Haaland’s nomination will likely pass in the Democrat-led Senate, where just a simple majority vote is needed. Alaska’s other senator, Dan Sullivan, has not said whether he will support Haaland in the full Senate vote.
Federal Government
Nearly 50 years after it was shut down, Army releases plan to get rid of Alaska’s first and only nuclear power plant
The SM-1A was a field prototype of a medium-sized nuclear reactor the Army was developing during the Cold War for use at remote military installations. It generated 20 megawatts of thermal energy for steam heat and 1.8 megawatts of electricity.
Kaktovik tribe says Biden didn’t reach out before agreement with Canada over caribou in Arctic refuge
The Native Village of Kaktovik is speaking out against the Biden administration, claiming their tribe wasn’t consulted about an agreement President Biden made with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regarding protections of the porcupine caribou herd in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Murkowski says she didn’t sink Tanden nomination
Murkowski said she’s using the confirmation process to explain Alaska’s economic straits to nominees and why she opposes decisions that put federal land off-limits for oil development.
Army Corps agrees to reconsider Pebble Mine permit denial
The Corps decided in November that Pebble’s plan to mitigate the environmental damage was inadequate and that the project doesn’t serve the public.
Kaktovik Iñupiat Corp. blames feds for missed ANWR deadline, demands apology
The U.S. Interior Department said there would be no searching for oil in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge this winter because Kaktovik Iñupiat Corp. failed to meet a key deadline. In a strongly-worded statement Thursday, KIC said the Interior provided a “blatant mischaracterization” of what happened.
Feds approve $50M in pandemic relief for Alaska’s fishing sector
Applications will be accepted during a two-month window that opens March 1, and payments could come as early as June.
Indigenous leaders hopeful Interior nominee Rep. Deb Haaland will protect Yup’ik ways of life
Support for Haaland is widespread in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta Region, where many prominent female leaders have backed Haaland.
Rep. Don Young working on workaround to Canada’s cruise ship ban
Young’s legislation, called the Alaska Tourism Recovery Act, proposes a temporary workaround that would make roundtrip voyages between Alaska and Washington a foreign voyage under U.S. law.
Alaska Native support for Interior nominee puts Murkowski on the spot
Deb Haaland, a Laguna Pueblo tribal member from New Mexico, would be the first Indigenous cabinet secretary. Alaska Native leaders have mounted a big campaign to confirm her.