Environment
RSSEnvironment in Alaska is the land, water and wildlife shaped by development, pollution and natural change. It covers oil spills, wastewater and air permits, logging, habitat protection and environmental impact statements.
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Photo: Quintin Soloviev via Wikimedia Commons · Photo source · CC BY 4.0
EPA proposes splitting off North Pole and finding Fairbanks meets fine-particle standard
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday proposed splitting the Fairbanks North Star Borough's fine-particle pollution zone in two and finding that the Fairbanks and Goldstream Valley portion now meets the federal standard.
North Pole's air quality data "remains above" the 2006 standard for fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, the agency said in the proposed rule. The EPA also proposed finding that neither area contributes to violations in the other.
If finalized, that clean-data finding would relieve the state of drafting an attainment demonstration, progress plans, milestone reports and contingency measures for Fairbanks and Goldstream Valley for as long as the area keeps meeting the standard. Both new areas would stay classified as Serious nonattainment. The line between them follows burn-ban zones the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation drew in 2016.
The standard is 35 micrograms per cubic meter, measured as a three-year average of each year's 98th-percentile daily reading. For 2023 to 2025, that design value is 35 at the A Street monitor and 34 at the downtown NCore monitor, including summer wildfire smoke. With state-flagged wildfire days removed, A Street drops to 25 and NCore to 24, according to the proposal.
"This proposed action recognizes the improvements in air quality and will help stabilize the cost of energy, ensuring the area is able to thrive environmentally and economically," EPA Region 10 Administrator Emma Pokon said in an agency announcement. She said the agency would look to help North Pole reach attainment next.
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Stories on what’s next
Public Hearing Request Deadline: Frosty Fuels Cold Bay Bulk Plant Oil Spill Plan
Frosty Fuels seeks state renewal of its Cold Bay oil spill plan; comments open Friday
Aleut Ventures wants the state to renew the oil spill plan for its Frosty Fuels plant in Cold Bay, which holds up to 568,000 gallons. Comment runs to Dec. 1.
ADA Accommodation Request Deadline for St. Paul Fuel Spill Prevention Plan
St. Paul Island fuel facility seeks state renewal of its oil spill plan
St. Paul Fuel wants the state to renew the spill plan for the tank farms holding 1.1 million gallons of the island's fuel. Comment opens Wednesday.
Public Comment Period: Oil Search Nanushuk Processing Facility Air Quality Permit AQ1683MSS01 Rev. 3
State plans to approve air permit change for Pikka oil plant on North Slope
Pikka's oil plant wants to trade some nitrogen oxides for volatile organic compounds, and state regulators are preliminarily on board. Comments run to Nov. 16.
2026 18 AAC 50 Fairbanks Nonattainment Area Split Regulations – Public Hearing (Fairbanks)
State proposes splitting Fairbanks-area air pollution zone, separating North Pole
The state wants separate air pollution zones for Fairbanks and North Pole, split roughly along Badger Road. North Pole would keep the violations.
Latest
Week of Nov 9
State seeks Zero Lake road easement and flags possible shooting-range contamination
State forestry officials want a permanent public easement over 17 miles of Zero Lake logging roads near Houston, and flag possible contamination from an informal shooting range along the route.
by Maggie AlaskaNews6h ago2 min read
State plans to replace worn-out docking structures at Auke Bay ferry terminal
The state wants to replace rotting, corroded docking structures at Juneau's Auke Bay ferry terminal. Red king crab habitat already moved its dump site.
by Walter AlaskaNews1d ago2 min read
Operator of two Cook Inlet crude tankers asks the state to renew their spill plan
Two tankers haul North Slope crude up Cook Inlet to Nikiski about once a month. Their operator wants the state to renew their spill plan. Comments close Dec. 9.
by Walter AlaskaNews3d ago2 min read
Senate votes 73-25 to advance federal permitting overhaul
The Senate voted 73-25 to advance the bipartisan permitting deal, with Murkowski and Sullivan voting yes. It sets review deadlines and limits project lawsuits.
by Alaska News4d ago2 min read
EPA drafts rules on whether used work gloves count as hazardous waste
Are the leather gloves worn all day on Alaska's oil fields hazardous waste once they're tossed? EPA has drafted rules on that, its regional chief said.
by Bill AlaskaNews4d ago2 min read
Alaska would keep letting floating processors leave fish waste on the seafloor
Alaska would keep letting floating processors leave up to an acre of fish waste on the seafloor at each spot. The EPA has said no other state allows it.
by Walter AlaskaNews4d ago2 min read
Week of Nov 2
State proposes approving revised cleanup plan for old Hiland Mountain prison range
State plans to approve a revised cleanup of Hiland Mountain prison's old shooting range, removing 1,150 cubic yards of tainted soil. Comments are due Dec. 4.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Brice seeks Corps permit for an 8-acre gravel pit along the Inmachuk River near Deering
A Fairbanks company wants to dig a gravel pit along the Inmachuk River for Deering's airport work and other projects. The Army Corps is taking comment.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
More from Environment
State moves to add land to pipeline lease for rock piles to guard against the Sag River
The state proposed adding 26 acres along the Sagavanirktok River to the pipeline's lease so Alyeska can place rock piles up to a half-mile long by the line.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
State proposes new wastewater mixing zones for Pacific Seafood's Kodiak plants
State regulators propose new wastewater dilution zones for Pacific Seafood's two Kodiak plants in Near Island Channel. Public comment runs through Dec. 2.
by Alaska News1w ago2 min read
State drafts renewal of Westward Seafoods' wastewater permit for Captains Bay plant
DEC drafted a permit that would let Westward Seafoods keep discharging screened wastewater into Captains Bay. The company reviews it first, then the public.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
Week of Oct 26
Pogo gold mine seeks to fill 9 more acres of wetlands for rock and equipment storage
Pogo gold mine's owner wants to fill 9 more acres of wetlands near the Goodpaster River to make room for waste rock and equipment. Comments are due Dec. 1.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago3 min read
Anchorage water utility pulls a well after PFAS tests exceed a proposed standard
AWWU pulled an Anchorage Bowl well after tests found "forever chemicals" above a proposed standard. Most city water comes from Eklutna, where tests found none.
by Walter AlaskaNews1w ago1 min read
Interior seeks nominees for five Exxon Valdez spill advisory seats
Interior wants nominees to fill 5 of 10 empty seats on the Exxon Valdez oil spill advisory committee, covering subsistence, recreation and other public roles.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Interior adds flight hours to Tok company's work for Tetlin refuge
Interior added flight hours to a Tok company's on-call plane work for Tetlin refuge, the one drivers skirt for 65 miles right after crossing into Alaska.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1w ago2 min read
EPA moves to let Alaska permit carbon storage wells, leaving out a pore-space provision
EPA proposed letting Alaska permit wells that bury CO2 underground. Its plan skips the state rule on folding in unwilling owners' pore space.
by Walter AlaskaNews2w ago2 min read
Coming up
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation: Public Hearing on Fairbanks Air Quality Zone Split
Fairbanks, Alaska
Hearing
2026 18 AAC 50 Fairbanks Nonattainment Area Split Regulations – Public Hearing (Fairbanks)
Hearing
Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation: Public Hearing on Fairbanks Air Quality Zone Split (North Pole)
Hearing
2026 Fairbanks Nonattainment Area Split Regulations – North Pole Oral Hearing
Hearing
Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council Meeting
Meeting
About Environment
Environment in Alaska takes in the land, water, air and wildlife affected by resource development, pollution and natural change. Much of it runs through permits, including wetland fill permits from the Army Corps of Engineers and oil spill plans, air permits and wastewater discharge permits from state regulators.
Mines, oil fields, fuel facilities and municipal wastewater plants must obtain permission to fill wetlands, discharge treated water or store fuel, and public comment periods precede many of those decisions. Drinking water quality is a recurring concern, with federal records listing Alaska water systems for violations and communities dealing with contamination.
Logging on national forest land, seabed mining, contaminated site cleanup and protections for marine mammals connect the subject to subsistence, fisheries and wildlife. Reviews under the National Environmental Policy Act and the Clean Water Act frame many of these decisions.
More from Environment
NOAA approves marine mammal permit for Petro Marine's Juneau fuel dock rebuild
Petro Marine says maintenance can't keep up with its 1971 Juneau fuel dock. NOAA just approved the noisy pile driving to replace it, seals and all.
by Maggie AlaskaNews2w ago3 min read
Week of Oct 19
Whittier takes first federal money toward tearing down parts of the empty Buckner Building
Whittier took the first $600,000 to tear down parts of the Buckner Building, its long-empty former Army building. First comes paperwork, then maybe demolition.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read
Anchorage drops landfill injection well plan and turns to an evaporator for leachate
Anchorage's landfill trucks about 118,000 gallons of leachate a day to the sewer. Plan B for a 2028 state deadline: evaporate some of it with landfill gas.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read
Fairbanks-area draft transportation plan and its air pollution test are open for comment
FAST Planning wants comment by Oct. 30 on its $1.6 billion draft Fairbanks transportation plan and air pollution test.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Week of Oct 12
Helicopters will keep a remote Unuk River gage running below British Columbia mines
Interior ordered helicopter flights to service a USGS gage on the Unuk River, which watches the water coming down from three British Columbia mining projects.
by Maggie AlaskaNews3w ago2 min read
Four Southeast towns face 2030 deadline to disinfect sewage, with costs up to $14 million
Sitka, Haines, Skagway and Wrangell must start disinfecting the sewage they pipe into Southeast waters by 2030. Cost estimates run as high as $14 million.
by Walter AlaskaNews3w ago3 min read
Port of Alaska asks federal regulators to shrink Terminal 1 beluga shutdown zone
The Port of Alaska wants the beluga shutdown zone for Terminal 1 pile driving cut from 9,000 meters to 1,300. Federal fisheries regulators will decide.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min read
Petro Marine seeks state water quality sign-off to rebuild its Ketchikan fuel dock
Ketchikan's only fuel supplier, by its own account, wants to rebuild its aging Tongass Narrows dock. First it needs DEC to sign off on water quality.
by Walter AlaskaNews4w ago2 min readFrom 
State proposes logging about 950 acres near Fairbanks, including along the Chena River
The state wants to log about 950 acres near Fairbanks, including clearcuts along the Chena River. The sales have names like Chili Bean Mixed and Birchnanza.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readFrom 
Alaska has $27 million to get PFAS and other contaminants out of drinking water
Alaska has $27 million in federal money to get PFAS out of drinking water. Most of the projects lined up for it are about a different problem: manganese.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Week of Oct 5
State plans to allow logging on habitat and recreation lands in Haines State Forest
The state plans to allow logging on Haines State Forest habitat and recreation lands, despite objections from conservation groups and other commenters.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago3 min readFrom 
USDA lifts quarantine on mum disease, sees little risk to Alaska's wild chrysanthemum
The USDA is lifting its quarantine on a disease that attacks mums. It says the only chrysanthemum native to the U.S., on Alaska's coast, won't be much affected.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Kawerak backs moratorium on seabed mining off Alaska, sends resolution to AFN convention
Kawerak's board backs a moratorium on seabed mining off Alaska and will ask AFN to do the same. A federal lease sale could come as soon as December.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Federal agency proposes marine mammal permit for Juneau's Seawalk extension
Juneau's Seawalk extension means a year of pile driving near whales, sea lions and seals. NMFS has proposed a permit covering the noise's effects.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
State estimates $1.2 million to keep cleaning up Typhoon Halong fuel spills
Alaska's environmental agency estimates it needs about $1.2 million to keep cleaning up fuel spills in Western Alaska communities hit by Typhoon Halong.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Houston approves plastics recycler's permit as state reviews groundwater contamination at site
Houston approved a plastics recycler at a gravel pit where the owner's own consultant found petroleum in the groundwater. The state is still looking into it.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Hilcorp seeks to fill Beluga wetlands for gas storage pad under emergency review
Hilcorp seeks emergency permit to fill 2.35 acres of Beluga wetlands for a natural gas storage pad, with public comment open through early November.
by Walter AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
Invasive pike may use Cook Inlet to reach new watersheds, ADF&G biologist says
Pike were thought to avoid salt water, but some appear to have crossed Cook Inlet. A state biologist explains how in Fish and Game's October podcast.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Cordova tests burn pile camera as violations could risk its permit
Cordova is testing a security camera at its burn pile after state regulators warned that continued violations of burning rules could shut down the facility.
by Alaska News1mo ago1 min read
Forest Service contracts drinking water testing at eight Chugach National Forest sites
Forest Service hired a Michigan water-testing firm to monitor drinking water at eight Chugach National Forest sites for up to $31,600 over five years starting Sept. 30, 2026.
by Melinda Communities.News1mo ago1 min read
EPA ties rise in health-based water violations to missed service-line inventories
EPA records list 67 Alaska water systems with health-based violations for a missed service-line inventory, a filing EPA groups with contamination.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago1 min read
Week of Sep 28
Ketchikan Indian Community asks judge to halt Shelter Cove timber sale before contract award
Ketchikan Indian Community and two conservation groups asked a judge to halt the Shelter Cove timber sale before the Forest Service awards a logging contract.
by Maggie AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min readFrom 
Cordova science center gets NOAA grant to rebuild Prince William Sound ocean profiler
Prince William Sound's robotic ocean sensor runs on a computer and battery nobody makes anymore. A $354,971 federal grant aims to fix that problem.
by Bill AlaskaNews1mo ago2 min read
State gets new federal grant to oversee monitoring at Amchitka nuclear test site
The state has a new federal grant to keep watch over Amchitka, where the U.S. set off its biggest underground nuclear test. So far, it's $41,000 for five years.
by Alaska News1mo ago2 min read
