In a letter sent today to the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the State of Alaska’s Department of Natural Resources called on the federal government to finalize a 2017-2022 offshore oil and natural gas leasing program that “ensures timely and predictable access to Alaska’s highly prospective OCS lands.” Among other things, the letter voices […]
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In a letter sent to the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) today, the U.S. Energy Department (DOE) conveyed its support for including the Alaskan Arctic (Beaufort and Chukchi Seas) and Cook Inlet in the 2017-2022 offshore leasing program. Among other things, DOE noted that the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System flow “is at risk of declining below […]
Continue reading "U.S. Energy Dept. Voices Support for Arctic Lease Sales"
Anchorage NBC affiliate KTUU-TV today reported on how six Arctic communities in Alaska are preparing for the launch of high-speed Internet service and “a flood of new technological potential.” Anticipated to break ground this summer with service commencing in mid-2017, the fiber optic cable will extend from Fairbanks to Nome. Northwest Arctic Borough Chief of Staff Eugene Smith […]
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The Alaska Dispatch News today reported that the Coast Guard icebreaker Healy left Seattle earlier this week for a 4-month research assignment in the Arctic that will focus on the biology, chemistry, geology, and physics of the Arctic Ocean and its ecosystems as well as sonar mapping of the Extended Continental Shelf. The Healy crew will be joined […]
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The Coast Guard today announced that it is hosting the June 7-10 Arctic Coast Guard Principals Forum Meeting in Boston, MA. The meeting, which features the coast guard heads from Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, Sweden, Russia, and the United States, is being convened for the purpose of signing a joint statement establishing frameworks the detail the […]
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The U.S. Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee today held a hearing on the development of the Interior Department’s 2017-2022 OCS oil and gas leasing program. Themes included the importance of a robust leasing program that includes Alaska. Committee Chair Lisa Murkowski (AK) voiced concern with the “chaotic federal regulatory regime” and limited program proposed […]
In a letter sent to U.S. Interior Sec. Sally Jewell today, U.S. Sen.’s Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan and U.S. Rep. Don Young of Alaska conveyed support for a robust 2017-2022 offshore oil and gas leasing program that maintains the three proposed Alaska lease sales in the Chukchi, Beaufort, and Cook Inlet, accelerates their timing, […]
White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director John Holdren today announced that the Obama Administration will host the inaugural Arctic Science Ministerial on Wednesday, September 28. The Ministerial was announced in a March 2016 U.S. – Canada Joint Statement on Climate, Energy, and Arctic Leadership.
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In a joint statement issued today, the U.S., Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden among other things stressed a commitment to managing the Arctic region in an ecosystem-based approach, which the statement says “balances conservation and sustainable use of the environment,” as well as working toward the “highest global standards, best international practice, and a […]
Continue reading "U.S.-Nordic Nations Issue Statement Committing to Arctic Precautionary Approach"
The Interior Department’s Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement today announced the completion of a study conducted with the University of Alaska Anchorage which found that current offshore structural designs can successfully survive sea ice demands under extreme Arctic conditions.