The Trump administration proposed last week to drastically increase the amount of Alaska waters open for oil and gas leasing. Along with keeping Cook Inlet open, it would also make areas near Kodiak and the Gulf of Alaska available for drilling, both of which are currently closed.
Oceans
It’s not just the Arctic. Trump’s offshore drilling plans rattle coastal communities across Alaska.
The Trump administration has proposed opening almost all Alaska waters to oil and gas leasing, from Southeast to the Bering Strait to the Arctic. That includes areas that have never seen drilling, and it’s raising concerns in Alaska’s coastal communities.
Unalaska City Council hears quotes for removing the F/V Akutan
The processor F/V Akutan was abandoned in Unalaska’s Captains Bay in September following a disastrous fishing season in Bristol Bay where the ship’s owner went broke, the crew went unpaid, and it’s 158,000 pound haul of salmon was declared unfit for human consumption.
Trump administration proposes vast increase to offshore oil leasing in Alaska
The draft plan includes the Arctic, but also waters where Alaskans haven’t contemplated oil development for many years, if ever.
Southeast’s year: Taku sold, Chinooks crash, mines petitioned and a Tongass turnaround
Southeast Alaska saw some major trends and events in 2017. They ranged from cruise ship passenger increases to budget decreases to labor battles to murder investigations.
Work starts on oil exploration project in Arctic federal waters
It’s the first oil exploration project to take place in Arctic federal waters since Shell discontinued their efforts in 2015.