A key player in moving Interior Alaska off fossil fuels? Multibillion-dollar mining corporations.
The mining industry’s global quest for cheaper, cleaner power could change how thousands of Alaskans get electricity.
Latest
A diesel spill along the Yukon raises fears about Hilcorp’s drilling program
No one is saying whether the truck that spilled 1,000 gallons of fuel had been on a Hilcorp job. But it belongs to a company that’s worked for Hilcorp on its Yukon Flats exploration program.
How a billionaire’s bet on Donlin mine could inject new life into the huge, slow-moving Alaska gold project
A global mining giant is selling its 50% stake in Donlin Gold. One of the buyers is John Paulson, who made billions betting against the housing market before the 2008 financial crisis.
Why a surge in gold prices won’t solve Alaska’s budget woes
New calls to raise Alaska’s mining taxes and royalties come as state officials face difficult fiscal decisions.
As Trump eyes Greenland and Arctic resources, America's ambassadorship for the region goes unfilled
Alaskans and others tracking America’s stance toward the Arctic are waiting for details of President Trump's new policy.
Alaska’s governor flew to Taiwan to sell LNG. China's not happy.
China says Dunleavy's trip "sends a very wrong signal to the 'Taiwan independence' separatist forces."
Above the Yukon River, on Native land, Hilcorp is set to drill for oil this summer
Hilcorp has signed oil leases with Doyon, the Indigenous-owned corporation for Interior Alaska, which hopes the drilling effort will yield the state’s next big oil field. But there’s fierce opposition from local tribes.
Will it? Won't it? And when? Anchorage contends with a restive volcano in its backyard.
The uncertainty around the eruption's timing has provoked a wide range of emotions from the Alaskans living in Mt. Spurr’s shadow, who have turned to social media and therapists to help them get through it.
Record gold prices could mean a banner year for Alaska mines
“Anyone with an operating gold mine is in a happy spot right now,” said one mining executive.
Months after fish died near an Alaska mine, state regulators and the mine’s owner still don’t know what killed them.
“Sometimes you’re just never going to have data that says, ‘Yes, that’s what it was,” said a top state regulator.
In Norway, a fossil fuel feud at a celebration of the national sport
A standoff between World Championships organizers and Norwegian climate advocates is threatening to mar an otherwise impeccably executed event.
“We like Canada the way it is”: As cross-border relations turn ugly, Alaskans and Yukoners work to stay friends
For Alaska’s eastern neighbors, dual threats of tariffs and annexation still loom.
An update from the Northern Journal trail
Some news and notes, including a leg wrestling video, about my work and travels over the past couple of months.
Juneau’s push to expand renewable power could boost the region’s mines — or cost them
Amid proposals to electrify Juneau’s cruise docks and build a new hydroelectric plant, one of the area’s major mines has a lot to gain. The other has more to lose.