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.
Economy
No relief coming for Juneau electric customers’ damages after two power surges, AEL&P says
Debbie Driscoll from AEL&P said Juneau’s been hit by unusually bad storms and icing conditions since the fall, though she understands customers’ frustration.
A second push for more solar on the Kenai Peninsula
Solarize the Kenai estimates that the average homeowner could cover half of their home’s energy needs with 12 panels and save over $10,000 in the next 15 years.
‘It’s better than nothing:’ Another year of reduced ferry service in Aleutians
Unalaska’s port director says attempts to eliminate the Aleutians from the AMHS route have been ongoing for about two years.
LISTEN: In Alaska crab boat’s deadly sinking, expert witnesses point to flawed stability calculations
Expert witnesses have described serious problems with the boat’s stability report.
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.
For Alaska’s railbelt, electric vehicle charging corridor may be on road to reality
The state plans to install level-three chargers, which can charge some cars in under an hour.
Ketchikan businesses reckon with another summer without cruise ships
Some Ketchikan businesses managed to limp through 2020 but wonder how they’ll survive a second season without cruise visitors.
Bristol Bay tribes and entities renew call to protect region’s watershed
In 2014, the Environmental Protection Agency proposed a “preemptive veto” of a larger mine in the area under Section 404c based on the agency’s Bristol Bay Watershed Assessment. But it was never finalized, and the Trump Administration withdrew the proposal.