President Joe Biden imposed a “temporary moratorium” on all oil and gas leasing activities in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge shortly after taking office on Wednesday, citing the “alleged legal deficiencies underlying the program” and the inadequacy of a required environmental review.
Wildlife
Yukon birders excited about rare ‘lifer’ species that made its way from Japan this winter
Hawfinch sightings in Haines Junction are a first for the Yukon Territory and a first for Canada.
LISTEN: Juneau author crafts a thoughtful portrait of brown bears in Alaska with ‘A Shape in the Dark’
“A Shape in the Dark: Living and Dying with Brown Bears” is a new book by Juneau writer and wilderness guide Bjorn Dihle. It combines a sweeping historical perspective with Dihle’s own experience and interviews with others in the field.
Drilling boosters, opponents consider next steps after first Arctic refuge lease sale
The state won 10-year oil leases for nine pieces of land by submitting the minimum offer: $25 an acre. But drilling for oil in the refuge is expensive, and it faces an aggressive opposition campaign.
Federal and state officials sign right-of-way permit for controversial Ambler Road
The road would stretch 211 miles from the Dalton Highway to the Ambler Mining District east of Kotzebue and would cross Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve.
Arctic Refuge lease sale goes bust, with no bids from major oil companies
One of the Trump administration’s biggest energy initiatives suffered a stunning setback Wednesday, as a decades-long push to drill for oil in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ended with a lease sale that attracted just three bidders — one of which was the state of Alaska itself.