Federal agency permitting wetlands fill, harbor dredging, and Section 404 Clean Water Act decisions for Alaska (Pebble Mine Section 404 permit lives here)
2204 3rd St, Anchorage, AK 99506, USA
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Juneau: July 9, 2026 CBJ Media Availability · Jul 9, 2026
Juneau: July 9, 2026 CBJ Media Availability · Jul 9, 2026
John Bohan
“The breach locations that were chosen are the potential high-impact areas. And so tree strikes and direct, you know, even though we fortified these areas, the direct impacts at the 90-degree corners just effectively to, you know, to prepare for the worst-case scenario. As Ryan said, these are sandbags, they are temporary measures.”Juneau: July 9, 2026 CBJ Media Availability · Jul 9, 2026
John Bohan
“as we saw last year, fortunately above the waterline, but a tree completely blew up the barriers behind the Field House very quickly, very easily. So we do need to be prepared for those events. So be careful. And that's also why we're requesting evacuation because they are temporary and we don't know what, you know, we don't know what force might crack one open.”Juneau: July 9, 2026 CBJ Media Availability · Jul 9, 2026
Juneau: July 9, 2026 CBJ Media Availability · Jul 9, 2026
Juneau: July 9, 2026 CBJ Media Availability · Jul 9, 2026
Graphite Creek permit decision pushed to September 2027
Federal regulators approved a 360-day extension of the Army Corps permitting timetable for the Graphite Creek mine near Nome after the Corps upgraded its NEPA review to a full Environmental Impact Statement.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 5d ago2 min readAI
NWS forecasts up to 1.5 inches of rain in the Chena River basin
NWS Fairbanks issued a hydrologic outlook Thursday for up to 1.5 inches of rain in the Chena River basin, which will raise the Chena and Little Chena rivers. Flooding is not expected, but forecasters said that could change if the heaviest rain shifts east.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min readAI
A judge let Alaska start 2.8 miles of the King Cove road with the land swap vacated
A federal judge declined to halt initial construction on a 2.8-mile King Cove road segment while the larger Izembek land exchange remains vacated and the Corps wetlands permit is suspended.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago3 min readAI
Juneau's glacial flood was the mildest yet, but barrier costs are climbing
Twelve of 186 Mendenhall River homes assessed sustained damage in the Aug. 13 glacial outburst flood, which crested at 14.7 feet, well below forecast. The state activated public assistance but not individual assistance, and Juneau's manager says HESCO barrier upkeep will cost more than the $6 million to $10 million a year previously estimated.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1w ago2 min readAI
Hilcorp wants to fill 95 acres of Arctic wetlands for a gravel mine — comment by Sept. 4
Hilcorp Alaska is seeking state approval to fill about 95 acres of North Slope wetlands near Deadhorse for a gravel mine to supply oil development. Comment is open until Sept. 4.
by Bill AlaskaNews1w ago1 min readAI
A placer mine near Ruby would work 35 acres of creek for a decade
Alaska opened comment on a water quality certification for a 10-year placer gold mine near Ruby that would work about 35 acres of Glenn Gulch and Flint Creek.
by Bill AlaskaNews2w ago1 min readAI
Hilcorp wants to dig a 95-acre gravel pit near the Putuligayuk River
Hilcorp Alaska is seeking state water-quality certification for a 95-acre gravel pit on the North Slope near the Putuligayuk River. Public comment closes Sept. 4.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2w ago2 min readAI
Judge vacates 490-acre Izembek land swap, reopening the fight over the King Cove road
A federal judge voided the Izembek land exchange for the King Cove road, reopening the fight. Crews stage construction as the court weighs a halt to the work by Aug. 31.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 2w ago4 min readAI
A Caterpillar dealer wants to fill nearly 20 acres of south Anchorage wetlands to build a new store
NC Machinery has applied to fill nearly 20 acres of south Anchorage wetlands for a Caterpillar dealership, proposing no new mitigation, with state public comment open through Sept. 18.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago1 min readAI
Judge asked to rule by Aug. 31 on whether King Cove road work can begin
Conservation groups want a ruling by Aug. 31 blocking ground work on the King Cove road, after two lawsuits over the federal wetlands permit were consolidated.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min readAI
A company wants to rework historic Interior goldfields, mining two creeks for a decade
Tintina Gold Company has proposed a 10-year placer gold mining operation on Glenn Gulch and Flint Creek in Alaska's Ruby Mining District, disturbing about 35 acres of aquatic resources, now in early permitting.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3w ago2 min readAI
Ambler district copper mine nears its first public comment period
The Arctic copper project near Kobuk targets a September scoping period, its first public comment window, under the FAST-41 federal permitting process.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3w ago3 min readAI
The fate of the EPA veto blocking Pebble Mine is now in a federal judge's hands
A federal judge is weighing whether the EPA's veto blocking the Pebble Mine survives, in a Bristol Bay salmon fight with Alaska Native parties on both sides.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3w ago2 min readAI
Feds move to fast-track a Juneau flood-control fix by cutting permitting and paperwork
The Army Corps, USDA and Interior say they will solicit proposals for glacial-flood infrastructure prototypes in Juneau under an approach that avoids burdensome paperwork. The release does not say which processes would be avoided or when the solicitation issues.
by Melinda Communities.News3w ago2 min readAI
Water begins flowing over Suicide Basin ice dam, NWS tells Juneau to finish flood prep
NWS Juneau said Tuesday that water has started spilling over the Suicide Basin ice dam and urged residents along Mendenhall Lake and the Mendenhall River to finalize flood preparations. Past releases have taken up to six days to begin after overtopping starts.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Erosion is forcing Alaska to move the Noatak airport two miles west
The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities features the Noatak Airport relocation in its Summer 2026 Plane Talk newsletter, describing a runway being moved out of the path of an eroding riverbank. Bids on the $80M to $90M project are due Aug. 13.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
King Cove road materials arrive on scene as local workers hit another milestone in the development of a contested project
A barge of equipment and materials for the King Cove-Cold Bay Road project has arrived in King Cove while local residents complete safety and commercial driver training for project work.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
HESCO barrier repair was a week from done, Juneau committee told
At the July 8 Local Emergency Planning Committee meeting, Assembly Member Nano Brooks said HESCO barrier repair and expansion would be finished within a week while Juneau keeps working on a lasting glacial flood fix. The committee's Aug. 12 meeting was cancelled.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
A new Nome dredge application enters the pipeline that just rejected a fiercely fought gold mine
Alaska DNR has received a Multi-Agency Application for Permits to Mine in Alaska for suction dredging near Nome. The notice is a receipt, not an approval, and no comment-period outcome appears in the available documents.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
A Hilcorp gravel-mine permit reflects the North Slope's expanding oil footprint
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers public notice describes Hilcorp Alaska's proposal for a new North Slope gravel mine called Put 29 and a 1,000-foot access road off the road to Drillsite 15. Written comments are due Aug. 18.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
Ambler advances, but the U.S. stake in its developer hasn't closed
Ambler Road permits are back in force and the project is advancing, but the U.S. government's planned stake in developer Trilogy Metals still hasn't closed.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
A Juneau builder with a long wetlands-filling history moves to settle federal charges
The United States and the State of Alaska have lodged a proposed consent decree resolving Clean Water Act claims against Duran Construction Company LLC and two individual defendants. The Justice Department listed the public comment period as "To Be Scheduled" as of July 30, 2026, and the decree takes effect only if a federal judge enters it.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago2 min readAI
Juneau's flood barriers came from an Illinois stockpile
Juneau's Mendenhall River flood barriers came from an Army Corps stockpile in Illinois. Phase 1 cost locals millions; the feds fully funded the $35 million Phase 2.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Eight welders certify in Nome as a $400 million port job looms
Eight adult students from the Bering Strait Region finished a three-week Kawerak-sponsored welding certification course at the Nome-Beltz High School lab on Saturday, July 25, aimed at hiring tied to the Port of Nome expansion and other regional infrastructure work.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min readAI
Juneau's flood barriers are finished before Suicide Basin lets go
Juneau glacial outburst flood 2026: Army Corps completes Phase 2 Mendenhall River HESCO barriers before Suicide Basin release; evacuation guidance unchanged.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min readAI
More than 100 land deals stand between Alaska and a safer KGB Road
Alaska DOT&PF's July 2026 advertising schedule shows property acquisition, federal permitting, and funding authorization delays as dominant bottlenecks across South Coast, Northern, and Central region projects, with at least one bid now pushed to a 2028 construction year.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min readAI
Five Nome-area tribes sue Army Corps over Safety Sound gold dredge permit
Five Alaska Native tribes filed suit in Alaska District Court challenging the Army Corps of Engineers' Clean Water Act permit for IPOP LLC's Bonanza Channel suction dredge project, which would disturb more than 150 acres of Safety Sound estuary critical to subsistence hunting and fishing. The Alaska DNR has separately rejected the company's state permits.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 1mo ago1 min readAI
Senate bill would fast-track Army Corps engineering for Juneau's glacial flooding
A Senate committee bill directs the Army Corps of Engineers to skip intermediate study steps and move directly to preconstruction planning for a permanent solution to Juneau's recurring glacial lake outburst flooding. The measure still needs full Senate passage and a presidential signature.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readAI
A shifting wall threatens Bethel's freight lifeline
The Army Corps says a shifting sheet pile wall at Bethel's City Dock needs engineering evaluation, raising concern for the port that supplies the roadless Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readAI
King Cove finally gets its road, and the lawsuits are still coming
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers issued the last federal permit needed for the King Cove–Cold Bay road on July 10, clearing the way for construction to begin within 30 days after more than three decades of advocacy and litigation.
by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Anchorage wetlands plan gets first update in over a decade as federal rules shift
The Anchorage Planning and Zoning Commission is set to vote Monday on forwarding the first update to the city's 2014 Wetlands Management Plan to the Assembly, driven by the Army Corps ending General Permits in 2021, the Sackett v. EPA ruling shrinking federal protections, and the loss of dedicated wetlands staff.
by Alaska News2mo ago2 min readAI
Nearly 1,900 Juneau homes are under an evacuation advisory as a glacial flood nears
Nearly 1,900 Juneau homes in the Mendenhall Valley are under an evacuation advisory as Suicide Basin nears a major glacial outburst flood expected between about Aug. 1 and 9.
by Alaska News2mo ago2 min readAI
As Alaska's permafrost thaws, its rivers are running rusty.
The Army Corps of Engineers' Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory issued a federal solicitation Tuesday for iron stable isotope analysis of up to 40 permafrost meltwater samples, with quotes due July 21 and data delivery required by March 2027.
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago1 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 AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
A federal cyber rule could lock small Alaska firms out of survey work
A new federal cybersecurity certification requirement could bar small and rural Alaska firms from competing for up to $9.5 million in Army Corps survey and mapping work.
by Alaska News2mo ago2 min readAI
Teller pressed Graphite One on subsistence risks at the Graphite Creek mine
Teller residents press Graphite One on Graphite Creek mine subsistence risks — federal critical-minerals project draws multi-stakeholder scrutiny
by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readAI
Ben Eielson High lab rebuild is part of Eielson AFB's F-35-era buildout
Ben Eielson High science lab Phase 3 work is part of Eielson Air Force Base's broader F-35-era infrastructure buildout in Interior Alaska
by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago3 min readAI
DNR advances Graphite One drilling permit near Nome
DNR's Northern Regional Office reissued Land Use Permit LAS 34053 to Graphite One (Alaska) Inc. on May 29 for exploration drilling on state-managed land near Nome. The decision is a reissuance of an existing authorization; broader project context is not part of the public notice.
by Bill AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAI