Regulates Alaska's air and water quality, contaminated site cleanup, food safety, and oil spill prevention and response. Issues permits for discharges and air emissions statewide.
Department of Environmental Conservation, Juneau, AK 99801, USA
Bears are still raiding the Kodiak dump, weeks after a state plan to keep them out
Bears continue to get into the Kodiak Island Borough landfill on Monashka Bay Road despite a repaired electric fence and a Bear Management Plan the state approved July 15, and borough staff attribute it to a constant attractant. ADEC and ADF&G will join an Assembly work session Thursday.
by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago2 min readAI
Juneau's sewage plant has spent three years out of compliance as the state rewrites its permit
DEC has prepared a preliminary draft APDES permit for Juneau's main sewage plant, but only the city can review it for now. The 30-day public comment period on the pollution limits, which sewer ratepayers ultimately fund, opens later.
by Lucas Brown1d ago2 min readAI
Anchorage and Fairbanks airports finish swapping PFAS foam out of crash trucks
Alaska DOT&PF says the aircraft rescue and firefighting fleets at Ted Stevens Anchorage International and Fairbanks International have fully converted from PFAS-containing foam to fluorine-free foam, with sampling showing reductions of up to 99.999 percent in foam tanks.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3d ago2 min readAI
The little Kachemak Bay lab watching Alaska's ocean for 70 years
A preliminary draft state permit would let the Kasitsna Bay Laboratory, across Kachemak Bay from Homer, discharge up to 374,400 gallons of flow-through seawater a day from its aquaria. The applicant review closed July 29, and a 30-day public comment period is still to come.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAI
Alaska takes over hazardous waste rules, with enforcement in question
Alaska won EPA authorization to run its own hazardous waste program, the first state in 25 years, shifting permitting and enforcement to DEC amid questions about remote reach.
by Lucas Brown2w ago1 min readAI
Alaska takes over hazardous waste permitting — the first state to do so in 25 years
Alaska's environmental agency has taken over hazardous waste permitting from the EPA, the first such state handoff in over 25 years, amid tribal and industry objections.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
Noatak Airport relocation triggers water quality review as river erodes toward runway
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has issued a public notice for permit application POA-2025-00495, opening a required water quality certification review by the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation before a Section 404 permit can be issued for the Noatak Airport relocation project.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
DEC issues proposed final APDES permit for Hilcorp's Prudhoe Bay discharge
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation issued a proposed final APDES permit authorizing Hilcorp Alaska to discharge up to 12.4 million gallons of seawater backwash daily into Stefansson Sound. The permittee has until July 24 to review the proposed permit; public comments closed July 10.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAI
Trident is renewing its tanker spill plan, in waters it has spilled in before
Trident Seafoods is renewing the oil-spill plan for two tank vessels operating in Alaska waters, where the company has a spill history. Public comment is open until Aug. 27.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2w ago1 min readAI
Wasilla is borrowing $6 million to expand its sewage plant
Wasilla plans to expand its wastewater treatment plant's capacity, funded largely through a $6 million Clean Water State Revolving Fund loan, after clearing state environmental review.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAI
Kodiak conservation district seeks permit to spray glyphosate in Buskin watershed
The Kodiak Soil and Water Conservation District has applied to ADEC for a permit to apply Roundup Custom, a glyphosate herbicide, to invasive Reed Canarygrass in the Lower Buskin and Lake Orbin watersheds, waters that support salmon and Kodiak's subsistence and sport fisheries.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
The North Slope's fuel farms sit on thawing ground
Alaska DEC opened comment on renewing spill-prevention plans for North Slope fuel storage facilities, as coastal erosion and permafrost thaw threaten Arctic tank farms.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
A huge North Pole fuel terminal's spill plan is up for renewal — and residents have reason to look
Crowley's Moose Creek Terminal in North Pole is renewing the spill prevention plan for its 33-million-gallon jet fuel storage, with public comment open through July 29.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Hilcorp seeks 50 megawatts of new power at Milne Point
Hilcorp has asked Alaska regulators to approve three 16,530-kilowatt turbines at Milne Point's Z Pad, roughly 50 megawatts of new North Slope power generation.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
ADEC proposes final discharge permit for Kodiak landfill leachate plant
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation issued a proposed final APDES permit Monday authorizing the Kodiak Island Borough to discharge up to 288,000 gallons per day of treated landfill leachate into wetlands draining to Monashka Bay, with strict limits on mercury, copper, and ammonia that must be met at the end of the discharge pipe.
by Melinda Communities.News3w ago1 min readAI
Selawik landfill fire smoke poses distinct health risk beyond wildfire haze
The Oblaron Fire near Selawik is suspected to have escaped the community landfill, and officials warn Wednesday that smoke from burning trash carries toxic pollutants especially dangerous for Elders, children, and people with respiratory conditions.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Crews on three Interior fires brace for a dangerous holiday weekend
Firefighters on three western Interior wildfires near Ruby and Allakaket are bracing for a holiday weekend of strong outflow winds and critically low humidity that could push fires past control lines.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Mat-Su landfill fire draws multi-department response near Palmer-Wasilla corridor
A construction debris fire at Mat-Su Central Landfill drew Central Mat-Su and Lakes fire departments Monday evening, partially closing the site overnight while crews used an excavator to break apart the burning debris cell.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min readAI
Kodiak seafood permit bars waste deposits on seafloor
ADEC's draft general permit for Kodiak onshore seafood processors prohibits zones of deposit for seafood waste on the seafloor. Facilities must prevent accumulation through adjusted outfall placement, discharge timing, or waste treatment.
by Alaska News2mo ago2 min readAI
EPA grants Alaska authority to permit hazardous waste facilities
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation will take over permitting and enforcement for hazardous waste treatment, storage and disposal facilities statewide after EPA Region 10 Administrator Emma Pokon signed a final authorization July 31. EPA keeps authority in Indian country.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1w ago4 min readAI
Juneau moves to extend its seawalk to the farthest cruise dock
Juneau has applied to extend its downtown seawalk along Gastineau Channel from Franklin Dock to the AJ Dock. Public comment runs through July 13.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Tick found after Flattop hike shows Alaska's changing tick reality
A tick found on an Anchorage pet after a Flattop hike highlights Alaska's evolving tick situation as state researchers track non-native species arrivals and urge residents to submit ticks for identification.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min readAI
A new landfill permit for Russian Mission is one piece of a much bigger Y-K Delta solid waste story
A proposed new Class III landfill permit for the City of Russian Mission sits inside the broader Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta solid waste challenge.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Two firms seek competing gas-storage leases at Kenai Loop field
Hilcorp and ENSTAR have both applied to convert the Kenai Loop Gas Field into storage, setting up a potential conflict over subsurface rights as Alaska pushes to expand storage capacity ahead of LNG export decisions.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
Wasilla's sewer plan is 25 years old — and it's stalling development
The Wasilla City Council will hold a public hearing Monday on accepting a $75,000 fully forgiven state loan to update a sewer master plan last revised in 1999, a document that shapes where and how fast the city can grow.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
A tribal housing authority wants to build 40 affordable homes on wetlands
The Tlingit Haida Regional Housing Authority filed a Clean Water Act Section 401 water quality certification request with Alaska DEC for the S'et Kanax_ Dut'en Subdivision, a 40-lot affordable housing project on Douglas Island that would fill 4.12 acres of wetlands. DEC's public notice opens a formal comment window for residents, tribes, and agencies.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Alaska seeks control of hazardous waste program as rural areas face shift
EPA has tentatively approved Alaska's request to take over hazardous waste management from federal control, raising questions about enforcement capacity in remote communities during the transition.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min readAI
Second Fire in Two Weeks Ignites Near Ambler on Kobuk River
A new lightning-caused fire ignited Sunday across the Kobuk River from Ambler, the second blaze near the Northwest Arctic village in less than two weeks, while the 1,447-acre Kopshesut Fire remains only 70% contained with 42 firefighters still on scene.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Two fires hold near Ruby as weekend weather turns risky
The Big Fire east of Ruby remained at 10% containment Friday as forecasters warned of 30-to-40 mph outflow winds and critically low humidity, and 12 smokejumpers had already been pulled from the fire to chase new starts elsewhere.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
HEX Operating files to renew Cook Inlet spill plan
HEX Operating Alaska filed to renew its oil spill contingency plan for three Cook Inlet facilities.
by Alaska News2mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska mines release toxic metals into rivers, state data shows
Alaska mines lead the nation in toxic releases, with both active operations and abandoned sites contaminating rivers and affecting communities that depend on clean water for subsistence.
by Alaska News3mo ago3 min readAISmoke from Boundary Fire Settles Over Tanana, Residents Report Health Impacts
Heavy smoke from the Boundary Fire settled over Tanana on May 4, prompting health complaints from residents and disrupting subsistence activities in the village of 300.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min readAIA new Mat-Su road would cross the ground its drinking water comes from
A Seldon Road extension near Wasilla would cross two Mat-Su drinking-water protection zones, opening a state water quality review and public comment period.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Jade Fire ignites near Kopshesut origin point, threatens Ambler landfill
A new 67-acre wildfire ignited Tuesday near the same location where the June 4 Kopshesut Fire originated west of Ambler, raising dual smoke hazards if it reaches the village landfill; a tribal fire crew arrived Thursday as rain holds off until Sunday.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska Senate Shelves Homemade Food Safety Bill After Complex Debate
The Alaska Senate Resources Committee set aside a bill restricting sales of home-canned foods in reduced oxygen packaging after lawmakers struggled with complex food safety definitions and enforcement questions.
by Alaska Newsadded 4mo ago3 min readAIState says Kodiak landfill is out of compliance on bears and borough could be fined
At a Kodiak Island Borough Assembly work session Thursday, a DEC landfill specialist said the landfill violates state wildlife rules because bears keep reaching trash, and an ADF&G biologist said the borough could be fined for negligently feeding wildlife while officials weigh a $250,000 interior fence.
by Bill AlaskaNews16h ago3 min readAI