Economy & Business
RSSEconomy & Business in Alaska is the mix of government decisions, contracts, grants and private projects that shape the state's economy. It covers municipal budgets, infrastructure and airport planning, federal grants and contracts, employment trends, and energy development across Alaska.
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Wednesday, Jul 8
Gavora Mall, two other Fairbanks properties seek grandfather rights at July 16 hearing
Gavora Mall and two other Fairbanks properties will seek grandfather rights on July 16, allowing uses built before current zoning rules to continue without permits.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
State agency warns Girdwood Parks Plan shows unauthorized trails on airport land
Alaska DOT&PF told Anchorage the Girdwood Parks Master Plan maps four trail segments across state airport property without permission, risking public access conflicts with aviation uses.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Petersburg's cell tower rules advance, flaws and all
Petersburg advanced new cell-tower rules 5-0 — but a vice mayor called the 15-amendment process "deeply flawed," and residents are fighting cuts to safety setbacks.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Alaska's investment arm hands its director more power over public money
AIDEA gave its director a standing $4.5M fund and the power to pick which projects get vetted with public money — faster, but with less board and public visibility.
by Melinda Communities.News4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage won $191 million for the port that feeds Alaska
Anchorage won a record $191M from the federal government, all of it going to rebuild the port that brings in 90% of Alaska's food and fuel — and to keep those costs off Alaskans' bills.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Kenai council funds $110K roof shortfall, sets Oct. 31 deadline for Senior Center and shelter work
Kenai City Council approved $110,000 Tuesday to fix roofs at the senior center and animal shelter by Oct. 31 after a bid came in higher than expected.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Four ferries in the shop make for a lean Alaska winter
Four Alaska ferries will be down for repairs this winter — one for five months after crews found corroded steel — thinning service for roadless towns that depend on it.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Tessera hiring event comes to Mat-Su Job Center July 29
Tessera is hiring veterans, military spouses, and people with disabilities at the Mat-Su Job Center on July 29 for facility management, manufacturing, and warehousing roles.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
More from Economy & Business
USDA expands disaster pay for Alaska fish farms, livestock, and beekeepers
Fish farms now qualify for federal disaster pay covering bird predation losses at $600 per acre. • Livestock owners get full market value for animals killed by protected predators, up from 75%. • Beekeepers and tree growers also see expanded coverage under USDA policy changes effective Wednesday.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
The company behind Fort Knox is prospecting for gold near Delta Junction
The Kinross subsidiary that runs Fort Knox, Alaska's biggest gold mine, wants to drill for a new deposit near Delta Junction, in a salmon-bearing river drainage. It's exploration, not a mine yet.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Tuesday, Jul 7
Kenai Peninsula planners to weigh road and bridge over salmon creek in Anchor Point
Kenai Peninsula Borough planners will decide July 20 whether to allow a road and bridge over an anadromous creek in Anchor Point, a project that requires a conditional use permit under borough code.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Rural Alaska contract workers lost a federal wage floor; the state stepped in
Rural Alaska's federal contract workers lost their $17.75 floor last year. What's saving their paychecks now? Alaska's own $14 minimum wage.
by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Noatak Airport relocation triggers water quality review as river erodes toward runway
River erosion is forcing Noatak to relocate its airport, and the Army Corps of Engineers opened a water quality review that must clear before construction can start on a new site 1.5 miles west.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
State opens bids for Chenega Bay airport maintenance contract
Alaska is seeking a new maintenance contractor for Chenega Bay Rural Airport in Prince William Sound, with bids due July 16 and award expected by July 28.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Alaska doubles bulk fuel loan cap to $1.5 million for rural communities
Alaska doubled the bulk fuel loan cap to $1.5 million for rural communities starting July 3, helping villages and fuel retailers cover winter heating oil purchases before customer payments arrive.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Northern Region roads return to full summer loads Friday
Alaska lifts spring weight limits on most Northern Region roads Friday, July 10, letting commercial haulers return to full legal loads, except Tofty Road into Tanana stays capped at 75 percent.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
About Economy & Business
Economy and business in Alaska is the mix of government decisions, contracts, grants and private projects that shape the state's economy. It is the broad subject that holds narrower topics such as business, energy, oil and gas, mining, aviation and tourism.
Much of it runs through public bodies, with municipal assemblies approving contracts and planning decisions, state agencies leasing land and selling gravel and rock, and AIDEA lending to industry. Recurring questions concern infrastructure such as harbors, airports, roads and water and sewer lines, along with housing and zoning rules, energy supply, labor contracts, federal grants and military construction.
Its decisions reach every part of the state, from Anchorage and the Mat-Su to Kodiak, Cordova, Haines and the North Slope. Federal and military spending, resource development and Alaska Native corporation ventures all feed into the economy.
More from Economy & Business
Deadhorse Airport paving set for mid-July after holiday pause
Deadhorse Airport paving is set for mid-July as crews work through the Arctic construction season to fix aging pavement and drainage that support North Slope oil and gas operations.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Homer sets policy framework for future water and sewer rate changes
Homer City Council adopted a policy framework Tuesday that will guide future water and sewer rate increases, though no specific rate changes take effect yet.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Federal settlement sends $180 million to Port of Alaska modernization
Federal settlement sends $180 million to the Port of Alaska's $2.7 billion modernization program, reducing pressure for tariff increases that could raise fuel and grocery prices statewide.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
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 4mo ago1 min read
Rockslide blocks both lanes of North Tongass Hwy near Ward Cove
A rockslide blocked both lanes of North Tongass Highway near Ward Cove on Tuesday morning, cutting the only paved road connecting North Tongass communities to Ketchikan.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Monday, Jul 6
Kodiak Borough set to rezone Ouzinkie parcel for tsunami shelter and government offices
Kodiak Borough will vote July 16 on rezoning an Ouzinkie parcel to allow a tsunami shelter and government offices in the island village.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Fairbanks staff flag spot-zone risk ahead of Geist Road rezone vote
Fairbanks planning staff recommend denying a rezone of two Geist Road lots from mixed commercial to all General Commercial. • Staff warn the change would remove the only zoning buffer between intensive commercial uses and a residential neighborhood. • A worst-case General Commercial use like a drive-through could generate 1,500 weekday trips versus 25 for the current medical offices. • The Planning Commission votes Tuesday, July 14, at 6 p.m.
by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Tomodachi Daiko's Power of Drums concert lists $32 tickets despite early-bird label
Tomodachi Daiko's Power of Drums concert on Aug. 1 in Anchorage lists $32 tickets as an early-bird price that expired June 15, but at least one buyer paid that same price after the deadline.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage P&Z recommends rezoning 7.9 acres of port land to parks
Anchorage Planning and Zoning Commission voted Monday to recommend rezoning 7.9 acres of port land from industrial to parks, clearing the way for the Assembly to make the final decision.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Doyon Utilities seeks rate hikes up to 51% at 3 Alaska military bases; comment deadline July 21
Doyon Utilities is seeking permanent rate increases up to 51 percent for water, power, and heat at Fort Richardson, Fort Greely, and Fort Wainwright, with a public comment deadline of July 21.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Helicopter sinks in Chelatna Lake; bystander pulls both survivors from water
A helicopter sank in Chelatna Lake near Skwentna on Sunday after a boater pulled both occupants from the water; both survived with minor injuries.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board schedules July 24 public meeting
Alaska Marine Highway Operations Board meets July 24, 2026. Full agenda and public comment details will post in the state notice system.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Anchorage Assembly to vote on $500K shelter contract increase as earlier amendments used Title 7 waivers
Anchorage Assembly votes Tuesday on a $500,000 shelter contract increase, bringing the total to nearly $4.93 million.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Bethel hauled water and sewer deliveries shift early for Independence Day
Bethel shifted hauled water and sewer deliveries one day early Saturday to beat the Independence Day holiday, affecting all three service routes.
by Alaska Newsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Sunday, Jul 5
Juneau GA pilots say master plan ignores fuel monopoly, push for self-serve AvGas
More than 50 Juneau pilots are pushing the airport master plan to study self-serve AvGas fuel, saying a single provider charges 33% markups and limits competition.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
Anchorage planners say 30-foot R-1 height cap would undermine housing overlay
Anchorage planners say a 30-foot height cap for R-1 zones would block three-story buildings the Missing Middle Housing overlay is meant to enable.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
Kodiak water customers face $250 involuntary disconnect charge, $1,000 tampering fine under new rules
Kodiak water customers will pay $250 to restore service after a 30-day shutoff and face up to $1,000 fines for meter tampering under rules the City Council adopts Thursday.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago1 min read
Kodiak council to consider $1.2M ice rink roof contract, drawing from two parks funds
Kodiak City Council votes Thursday on a $1.2 million ice rink roof contract that exceeds budget by $644,000, requiring transfers from two other parks projects to fund the work.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Southeast Alaska ports share a pattern: residents want stable or reduced cruise volumes
Residents across six Southeast Alaska cruise ports say tourism helps the economy but has limits, and most want stable or fewer visitors, not growth.
by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 4mo 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 AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
SEAPA files federal notice to begin Tyee Lake relicensing ahead of 2031 expiration
Southeast Alaska Power Agency opened federal relicensing for Tyee Lake hydropower, which expires in 2031 and serves Ketchikan, Petersburg, and Wrangell.
by Maggie AlaskaNewsadded 4mo ago2 min read
Alaska gas pipeline tax bill sets $40M milestone test for boroughs, schools, and rural heating fund
Alaska's gas pipeline tax bill unlocks billions for boroughs and schools only if the developer pays $40 million and meets construction deadlines through 2037.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago3 min read
Bush plane tips on Copper River sandbar during fishwheel check; no injuries
A bush plane tipped on a Copper River sandbar Friday while landing to check a fishwheel, sustaining minor damage with no injuries.
by Bill AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read
Saturday, Jul 4
Juneau sets two conditions for any Eaglecrest deal with Goldbelt
Juneau told Goldbelt it will keep owning Eaglecrest Ski Area and won't tie any deal to the corporation's separate cruise dock proposal.
by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read
