Tribal leaders and stakeholders gathered in Fairbanks to discuss cultural, environmental and social impacts of a proposed 220-mile industrial road. The meeting is happening at time when the state is facing difficult budget decisions that could hamper the project.
Energy & Mining
Tulsequah mine study outlines Taku River barging
Chieftain Metals Corp. is trying to reopen the long closed Tulsequah Chief Mine.
Obama makes Bristol Bay off-limits for oil, gas development
The president’s announcement is being celebrated in Dillingham.
Rate increase approved for AP&T power customers
APC is expected to revise its rates again next year because when it folds its newly acquired Gustavus Electric into its rate structure.
Forest Service releases review of proposed power line to Kake
The intertie could make cheap hydroelectric power available to the 600 residents of Kake, who rely on costly diesel generators.
900-gallon fuel spill reported in Kake
A year ago, the same facility leaked an estimated 55-hundred gallons of gas into the salt water after a fuel line broke at Kake Tribal’s dock.
Research that could affect Southeast logging, mining unclear on wolf designation
An article published last month in the Journal of Heredity concludes that DNA evidence does not support listing Southeast Alaska wolves as a distinct sub-species for protection under the Endangered Species Act. However, others say the same research supports that distinction.
Skagway pens tentative lease with state agency for ore terminal
The new lease allows up to 750,000 tons of ore and concentrations be shipped through the facility annually.
New report questions Susitna-Watana costs
A new fiscal analysis of the Susitna-Watana Hydroelectric Project questions the Alaska Energy Authority’s estimates on how much the 735-foot tall dam would cost the State of Alaska, if built.
Greens Creek receives final tailings expansion permit
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has finalized a wastewater and tailings disposal permit for the Greens Creek Mine near Juneau.