Oil industry representatives say the initiative would hurt the industry.
North Slope
Russian nuclear power plant afloat in Arctic causes anxiety across Bering Strait
A Russian barge mounted with nuclear reactors is expected to traverse the Arctic this month. Across the Bering Strait, Alaskans are worried — though one Arctic security expert also sees room for optimism.
Point Lay sees earliest walrus haulout ever
It’s the earliest walrus haulout since it began happening in 2007, according to the federal agency. The haulouts are associated with declining sea ice due to climate change.
Politico: Science ‘trampled’ as Interior hurries toward ANWR lease sale
The magazine Politico has obtained leaked documents suggesting the Department of the Interior has altered the work of at least two agency scientists as it presses to finish the environmental reviews on drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
With ANWR drilling on its doorstep, an Alaska Native village is poised to profit
It’s still too early to know if petroleum even exists in the refuge in commercially-viable quantities. But if it’s found, Kaktovik’s residents are simultaneously positioned to be among the biggest beneficiaries, and to experience some of the biggest disruptions.
Two worlds that overlap: Richard Glenn sees ANWR drilling as a boon to Iñupiaq communities
Richard Glenn is an inconvenient truth for opponents of drilling in the Arctic Refuge. He presents a challenge to a prevalent narrative in Washington, D.C., that Native people oppose development in the Arctic.
‘We’re never going to surrender’ — Sarah James on a life fighting oil drilling in the Arctic Refuge
Sarah James’ desire to preserve the Neetsa’ii Gwich’in way of life drove her into the thick of the battle over oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Meet the Trump administration official whose signature could formally open ANWR to drilling
It’s 3,200 miles from Joe Balash’s office in Washington, D.C., to the Neets’aii Gwich’in community of Arctic Village. But Arctic Village is barely 200 miles from North Pole, the Alaska town where Balash grew up.
As polar bears encroach on this Alaska village, feds charge man with illegally shooting one
As Arctic sea ice melts, polar bears are spending more time near the Alaska North Slope village of Kaktovik. Now, federal prosecutors have charging a man there with killing one in violation of the Marine Mammal Protection Act.
In Arctic Village, Gwich’in leaders say the fight to stop drilling in the Arctic Refuge isn’t over
Until recently, Gwich’in tribes were on the winning side of the battle over drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Then, in late 2017, Congress opened the coastal plain to oil development.