Two tribes say that Gov. Mike Dunleavy and his administration aren’t doing enough to consult with their leaders on big issues facing the state.
Alaska Native Government & Policy
AG Barr plans visit to rural Alaska
U.S. Attorney General William Barr says he plans to see for himself the hardship crime imposes in rural Alaska.
VAWA bill would create limited jurisdiction for five Alaska tribes
The Violence Against Women Act renewal bill would allow up to five Alaska tribes territorial jurisdiction in their villages to prosecute domestic abuse and other crimes, whether the accused is a tribal member or not.
Aboard Alaska’s endangered ferries, passengers fear a ‘giant step back in time’
Step aboard the MV LeConte, where a single trip last week showed how Southeast Alaska residents have knit the state’s ferries into their lives — and how they would adapt if the ships stopped running.
Which Native voices? On ANWR, lawmakers practice selective listening.
Rep. Don Young told his colleagues to disregard the anti-drilling Gwich’in witnesses, while pro-development Iñupiaq witnesses accused Democrats of erasing them from the land that’s been their home for centuries.
Court rules against Klukwan, conservation groups in mine exploration lawsuit
A federal court ruled Friday that the Bureau of Land Management does not have to consider future impacts of mine development before approving activities for mineral exploration in the Chilkat Valley.
New House Tribal Affairs Committee aims to advance state relationships
Because the Alaska state government’s relationship with tribes cuts across many different state departments, House lawmakers decided to have one committee that would attend to the full range of tribal affairs.
The Alaska Roadless Rule decision is moving along. Some tribal governments say it’s moving too fast.
The Organized Village of Kake says the timeline has felt rushed for a decision that could have a major impact on rural Southeast Alaska.
Cash-strapped state of Alaska takes aim at North Slope government’s oil money
A proposal by Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy would strip the North Slope Borough of its power to collect nearly $400 million in property taxes from oil companies each year. The idea gets at a longstanding question: How much money from oil should stay in the North Slope, where it’s pumped from the ground?
For decades, the government stood between the Unangan people and the seals they subsist on. Now that’s changing.
On remote St. Paul Island, federal rules have restricted subsistence hunting for years, forcing residents to buy expensive groceries. New rules could take effect soon, but opponents worry about a declining local seal population.