Economy & Business
RSSAlaska News covers state economic issues including cannabis banking, state dividends, and business development opportunities.
Mat-Su Planning Commission backs multifamily code overhaul
Mat-Su Planning Commission backed a tiered multifamily code allowing homeowners to add mother-in-law suites without permits. • Larger projects must meet new drainage, fire access, and road standards, including 100-foot building setbacks from roads. • The Assembly must approve the ordinance before the new rules take effect.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Murkowski: War-price fuel barges lock rural Alaska into costly winter
Rural Alaska villages are paying $9 to $14 a gallon for fuel locked in at peak war prices and cannot wait for global prices to fall, Senator Murkowski warned
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Eielson AFB PFAS plume is spreading, Air Force warns data center bidders
Air Force is leasing 8,700 acres at three Alaska bases for AI data centers, with bids due June 29. • Eielson AFB parcels sit in or near a moving PFAS contamination plume with no completed environmental surveys. • Developers bear the risk and cost; leases are as-is with no Air Force warranties or utilities provided. • Local permits required from North Pole, Fairbanks North Star Borough, and state energy authority.
by Melinda Communities.Newsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Anchorage Platting Board to consider removing 1954 plat notes for ADU
Anchorage Platting Board will consider removing 1954 subdivision restrictions on an East 43rd Avenue lot to allow an accessory dwelling unit over an existing garage, with planning staff recommending approval.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min readAI
Alaska Native tribes have month to apply for federal energy grants
Alaska Native tribes have until July 16 to apply for federal energy grants of up to $450,000 to build the legal and business structures needed to develop their own power systems and reduce reliance on expensive diesel fuel.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
MEA seeks RCA approval to pass gas storage costs to ratepayers
MEA seeks approval to add natural gas storage costs to monthly electric bills through an automatic adjustment rider, passing Hilcorp storage fees directly to ratepayers as the utility secures more gas for Southcentral Alaska.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Anchorage zoning board to review variance criteria changes
Anchorage's zoning board will review Thursday a draft ordinance that would change how the city evaluates requests for relief from setback and other dimensional zoning rules, with a recommendation to follow to the Planning and Zoning Commission.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAI
GVEA updates rules for connecting generators 20 MW and larger
Golden Valley Electric Association filed rules for connecting large power plants to the Interior grid as the Fairbanks region lost access to cheaper outside power and now depends entirely on local generation.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska House passes new tax structure for Alaska LNG pipeline aimed at attracting investors
The Alaska House just passed the latest tax framework meant to finally install the LNG pipeline. Next, the Senate. Maybe. Pipeline still pending.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min readAI
Eklutna subdivision wins road-deferral variance
Anchorage Platting Board approved road-deferral variances for Eklutna LLC to subdivide three tracts into two lots, including one for the future Eklutna Gathering Center, with conditions on paving standards and a 24-month deadline to record the plat.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min readAI
Anchorage zoning board postpones variance threshold changes
Anchorage zoning board postponed a proposal to raise the setback encroachment threshold from 5 percent to 10 percent, which would let single-family homeowners avoid a $710 public hearing fee.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAI
DNR opens public comment on Homer parcel sale to University of Alaska
Alaska DNR is moving to sell a 20-acre Homer parcel to the University of Alaska without competitive bidding, bypassing local control. Comments are due to DNR by July 14 at 3 p.m., and only written comments preserve appeal rights.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min readAI
Petersburg to receive Papke's Landing dock, tidelands from state
Petersburg Borough will take ownership of Papke's Landing, a deteriorating state dock and 8.8 acres of tidelands on Wrangell Narrows, but will need to hire staff and buy equipment to maintain the busy public boat launch.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min readAI
MEA wins easement on Mental Health Trust land in Wasilla
Matanuska Electric Association won an easement on Mental Health Trust land in Wasilla to install electric utility infrastructure
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Anchorage programs Fairview Bypass into 2052 plan at $220M
Anchorage added the Fairview Bypass to its 2052 transportation plan at $220.5 million across four phases, but the state faces a $150 million short-term budget shortfall and whether the project gets built remains uncertain.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Anchorage transit plan adds $684M in routes, microtransit zones through 2052
Anchorage's transit plan adds bus rapid transit, microtransit zones, and free fares for seniors and veterans through 2052. • The $684 million package depends entirely on projected revenue materializing over 26 years. • State funding faces a $150 million short-term deficit competing against other Alaska priorities.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min readAI
Peltola proposes corporate tax tied to worker pay in Senate race
New Peltola plan: companies with rich CEOs and broke workers pay more. Odds of passing: low. Odds of becoming a debate line: certain.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Chugach proposes fees for community solar hookups
Chugach Electric proposes charging members $1,124 to $2,248 to join community solar projects, plus $2.80 monthly fees, pending Regulatory Commission approval by June 17.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min readAI
Kenai seeks federal grants for sidewalks, fish passage culverts
Kenai submitted a federal grant application for sidewalk and street lighting improvements on Lawton and Tinker, and is preparing a second application to remove fish passage barriers in local creeks by end of June.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min readAI
Kenai council passes camping ordinance limiting tent numbers
Three tents is enough. / A campground, it shall be called. / Freeloaders, beware!
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min readAI
Kodiak planners advance Karluk water system overhaul
Kodiak Island Borough planners advanced a conditional use permit to replace Karluk's entire water treatment system, which would provide year-round potable water to the Alaska Native village.
by Alaska News3mo ago1 min readAI
House Finance advances Alaska LNG tax bill, curtailing North Slope's power to negotiate
House Finance advanced Alaska LNG tax bill Wednesday: 13 cents, no side deals, double the impact fund to $80m
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min readAI
Anchorage advances 5% bid preference for veteran-owned firms
Anchorage Assembly advanced an ordinance giving veteran-owned businesses a five percent preference on city contracts capped at $50,000, affecting a city where veterans make up 13 percent of the adult population.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Ketchikan harbor parking enforcement back after contract gap
Ketchikan's harbor parking enforcement resumed after a contract gap left derelict vehicles and people living in cars occupying lots for months, with police and parking enforcement now working through a backlog.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min readAI
Ketchikan tender float meets code, port says after charter operator's safety request
Ketchikan's Tender Float 3 meets building codes without guardrails, port officials confirmed after engineers found no code requirement for railings on the 18-inch-high float.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min readAI
Alaska DOT programs Fairview Bypass into 2052 plan at $220M
Alaska DOT programmed the Fairview Bypass into its long-range transportation plan at $220.5 million across four phases, with construction stages starting at $60 million for a regional connection near Merrill Field.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Fish and Wildlife Service seeks $5M to cut energy permit times in half
Fish and Wildlife Service is asking Congress for $5.1 million to cut endangered species review times from 30 to 14 days, a change that could speed up Alaska energy and mineral projects that have faced years of federal delays.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min readAI
Anchorage's mayor told Senate Finance LNG could cost "tens of millions of dollars"
Anchorage's mayor told Senate Finance LNG would cost "tens of millions" — a number that lands somewhere between $23M and $173M. Her plan targets $23M.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Fairbanks spur line language added to Alaska LNG tax bill
Fairbanks North Star Borough secured a requirement for a gas spur line in the state LNG tax bill. Developers must build the spur to access tax breaks. Costs will spread across Railbelt users to keep rates affordable for 3500 local customers.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
MEA secures easements for new 115-kV transmission lines as Mat-Su's growth keeps outrunning its electrical infrastructure
Matanuska Electric Association secured easements Wednesday to build 22 miles of new transmission lines in the Mat-Su, adding capacity as the borough's residential growth outpaces its electrical grid.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Two firms seek competing gas-storage leases at Kenai Loop field
Hilcorp and ENSTAR filed competing applications to convert the depleted Kenai Loop gas field into storage, forcing the state to choose between them as Cook Inlet's gas production falls 60 percent short of winter demand for Southcentral Alaska.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
AHFC board to set affordable housing award criteria June 24
Alaska Housing Finance Corporation's board votes June 24 on the rating system that determines which affordable housing projects get state funding, a decision that shifts which communities and project types win tax credits and grants.
by Alaska Newsadded 3mo ago2 min readAI
Petersburg Planning Commission roundup: massage CUP approved, three land sales recommended, Scow Bay rock pits out of wireless overlay
Petersburg Planning Commission approved a home massage business, recommended three land sales, and removed Scow Bay rock pits from a wireless tower overlay after residents cited drinking water concerns.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min readAI
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 readAI
The Air Force wants to put AI data centers on Alaska military land — and the three sites tell three very different stories
Three Alaska military bases are auditioning to host the AI boom — JBER can't power it, Eielson is leaking PFAS at it, and Clear has 4,769 acres, a DDT drum dump, and all the groundwater you can drink.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min readAI
Planning commission recommends removing density requirement from Eagle River greenhouse property
Anchorage Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously recommended removing a minimum-density requirement from an Eagle River greenhouse property, allowing duplexes or triplexes instead of 13 required units. The Assembly will make the final decision.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readAI
Anchorage Assembly weighs veteran contracting preferences
Anchorage Assembly is deciding between two veteran contracting preference proposals that differ on preference size, eligibility windows, and whether preferences apply to qualifications-based bids or price-based bids only.
by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min readAI
Four Railbelt utilities file shared-solar tariffs in two days
All four major Railbelt utilities filed tariffs for shared-solar programs on June 2 and 3, letting Alaskans buy shares in renewable facilities without installing rooftop panels and receive credits on their monthly electric bills.
by Alaska News3mo ago2 min readAI
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 readAI
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 readAI
