Federal Government

The federal government is proceeding with efforts to expand drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, mining in northwest Alaska, and construction of a road between King Cove and Cold Bay on the Alaska Peninsula, US Interior Secretary Doug Burgum announced Thursday.

At an event in Washington, D.C. that was dubbed “Alaska Day” by the federal department, Burgum signed a series of documents pertaining to all three projects as well as an ongoing effort by the federal government to give land to the families of Alaska Native Vietnam War veterans.

“This is our first, this won’t be our last, Alaska Day. We have a lot more things to accomplish, a lot more things to celebrate going forward,” said Burgum, flanked by Gov. Mike Dunleavy and all three members of the state’s congressional delegation.

“I told the president, it’s like Christmas every morning,” said Dunleavy. “I wake up, I go to look at what’s under the proverbial Christmas tree to see what’s happening. And here’s another example of more presents for not just Alaska, but for this country.”

Tribal and environmental groups opposed to the three development projects saw Thursday’s action differently, with Defenders of Wildlife, a national group, dubbing the event “Alaska Sellout Day.”

“Today’s announcements are the latest step in Donald Trump’s plan to sell out our wildest landscape and natural heritage to corporate polluters,” said Dan Ritzman, director of conservation for the Sierra Club.

What was done on Thursday

Burgum signed previously announced permits for the 211-mile Ambler Road, which is intended to connect the Dalton Highway with a series of potential mine sites in the Brooks Range of northern Alaska.

He also signed a record of decision for the federal government’s oil and gas drilling program in the coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge of northeast Alaska.

That re-establishes a program that had been in place during the first term of President Donald Trump but which was subsequently reversed by President Joe Biden.

Burgum also reversed the Biden administration’s decision to suspend oil and gas leases issued by the federal government in 2020 to the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority.

Barring further litigation, that move clears the way for AIDEA — Alaska’s state-owned development bank — to begin seismic surveys that could reveal the amount of oil available within parts of the Arctic refuge’s coastal plain.

While the Ambler and ANWR actions effectively took the projects back to where they stood in 2020, the King Cove road is now closer to construction at any point in its decades-long development process.

Envisioned as a gravel road between King Cove and an all-weather airport at Cold Bay, the road would pass through the Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, a nationally important bird sanctuary.

Eleven miles of new road are needed to link existing roads to the two towns, but those 11 miles would pass through a wilderness area.

On Thursday, Burgum signed documents that complete a land exchange between King Cove Corp., the local Alaska Native corporation, and the federal government. King Cove Corp. gives up about 31,200 acres to expand the refuge, and in return, it receives the 490 acres of refuge land needed to complete the road.

In a move with more limited statewide impact, Burgum signed paperwork awarding three Alaska Native Vietnam War veterans with 160-acre plots of land under a federal allotment program. As of March, 453 veterans and their families had requested plots authorized under legislation authored by Alaska Sens. Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan.

For King Cove, a medevac-avoiding road moves forward

King Cove’s airport is frequently closed by bad weather, and since 2014, there have been more than 100 Coast Guard medevacs from the community because regular air ambulance service was unavailable.

Murkowski, who has previously vowed to complete the road, noted that this is the third time that the federal government has embarked on a land exchange for the road, with the prior two attempts blocked and reversed by litigation.

“We’ve reached a point with the King Cove exchange that we haven’t yet before, and that’s actually the official patent being issued to KCC, so we’re one step further. I think that’s important,” she said.

The road, though supported by local residents, is opposed by some Yukon-Kuskokwim river delta tribal leaders and subsistence bird hunters who fear its effects on wildlife.

“Surely, the people of King Cove can see the value of leaving the habitat for so many species intact would be far more valuable than any road could be,” said  Angutekaraq Estelle Thomson, Traditional Council President of the Native Village of Paimiut, one of several communities that have supported lawsuits seeking to prevent road construction.

Rebecca Noblin, an attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity who has fought the road on behalf of several area villages, said Thursday that “we have significant questions about the legality of the exchange. We, along with the Native Villages of Hooper Bay and Paimiut, expect to bring those issues to court soon. Road construction will also require additional permits, including an Army Corps 404 permit and Endangered Species Act consultation, so this is far from a done deal.”

With Ambler and ANWR, a triumph of economics over environment

On the first day of his second term in office, Trump issued an executive order seeking to encourage oil and gas development, mining and logging in Alaska.

Elected officials said they see Thursday’s actions in line with that decision.

Alaska Republican Rep. Nick Begich said projects like the Ambler Road and ANWR drilling matter because they create jobs.

“We need the jobs. We need high-paying, good jobs, and these resource industry jobs fit that bill completely. And so whether it’s mining, timber, oil and gas development or other resources, these are necessary for the functioning of Alaska’s economy,” he said.

The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is believed to contain billions of barrels of recoverable oil that could be sold on global markets.

Sullivan noted that previous North Slope oil development has been good for the region’s residents.

“The life expectancy, mostly of the Native people in our state, has increased in the North Slope and the Northwest Arctic Borough and by dramatic numbers … and a lot of that is due to the benefits that come from responsible resource development: jobs, revenues, water and sewer, gymnasiums, health clinics. So it’s a real life and death issue,” he said.

The predominantly Alaska Native town of Kaktovik is located on Barter Island, within the refuge.

“Developing ANWR’s Coastal Plain is vital for Kaktovik’s future,” said the town’s mayor, Nathan Gordon Jr., in a written statement. “Taxation of development infrastructure in our region funds essential services across the North Slope, including water and sewer systems to clinics, roads, and first responders. Today’s actions by the federal government create the conditions for these services to remain available and for continued progress for our communities.”

To date, no oil companies have shown interest in drilling within the refuge, leaving only Alaska’s state-owned development bank, which won leases in a 2020 sale, to work there.

So far, no actual work has taken place because of repeated lawsuits seeking to overturn the sale.

The bank, which has filed several lawsuits over federal restrictions on drilling within the refuge, did not respond to a request for comment on Thursday.

Several legal challenges to the 2020 ANWR plan of development — which was restored Thursday — are still pending in federal court.

Some of those challenges revolve around the possible effects that ANWR development and the burning of those fossil fuels will have on climate change.

Thursday’s announcement came just a week after the remnants of Typhoon Halong devastated coastal communities in southwestern Alaska. Experts say that storm was worsened by climate change.

Murkowski said she does not shy away “from the fact that the impact of that typhoon was made more fierce and more destructive because it was able to travel over a large body of what is now warmer, open ocean with lack of ice. I get that, and I call it climate change.”

At the same time, people worldwide are continuing to consume fossil fuels. Murkowski said that for her, the choice is straightforward: Will they get those fossil fuels from Alaska or some place with worse environmental standards?

“I’d much rather be producing in Alaska, than just across the Bering Strait there, over in Russia, where I don’t think that they respect the same level of environmental standards and safeguards,” she said. “So is it complicated? Yes. But am I proud of how Alaska has led in terms of meeting environmental standards that are amongst the highest in the world? I am.”

What comes next for Ambler, King Cove and ANWR?

All three development projects boosted by the federal government on Thursday are a long way from construction, both supporters and detractors say.

In all three cases, proponents need to obtain additional federal permits and will have to cope with lawsuits brought by opponents.

The environmental law firm Earthjustice has repeatedly been involved in lawsuits against the federal government over the issue of arctic refuge drilling.

“Interior has re-adopted the maximally destructive plan from President Trump’s first term,” said Earthjustice attorney Erik Grafe, by email on Thursday. “That plan was unlawful in 2020 and is still unlawful today. The bedrock environmental laws that protect the Arctic Refuge’s irreplaceable natural resources remain despite Congress passing reconciliation bills on leasing in the refuge.”

The Gwich’in Steering Committee, represented by attorneys from Trustees for Alaska, is among the organizations that have repeatedly sued to block drilling in ANWR.

The committee is concerned about the effect that refuge development would have on local caribou herds used by subsistence hunters. In a statement, the committee’s executive director, Kristen Moreland, implied that further litigation will come.

“This action by the Trump administration is a direct attack on the Gwich’in, who have for decades been a voice for the caribou and stood against the destruction of the Arctic Refuge. A leasing program that would open the entire Coastal Plain completely ignores the impacts that oil and gas development would have on the land, on wildlife, and on our communities,” she said.

“We condemn these efforts by the Trump administration to exploit the calving grounds of the Porcupine Caribou herd for short-term gain, and we know that we are not alone. We will continue to raise our voices and fight for the protection of this sacred land and for our way of life.”

President Donald Trump granted the State of Alaska’s request for a federal disaster declaration on Wednesday, unlocking federal disaster aid to support the ongoing relief and recovery effort in the aftermath of ex-Typhoon Halong throughout Western Alaska.

Gov. Mike Dunleavy formally submitted the request on Oct. 16, and applauded the announcement on social media on Wednesday.

“This declaration will be instrumental for ongoing response and recovery efforts. I want to thank President Trump and his administration for the continued support of Alaska and providing help for Alaska during this time of need,” Dunleavy said on Facebook. “Thank you President Trump!”

The declaration authorizes a 100 percent cost share for relief assistance for the next 90 days, through January, according to a statement from the governor’s office. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will coordinate with the Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management on all recovery operations and programs. Representatives with the governor’s office and Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management said they did not yet have a copy of the declaration on Wednesday.

Trump said he also authorized an immediate $25 million in relief funding, to cover costs as the state continues to conduct damage assessments.

“I am approving $25 Million Dollars to help Alaska recover from the major typhoon they experienced earlier this month,” Trump wrote on the social media site Truth Social. “It is my Honor to deliver for the Great State of Alaska, which I won BIG in 2016, 2020, and 2024 — ALASKA, I WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN!”

The Alaska congressional delegation also thanked the president in a joint statement, noting their letter urging the president to respond and grant the disaster declaration.

“I raised Alaska’s disaster declaration directly with President Trump yesterday at the White House and thank him for quickly approving it to ensure impacted western communities have federal support in the wake of Typhoon Halong,” wrote US Sen. Lisa Senator Murkowski, R-Alaska. “I also appreciate FEMA’s expedited review of this request, which is one of the quickest federal responses in recent years.”

“To all Alaskans impacted,” Murkowski added. “Please know that your congressional delegation, state, and nation stand united and will continue to coordinate recovery efforts as you move forward.”

Sen. Dan Sullivan, R-Alaska, praised Trump’s move and said he would be visiting storm-impacted villages on Saturday.

“I plan on being in Western Alaska this weekend with top FEMA and DHS officials, and my team and I will continue working closely with the Trump administration and our state, local, and tribal partners to make sure these incredible Alaskans get the help they need to recover and return to their communities,” Sullivan said.

Begich has not announced plans to visit the region. He also praised Trump and the announcement. “Our focus as a delegation remains on ensuring every Alaskan family impacted by this storm receives the resources and support needed throughout the long process of rebuilding their lives,” he said.

The disaster declaration request covered the Northwest Arctic Borough, Lower Yukon Regional Education Attendance Area and the Lower Kukokwim Regional Attendance Area, places hit by the remnants of Typhoon Halong.

More than 1,500 residents were displaced by the storm that killed one woman and left two missing in Kwigillingok.

The storm recovery effort is in full swing. Local residents are working on clean up, while regional tribal partners and dozens of state agencies, non-profit and relief organizations provide support to the region, particularly the hardest hit area of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. State and tribal agencies are flying aid into those residents who remain in the coastal villages, like immediate food, water and fuel, while crews continue to work on debris removal, fuel spills, infrastructure assessment and repair to water, power, and sewer systems, roads and boardwalks. Crews are working throughout communities to repair homes where possible, so that local residents can return before winter sets in.

There is no cost estimate for the storm damage at this time, according to Jeremy Zidek, a spokesperson for the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, because agencies are working to restore services simultaneously.

The state is offering emergency assistance, available through an application on the state’s website, open through November 9.

The program provides financial assistance for storm damage to homes, vehicles, essential personal property, medical, dental or funeral needs directly related to the disaster. Applicants will be eligible for $21,250 in home repairs and another $21,250 for “other needs.”

The president has not yet authorized federal individual assistance — $42,500 for home repairs and $42,500 for other items — but state officials say there will likely be more information from the Trump administration in the coming days.

If the federal government shutdown continues, more than 66,000 Alaskans will lose federal food aid within weeks, the state of Alaska is warning.

On Monday, the Division of Public Assistance within the Alaska Department of Health said that the federal government “has directed states to stop the issuance of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits for the month of November due to insufficient federal funds. This means that Alaskans may not receive SNAP benefits for November, even if they are authorized to receive them.”

The division estimates that 66,471 Alaskans would be eligible for benefits under the program.

In its written statement, the division said that it tried to pay for the program with state money “and determined that a state subsidy was not mechanically possible under the federal payment system.”

Similar warning messages went out from other states across the country starting Friday. In Kentucky, where one in eight residents receives food aid, Gov. Andy Beshear said the pending cut makes this “a scary and stressful time.”

In Oklahoma, more than half a million residents receive food stamps and are expected to lose that help.

Altogether across the country, more than 42 million Americans rely on the food stamp program, which the federal government funds and individual states administer.

On Tuesday, the 21st day of the federal government shutdown, there appeared to be no progress toward resolution.

Sixty votes in the U.S. Senate are needed to advance a House-passed stopgap funding bill. That would require the support of some Senate Democrats, but they oppose its passage unless lawmakers also agree to extend subsidies for health insurance purchased through the federal marketplace.

Existing subsidies are scheduled to expire at the end of the year, sending prices soaring.

Thus far, Republicans have been unwilling to agree to the Democratic demand, and Senate Republicans also have been unwilling to change the Senate’s filibuster rule. Doing so would allow them to advance the stopgap funding bill with 50 votes instead of 60.

The damage from ex-Typhoon Halong is already a declared state disaster but there’s no word yet on whether President Trump will sign a federal disaster declaration. Tens of millions of dollars, for the state and communities, hang on that decision.

For people displaced by the storm or whose homes were damaged, there’s another big question: If the president signs a disaster declaration, will it say survivors are eligible for Individual Assistance? That would make as much as $85,000 available per household.

Very few Alaska disasters have included the federal Individual Assistance component, said Jeremy Zidek, a spokesman for the state Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.

“We think that we’ve got a good chance at it,” he said, “but it comes down to the federal government to make that determination.”

Federal declarations sometimes come within days of a disaster, as was the case when the remnants of Typhoon Merbok struck in 2022. Or, as occurred with three Alaska disasters last year, the federal declaration can come months later.

In the meantime, the state has its own Individual Assistance program. It’s asking every family who incurred property damage from the storm or has been displaced to register for state Individual Assistance. Claimants may be eligible for $21,250 in home repairs and another $21,250 for “other needs.”

Zidek said that could be “money for transportation, medical-dental expenses, subsistence equipment, repairing or cleaning and sanitation of property — some of those items are under our state’s IA program.”

There’s a different program to pay for temporary housing that would not count toward the cap.

If the president signs a federal disaster declaration that includes Individual Assistance, the caps are double, Zidek says — $42,500 for home repairs and $42,500 for other items.

In some cases, a family may be eligible for both state and federal Individual Assistance, because, while the programs are similar, they differ somewhat in the type of property a person can claim for.

“We make sure that there isn’t a duplication of benefits. We can’t pay for things twice,” Zidek said. But if the federal Individual Assistance program is unlocked “there is more money available to people that have lost their homes or lost their possessions.”

Applying for state Individual Assistance lets the state know what your needs are, so it can direct services to you and your community, he said. The information is shared with other agencies, so it also serves as a headstart on a federal application for assistance.

For those who can’t or don’t want to apply online, at ready.alaska.gov, the state is making face-to-face help available in Bethel and Anchorage, Zidek said.

Alaska Congressman Nick Begich has a new challenger.

Rev. Matthew Schultz of First Presbyterian Church in Anchorage launched his campaign Monday.

Schultz is well known in Anchorage progressive circles and on social media. He’s spoken at “No Kings” protests and champions affordable health care, social justice and LGBTQ rights.

He’s running as a Democrat but says he hopes to bridge the political divide by listening to other Alaskans.

“People have spent so much time treating politics as a war zone that we’ve forgotten that it’s supposed to be a construction zone and we’re supposed to gather together and build something better together,” he said.

Begich, in a speech to the Alaska Federation of Natives convention this weekend, focused on the economic benefits of the budget reconciliation bill Congress passed, particularly how it advances oil development in Alaska.

Schultz was among thousands of Alaskans who rallied against the bill this summer, citing the impact it would have on Medicaid, the health insurance program for the poor.

Schultz plans to keep his full-time job at First Presbyterian as he campaigns.

He is a first-time candidate but said he has a lifetime of public service.

“We’re simply doing good for the sake of doing good,” he said. “And I think that’s a different lens to view our community service than our current representative has.”

Schultz enters the race with a big cash disadvantage. Begich has raised more than $2 million for his campaign so far this year.

Another Democrat, John Brendan Williams of Fairbanks, has also filed paperwork to run for U.S. House in the 2026 election. He hasn’t reported any fundraising so far.

More than 1,500 Juneauites joined millions of people nationwide on Saturday to partake in the second iteration of the No Kings protest against President Donald Trump’s policies and actions. 

The protest was lively, full of songs, chants and impassioned speeches even under a cloudy October sky as rain drizzled down over Juneau’s Overstreet Park.

Saturday’s gathering was the latest wave of the nationwide No Kings protest. It’s estimated more than 2,500 events were held across the country in every state this past weekend – including more than a dozen Alaska communities. 

The protests were held to push back against the Trump administration and the president’s behavior since returning to office. Demonstrators feel Trump’s actions resemble that of a monarch. 

“These protests are for them, these protests are for us,” said Gina Chalcroft with Juneau Indivisible helped organize the event.

 Speaking to the crowd, she stressed the need for peaceful and non violent community action against what she called an attack on democracy.

“These protests are about presence and about showing up, and so they will know that we still stand together, no matter how hard they try to divide us,” she said. 

Chalcroft and other speakers at the event criticized the White House and U.S. Justice Department. They decried immigration detentions being carried out by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, the slashing of the federal workforce and Medicaid and the current government shutdown’s impact on health care coverage.

A handful of people wore costumes, like Teresa Bowen who was dressed like a frog. It’s a new symbol of resistance that started in Portland during recent immigration raids. Bowen said she joined the protest against the increasing polarization of the country. 

“We have maybe different ideals, we might have different beliefs, but at the end of the day, that’s part of democracy,” she said. “Having a melting pot of beliefs and making the country better because of those beliefs.”

Ben Durrant similarly donned an inflatable Husky dog suit to match his dog that sat in the crowd nearby chewing a toy hotdog. 

“I just love my husky, and I dressed up like a husky because I figured we’d team up today and come out and protest, he said. 

He said he joined the rally to show support of his children and their future.  

“I’ve got three kids, one’s transgender and one is gay and and the removal of their rights and and total disregard for who they are by like the current administration is just something I can’t sit down and let happen,” he said. 

Demonstrators stayed in the rain for more than two hours, singing , listening and chanting with one another. President Trump called the protests “a joke” over the weekend and rejected the accusation that he is acting like a king.