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.

Al Gross, an orthopedic surgeon from Petersburg, announced Tuesday that he’s running as an independent against incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan.

Many of the Alaska Native residents of Kaktovik, the one small village inside the refuge, see oil development as an opportunity, though some remain deeply skeptical.

The report concludes the $43 billion export project could have significant impacts on the environment — but would be a boost for state and local economies.

The CEO of the Pebble Limited Partnership and a prominent Pebble opponent debated a key point of contention about the proposed mine: its size.

The U.S. Interior Department is re-evaluating the management plan for the reserve, aiming to open up land that’s currently off-limits to oil leasing.

“There’s probably going to be a greater amount of uncertainty with some of the information that we’re able to provide, because it’s simply not going to be as precise as it used to be,” said wildlife biologist Todd Atwood. 

Typically, when a contaminated site is discovered it’s up to the landowner — or the person responsible for making the mess — to clean it up. But there are dozens of sites where this process has broken down.

“One year from now, we’ll know whether the community would like to own this device,” says IVC President AlexAnna Salmon. “If it really is going to prove itself to be an effective option for providing power.”

ConocoPhillips has announced it intends to buy 21,000 acres from Caelus Natural Resources, which includes the Nuna oil discovery.