation Company asked Alaska regulators to nearly double metering capacity at a key North Slope pipeline pump station, from 360,000 to 634,000 barrels per day, to handle crude from new oil fields coming online.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago1 min read
North Slope pipeline seeks 76% metering boost at Pump Station 1
Kuparuk Transportation Company asked Alaska regulators to nearly double metering capacity at its North Slope pipeline connection, raising it from 360,000 to 634,000 barrels per day.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago1 min read
Winter Weather Advisory Issued for Central Brooks Range through Monday
Surprise Surprise, more snow in the Arctic
by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read
North Slope oil production set to jump 76% as new fields come online
Kuparuk Pipeline seeks permits to boost North Slope oil capacity 76 percent, from 360,000 to 634,000 barrels per day, to handle new fields including the Pikka project. Public comment deadline is June 26.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min read
North Slope has two fields cleared for gas sales, AOGCC tells Senate
Alaska's oil regulator told lawmakers that only Prudhoe Bay and Point Thomson fields have approval to supply gas to the Alaska LNG project, which aims to start deliveries in 2029.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read
Kuparuk Pipeline seeks 76% capacity expansion for North Slope crude
Kuparuk Transportation Company seeks to expand its pipeline capacity 76 percent, from 360,000 to 634,000 barrels per day, to move more North Slope crude into the Trans Alaska Pipeline System.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min read
DNR approves 800-cubic-yard gravel contract on Dalton Highway
Alaska DNR approved an 800-cubic-yard gravel contract for North Star Construction on the Dalton Highway near milepost 154, in a corridor recently transferred from federal to state control.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min read
ConocoPhillips seeks North Slope road upgrades for Willow haul
ConocoPhillips filed an amended permit Friday to upgrade a North Slope gravel road for hauling Willow oil project modules, expanding the easement footprint by 1.6 acres. Public comment closes June 30.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago1 min read
