KHNS - Haines

Alaska saw its eighth hottest year on record in 2025 according to a new report, with temperatures coming in at 1.5 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the last three decades on average.

“This last year was a confirmation that, unfortunately, we are warming our planet faster than we hope,” said State Climatologist Martin Stuefer, who authored the 2025 annual report by the Alaska Climate Research Center.

“That has implications,” Stuefer added. “Ice melting, permafrost thawing, wildfires, changing of our environment.”

The report highlights dwindling sea ice as a top line issue. Alaska’s sea ice peaked in March at more than 5.5 million square miles – an area more than 1.5 times the entire United States — but that’s the lowest sea ice peak recorded in the last 47 years.

“It’s a big area. But still, it was smaller than in any year observed before,” Stuefer said. “We are heading towards an ice-free Arctic later this century.”

The northern parts of the state are warming most rapidly, with the Interior and North Slope showing the largest increases from normal temperatures. Utqiaġvik recorded the highest relative temperatures – about 2.7 degrees above average.

Southeast Alaska, meanwhile, had a near average annual temperature last year, but the region had far less snow than is typical. Juneau specifically saw a warmer year and received near-normal levels of precipitation. But the area also saw just half its average snowfall due to frequent mid-winter rain, the report said.

Steufer emphasized that, while Alaska in general saw warmer temperatures, it also endured extreme weather events like wildfire activity, ex-typhoon Halong and an intense, widespread December cold snap.

“I had one person asking me, Are we heading into an ice age now?” he said. “Of course not. We are heading into a warmer phase on the global scale.”

That extreme variability across the state, he added, is becoming more common as temperatures rise with climate change.

The smell of buttered popcorn wafted through the Skagway School as dozens of people streamed inside. They were there to watch a new documentary — one about their own community during one of its darkest periods in recent history.

The film depicts life in Skagway between 2020 and 2022, when the cruise industry shut down amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s named “Last Call in the North.”

Andrew Cremata was Skagway’s mayor at the time. He said the ordeal forced what may have been the community’s first serious reckoning over its complete dependence on the industry.

“I don’t think there’s ever been any real meaningful conversations about it as a community, either on a governmental level or on a social level,” he said.

That conversation was the film’s throughline, said Stan Bush, who wrote and directed the film.

“What happens when your main economic driver is completely shut off?” Bush said in an interview last week.

In many ways, COVID-19 was Skagway’s worst nightmare. With the town’s tourism-based economy shuttered for one full season and much of a second one, families and businesses went without income for an excruciating 22 months.

Bush went to middle and high school in town, but he hasn’t lived here since then. He said he was developing a project idea in Skagway before the pandemic, focused on the struggling local newspaper.

But Bush pivoted when COVID-19 hit the community in earnest, and the industry that had fueled the town for decades disappeared overnight.

“We’ve seen that when things are going great, they’re going really great. And when things go bad, here, they go really bad,” Bush said. “I think that’s a conversation for the community to have. Can you survive another crisis like this?”

The film follows a few key characters, including Cremata, the former mayor. In an interview after the screening, he raised questions about the long-term sustainability of the town’s economy.

“My fear was that when things got back to normal, people would kind of just go back to normal, right? Go back to the way things were before the pandemic,” Cremata told KHNS. “That’s really exactly what’s happened.”

The film also focuses on struggling small businesses — a jeweler who had to leave town, the owner of an outdoor guiding company who eventually shut his doors, and the former co-owners of the Skagway News. That includes Melinda Munson, the current KHNS news director.

Another key voice was Jaime Bricker, Skagway’s tourism director and the president of the Skagway Traditional Council, a local tribe.

After the premiere, Bricker said she was impressed by the videography and storytelling. She added that she could imagine how difficult it would be to tell the full story in just 90 minutes.

“I think I’ve heard different observations from just about everybody I’ve talked to, and rightfully so,” Bricker said. “We’re all a bunch of individuals in this community, and there were so many pertinent stories of that period of time that, you know, weren’t showcased.”

Bricker added that she thinks the film presents an opportunity for renewed reflection.

“Are there opportunities to plan as we look towards the future, given this particular COVID experience?” Bricker said. “Are there things that we can be doing differently in the future, to better prepare for an economic stop?”

Bush said prompting conversation was one of his main goals – not only locally but in similar communities across the state, country and world. As he sees it, what happened in Skagway could happen anywhere where the presence of one industry is the difference between economic survival and economic collapse.

Disclosure: This film features KHNS News Director Melinda Munson and her family, when Munson was co-owner of the Skagway News. Munson did not review this story before publication.

In July, a state inspector boarded a cruise ship in Juneau for a routine review. The inspector’s report includes a photo that shows a metal drum full of chunky, black sludge — a mixture laden with sulfur and heavy metals.

That particular drum was slated to be offloaded on land, in British Columbia. But on many ships, systems known as scrubbers ensure the toxic sludge never materializes on board. That’s because it’s diluted with sea water and released back into the ocean.

Now, state Sen. Jesse Kiehl is looking to address the issue. The Juneau Democrat is drafting legislation in hopes of cracking down on the technology, which produces a largely invisible – and little regulated – source of water pollution.

“There’s still dirty fuel belching sulfur into Alaska. And that’s a problem,” Kiehl said in an interview last month.

The issue is not isolated to Alaska. And neither are efforts to address it. A growing list of ports, states and countries are zeroing in on the problem, which stems from rules adopted by the International Maritime Organization in 2020.

Cutting air pollution led to new water pollution

The IMO wanted to cut air pollution, namely sulfur pollution, from ships that burn heavy marine oil. While some cruise and shipping companies complied by using cleaner fuels, known as distillate fuels, others invested in scrubbers.

The technology allows them to continue burning dirty fuels by using seawater to remove pollutants from ship exhaust. So-called “open loop” systems send that contaminated water right back into the sea.

Experts say each individual open loop scrubber can produce up to 3,600 metric tons of water per hour. And some ships run multiple scrubbers at once.

When exhaust with high levels of sulfur and other pollutants is released into the air, they can increase the risk of cancer, respiratory complications and cardiovascular diseases. 

Scientists have been studying what happens when those pollutants are released into the ocean. But a growing body of research indicates it can harm marine life, including mussels and crustaceans, like crab, said Eelco Leemans, an advisor to the Clean Arctic Alliance, a global coalition focused on the shipping industry.

“The evidence is so clear that we have no reason to doubt that,” Leemans said.

Regulatory challenges

A tangled web of rules and regulations surrounds the issue. The IMO sets the global standard. And for now, the international body allows ships to use scrubbers to comply with its air pollution rules.

But there’s a growing push for that to change. Just this week, the agenda for an IMO subcommittee meeting in London featured more than a dozen proposals from member states and other organizations related to scrubber regulation.

“We believe that scrubbers do not provide the solutions that they were designed for, because basically they transfer air pollution to water pollution,” Leemans said during a recent webinar hosted by the Clean Arctic Alliance ahead of the meeting. “In the end, IMO should really do something about this.”

In the meantime, governments are taking matters into their own hands. In July, for example, 15 nations and the European Union moved to prohibit scrubber discharge in internal waters and port areas – and will consider extending the ban to about 12 miles offshore.

The U.S. has taken a less aggressive approach. The Environmental Protection Agency regulates scrubbers by way of a permit that sets limits for the concentration of pollutants in discharge. But at least in Alaska, the agency has rarely enforced those limits – despite hundreds of violations in some years.

The EPA did not respond to a request for comment by press time.

State regulators in Alaska, for their part, conduct routine environmental inspections on ships, which often entails observing scrubber operations and reviewing washwater data. In some cases, they flag problems for the EPA.

But in the end, the state Department of Environmental Conservation says it can’t enforce the EPA’s scrubber regulations themselves.

“Scrubber washwater is not addressed in State statutes, regulations, or the State’s general permit for vessels, and the State currently has no authority to enforce a federal permit,” Ben Eisenstein, DEC’s cruise ship program manager, wrote in an email.

Kiehl says that puts Alaska and other states in a bind.

“It’s really difficult with the federal government stepping in and telling the state: ‘You have nothing to say about scrubber discharge,'” he said.

Clean fuel regulations

So localities and states can’t punish ships for violating federal standards. But some are pursuing – or have already implemented – other ways to get at the problem.

Kiehl, the state lawmaker, didn’t provide more details about what his legislation might entail, or when he might introduce it. But he said he’s exploring a range of options, and nodded to other governments that have largely taken one common path: addressing the type of fuel that vessels use in the first place.

Most experts point to California. The state adopted a rule in 2008 that required ships to use cleaner, lower-sulfur fuels within 24 miles of shore. The goal was to reduce air pollution – plus cancer and other public health risks – from dirty fuels.

The California rule predated the proliferation of scrubbers. But it means the state dodged the problem before it even existed. Ships are already using low-sulfur fuels in California waters and don’t need to scrub them clean.

“We don’t have the issues with wastewater discharge because (scrubbers are) not a compliance option,” Bonnie Soriano, of the California Air Resources Board, told KHNS.

Soriano was among experts who said that cleaner fuels don’t require new technology or systems; ships can simply swap them in. She also said most vessels already carry them.

“There are some differences in prices, but likely they have the fuel on board if they’re doing a string that involves California,” Soriano said.

Meanwhile, in Washington state, the legislature is mulling a similar approach. A bill there would require cleaner fuels within 3 miles of shore.

State Rep. Debra Lekanoff is the bill’s sponsor. She’s originally from Yakutat but now represents communities in northern Washington, including the San Juan Islands. During a January hearing, she drew a connection between her two homes.

“What’s happening in my own backyard, where my Tlingit name Xixch’I See comes from, is the very impact that happens upon the Salish Sea,” Lekanoff said.

A growing list of tribes and organizations support Alaska taking a similar approach. Just one example: The Skagway Traditional Council in October adopted a resolution that called on the state to require the use of cleaner fuel – and on the shipping industry and the IMO to do their part, too.

Industry opposition

The cruise and shipping industries have opposed efforts to require clean fuels or eliminate scrubbers – a dynamic that is already playing out in Washington.

During the same hearing, industry representatives said a clean fuel requirement would be burdensome and unnecessary, and that it would amount to a roundabout attempt to address a water pollution problem by way of an air pollution regulation.

“This unnecessarily restricts authorized environmental technologies,” said Donald Brown, a vice president of Cruise Lines International Association.

The trade group did not respond to a request for comment. But pushback in Washington state and beyond suggests that any potential legislation in Alaska could have a long road ahead.

Aaron Brakel, of the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, said he doesn’t expect any potential legislation would be signed into law this year.

“What’s really important, though, is getting a chance for the Legislature to start considering the issue,” Brakel said.

“To be having a conversation about the state of Alaska taking action on dirty fuel and exhaust scrubbers is a huge step in the right direction,” he added.

Members of the House Transportation Committee slammed state transportation officials on Tuesday over a controversial ferry project that lawmakers said stands to benefit private interests but not ferry users themselves.

“The Alaska Marine Highway System was created for Alaskans — not for DOT — but for people and their usage. And you know, I don’t like to see you lose sight of that,” Rep. Louise Stutes, R-Kodiak, said during the hearing,

At issue is the Cascade Point ferry terminal project. The Alaska Department of Transportation signed a $28.5 million dollar contract over the summer to kickstart the effort, which aims to shorten the ferry route between Juneau, Haines and Skagway.

The project would entail building a ferry terminal 30 miles farther north of Juneau than the current one in Auke Bay. That means passengers would have to drive or use a shuttle service to travel between the remote terminal and town.

The contract ignited a wave of opposition from people in all three communities during a public comment period. During the hearing, Stutes noted that the vast majority of the more than 600 public comment letters opposed the project.

“92% of the people said, ‘We don’t want Cascade Point,'” Stutes said.

The pushback has largely centered around concerns that the new terminal would make regional travel less convenient and efficient – as opposed to more, as the state has argued. People have also argued the funds would be better spent on improving existing ferry service.

Christopher Goins is DOT’s southcoast region director. During the hearing, he acknowledged that the numbers Stutes cited are correct and that the project has sparked a lot of “fear” in the public.

But he added that the agency is taking public feedback seriously. He said that includes extending the original comment period and planning two additional rounds of public meetings in Haines, Skagway and Juneau.

“My staff is going to sit there, and we are going to listen to what people have to say, because we want them to be able to put that on the record,” Goins said. “That is fair and that is just. I think this project, of all the projects, needs that process.”

Goins acknowledged public concern over the state’s decision to move forward with the initial contract before soliciting feedback. Still, he said, the agency plans to go through the proper process.

“I think a lot of people got afraid because we hired a contractor to do a design-build process,” Goins said. “That doesn’t mean that the design, and the engineering, and the permitting, the consultation that comes with that process, is ignored. It is not.”

That answer didn’t appear to satisfy lawmakers.

“When you talk about there being controversy and welcoming the dialog, it doesn’t seem to jive with the fact that dollars are already dedicated towards this project,” said Committee Co-Chair Ashley Carrick, D-Fairbanks.

Lawmakers also grilled Goins and DOT Commissioner Ryan Anderson over concerns that the project stands to benefit private interests more than the communities that rely on the ferry system to get to Juneau for health care, groceries, air travel and more.

The new terminal is expected to benefit Grande Portage Resources’ proposed New Amalga Gold Project, which would likely use Cascade Point as its logistical base. But the terminal would also serve as a boon to Goldbelt Native Corporation, which owns the land.

“It feels very strongly to me like what’s really happening is Goldbelt is the primary beneficiary of a project the state is going to utilize federal dollars to support,” Carrick said.

Anderson, the agency’s commissioner, emphasized the importance of the private sector to the state’s economy and said working with industry can help promote economic development in Alaska.

Other lawmakers pressed agency officials over a controversial economic analysis of the project and about uncertainty around the new terminal’s overall cost and whether it would actually generate significant savings for the state.

Representatives from the mining industry gathered in Vancouver, British Columbia last week for an annual conference.

But opponents of a mineral exploration project outside Haines seized on the opportunity for their own purpose. They wanted to send the industry one key message: “Leave our valley.”

In 2024, the Chilkat Indian Village launched an effort, dubbed Chilkat Forever, to lead public opposition to the Palmer Project, a zinc, copper, gold, silver and barite exploration site upstream of the Native Village of Klukwan.

The project has changed hands a number of times since then. That included in November, when Vancouver-based mineral exploration company Vizsla Copper acquired the project and declared its intent to earn community approval.

In response, Chilkat Forever has ramped up its messaging.

“We just want to make it very clear that there isn’t social licensing here in the Chilkat Indian Village,” said Kimberley Strong, the president of the Chilkat Indian Village.

The effort entailed placing ads on large digital screens around the conference, which was put on by the British Columbia Association for Mineral Exploration. That included a billboard fastened to Canada Place, a convention center in Vancouver. They also placed print and digital ads in newspapers including the Vancouver Sun, the Seattle Times and the Anchorage Daily News.

In bold, all-caps text, the ad read: “No means go.” Below that, in orange, it said “leave our valley.” The group communicated the same message in a video released in January.

The campaign came the same week that Vizsla announced plans for the project for this year – and touted a formal letter of support from Gov. Mike Dunleavy.

Dunleavy pledged his “full support” for the project in a letter dated Jan. 22, according to a copy obtained by KHNS. He added that the project stands to “strengthen Alaska’s role” in meeting federal mining objectives while also benefiting the state.

During a public speech in Vancouver last week, Vizsla CEO Craig Parry said Dunleavy had requested a meeting with him in Juneau.

“I’ve never seen such great access to government and to the permitting authorities. So the fact that we’ve been on the ground here a month now, and the governor in Alaska has asked for a meeting in Juneau is an extraordinary outcome to my mind.”

A Dunleavy spokesperson said in an email that the governor “supports responsible resource development in Alaska.”

The company is still finalizing the details of its plans for the summer, but it has brought on several contractors, Vizsla said in a release last week. That includes a $600,000 contract with a marketing company it says will carry out a “comprehensive media marketing campaign.”

As to this summer’s exploration efforts, the company plans to conduct up to 10,000 meters of diamond drilling focused on copper, zinc, silver and gold. The company also plans to focus more on barite and for the first time will include the mineral in the project’s overall value estimate.

The state of Alaska’s case against a Haines man charged with animal cruelty is stuck in a holding pattern, seven months after officials first removed dozens of animals from his wildlife facility.

In September, the Office of Special Prosecutions filed three felony and two misdemeanor charges against Chilkat Valley resident Steve Kroschel, the longtime owner of the Kroschel Films Wildlife Center.

After a years-long back and forth over conditions at the center, the office alleged that Kroschel had failed to provide adequate care for his animals, in some cases causing prolonged pain, suffering and death.

The state issued a warrant for Kroschel’s arrest in late December. But there’s a catch — Kroschel says he has been in Russia since last summer, around the time when the state seized his animals. And during a recent phone interview, Kroschel said he’s staying put for now as he works to obtain Russian citizenship.

“I’m not going anywhere now for a year,” he told KHNS.

Kroschel has virtually attended a number of hearings in recent months. But there will be no trial as long as he remains overseas, Juneau Superior Court Judge Amy Mead said during last week’s hearing.

“Obviously, I would not hold a trial,” Mead said. “If you were to enter into an agreement that included a felony conviction, you would need to be here in person because that involves fingerprinting.”

Kroschel said he understood.

The hearing, which focused on how Kroschel’s defense would be handled rather than on the case itself, was scheduled in response to Kroschel’s request that he be allowed to represent himself due to his dissatisfaction with his public defender.

“I know enough about this case, right and wrong, and the protocols to do this on my own. My life is on the line here, my family, everything,” Kroschel said. “I know what I’m doing. I wish to proceed representing myself.”

Mead, the judge, walked Kroschel through the potential risks and warned him that most people who defend themselves are not successful. Then she asked if he still wished to proceed.

Kroschel replied: “Yes, your honor.”

Mead granted the request.