After historic crash, Yukon River’s iconic king salmon run shows early signs of rebound
The jump in salmon numbers has also inflamed a debate about fishing bans amid reports of illegal harvests.
BY Max GrahamAug 14, 2026
REPORTER & CONTRIBUTOR
Max Graham
Journalist covering Alaska politics, land, energy, environment, and community affairs for Northern Journal & Anchorage Press.
STORIES BY MAX GRAHAM (63)
On Trump, salmon and bison confusion: An Alaska-themed Q&A with the Yukon Territory’s top official
Currie Dixon is premier of the Yukon Territory. A lot of the issues on his mind might also be on yours.
BY Max GrahamJul 22, 2026
With industry wary of Arctic Refuge, Alaska's own government plans a lonely quest for oil
AIDEA is spending as much as $175 million to look for petroleum in the refuge.
BY Max GrahamJul 16, 2026
With tens of millions at stake, feud over trans-Alaska pipeline value heads to court
Alaska’s major oil companies, and three municipalities, have filed separate appeals of a state tax board decision that set the value of the pipeline at $13 billion.
BY Max GrahamJun 29, 2026
Juneau's cherished ski area is losing money. Will the city keep paying?
The future of Eaglecrest — and Juneau's identity as a ski town — has never been so fraught.
BY Max GrahamJun 29, 2026
Meet the Spanish company at the heart of Alaska’s oil industry revival
Repsol is emerging as one of the state’s most bullish oil companies.
BY Max GrahamJun 10, 2026
In setback for oil companies, tax board raises trans-Alaska pipeline value by $3 billion
But the decision is likely to head to be appealed to the courts.
BY Max GrahamMay 28, 2026
New Trump administration proposal aims to accelerate drilling amid Alaska oil industry’s revival
"It’s pretty extreme,” said one longtime Alaska environmental advocate.
BY Max GrahamMay 26, 2026
Alaska development agency approves $190 million budget for Arctic refuge oil exploration, leasing
AIDEA intends to move ahead with geologic testing on its leases in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, and to bid on new ones in an upcoming federal sale.
BY Max GrahamMay 14, 2026
The state of Alaska could spend nearly $200 million on oil exploration, leasing in Arctic refuge
Alaska’s economic development agency, AIDEA, wants to conduct geologic testing on its existing oil leases — and to bid on new ones — in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
BY Max GrahamMay 11, 2026
A federal mining inspector wanted to investigate a Fairbanks property. Then, a state trooper called.
A legal dispute reflects a new twist to longstanding tensions between Alaska's small-scale miners and federal regulatory agencies.
BY Max GrahamMay 7, 2026
With gold prices still soaring, a major Alaska mine proposal is getting a new look
For years, some of Alaska’s largest mining proposals inched along, unable to attract big investment. Then the price of gold took off.
BY Max GrahamMay 4, 2026
In court, Pebble developer says 27 salmon stand in the massive mine’s way
"I'll kill them all right now, with my bare hands," one mine booster said in a recent video posted online.
BY Max GrahamApr 22, 2026
First he scoured the Pacific for Amelia Earhart’s missing plane. Now he wants to search Alaska’s seafloor for minerals.
The Trump administration could open federal waters off Alaska to mineral leasing, but the effort faces broad opposition.
BY Max GrahamApr 16, 2026
A giant lease sale could launch a new era of oil on Alaska's North Slope
Two huge companies thought to have little interest in Alaska investment, Shell and ExxonMobil, spent millions to buy new leases on the North Slope — though drilling still faces obstacles.
BY Max GrahamMar 26, 2026
One of Alaska’s flagship mines soon could draw energy from the sun
Red Dog is racing to displace costly diesel with solar power before federal tax credits expire.
BY Max GrahamMar 19, 2026
After spending big on Donlin, billionaire sells stake in company with Ambler prospects
John Paulson sold a relatively small stake in Trilogy Metals around the time Trump officials announced a direct government investment in the company.
BY Max GrahamMar 4, 2026
Trump is all in on mining in Alaska. With one glaring exception: Pebble.
Lawyers for the Trump administration are defending a Biden-era decision to veto the controversial Pebble project in Alaska’s Bristol Bay region.
BY Max GrahamFeb 25, 2026
Ambler Road agreement calls for private access, subsistence safeguards and Native corporation contracts
Northern Journal obtained a copy of a recent agreement between Alaska Native corporations and the state agency pushing the contentious Ambler Road project.
BY Max GrahamFeb 20, 2026
A major new Arctic oil field prompted a deal to protect caribou. Then Trump officials backed out.
In December, the Interior Department scrapped an agreement with the village of Nuiqsut to restrict oil development near important caribou grounds. Now, the village is suing.
BY Max GrahamFeb 17, 2026
In new agreement with state, Indigenous landowners soften resistance to Ambler Road
Three Alaska Native corporations and the state agency pushing the Ambler Road quietly signed a nonbinding agreement late last year.
BY Max GrahamFeb 4, 2026
ConocoPhillips says North Slope drilling will continue mostly as planned after rig collapse
The company said it will replace “The Beast” with another Doyon rig.
BY Max GrahamJan 26, 2026
‘Harm against our family’: Alaska’s Indigenous leaders call for solidarity with Greenlanders amid Trump’s threats
“We are essentially the same people."
BY Max GrahamJan 22, 2026
Alaska's oil renaissance has arrived at the doorstep of an Iñupiaq village
'Do you want your kids to see a drilling rig right outside your window?' asked one local leader in Nuiqsut.
BY Max GrahamJan 20, 2026
Mine workers ready respirators and go-bags as Red Dog contends with hazardous gas buildup
A recent uptick in sulfur dioxide emissions has fueled health concerns and a public response from the Indigenous-owned corporation that owns the land beneath the mine.
BY Max GrahamJan 8, 2026
Indigenous nation to get $7,250-per-person payments as a contentious mine advances upstream of Alaska
The Eskay Creek project is one of several prospective mines near the British Columbia-Alaska border, where the government and industry have promised new investments.
BY Max GrahamDec 23, 2025
Alaska mining company pushing Cook Inlet, Hatcher Pass projects will merge with Canadian firm
Contango Ore helped build Alaska’s newest major mine. Its merger with and Dolly Varden Silver comes amid a flurry of deals in the state’s mining industry.
BY Max GrahamDec 9, 2025
Thawing permafrost is causing trouble for the Red Dog mine. Solutions could be costly.
Rusting rivers and huge rainfall have complicated pollution control at Northwest Alaska’s massive zinc mine.
BY Max GrahamDec 2, 2025
An unexpected friendship flight: How two Chinese pilots landed in a tiny Iñupiaq village in Alaska
After a blizzard forced an emergency landing in the Bering Strait village of Teller, the pilots have been sampling local delicacies.
BY Max GrahamNov 20, 2025
Inside one of Alaska’s national parks, a fight looms over a possible gold mine
An Alaska Native corporation leased mineral rights inside a national park to Contango Ore Inc. The company’s plans are generating opposition from fishermen and conservationists.
BY Max GrahamNov 14, 2025
An Alaska Native group was set to honor a Pebble mining official. Then came the backlash.
The controversy over a typically celebratory honor underscores the intense polarization over resource development in Alaska Native communities.
BY Max GrahamNov 4, 2025
Trump has given new life to the Ambler Road. But it’s still not a sure thing.
Litigation, financing and skepticism from Alaska Native landowners still stand in the project's way.
BY Max GrahamOct 9, 2025
A feud is escalating over Big Oil’s plans to protect Prince William Sound from another spill
The city of Valdez and the owner of the trans-Alaska pipeline are locked in a dispute over environmental protections at the state’s crude oil shipping port.
BY Max GrahamSep 30, 2025
A global megadeal would give one of Alaska's largest mines a new operator
Red Dog mine powers the Northwest Alaska economy, and its future is uncertain. But the planned merger appears unlikely to change much for the operation.
BY Max GrahamSep 12, 2025
A small Texas firm is gearing up for a $150 million search for oil beneath the Arctic Ocean
Narwhal Exploration is one of three small, privately owned companies with offshore leases in West Harrison Bay, a promising but largely unexplored area once controlled by Shell.
BY Max GrahamSep 5, 2025
The secret life of sculpin — a tiny fish that helps scientists monitor mines
Behold, the slimy sculpin.
BY Max GrahamAug 20, 2025
“Exhausting and demoralizing”: How public media in rural Alaska is responding to federal spending cuts
A Q&A with two longtime Alaska public radio employees
BY Max GrahamJul 29, 2025
Canadian company exits contentious uranium mining project in Western Alaska
Opponents cautiously celebrate, but the owner of the mining claims is looking for a new partner.
BY Max GrahamJul 22, 2025
In court filing, Trump administration hints at a lifeline for embattled Pebble project
After a landmark veto, Trump administration officials say they’re “open to reconsideration” and are negotiating a potential settlement of a lawsuit filed by Pebble’s developer.
BY Max GrahamJul 11, 2025
A national quest for uranium comes to remote Western Alaska, raising fears in a nearby village
Demand for low-carbon nuclear energy could boost uranium prospects on Alaska’s Seward Peninsula. But residents of the small village of Elim fear a mine would pollute the river they depend on.
BY Max GrahamJun 18, 2025
In Canada’s ‘Silicon Valley’ of mining, speculators power a hunt for Alaska’s minerals
Vancouver, British Columbia, home to dozens of companies searching the world for minerals, has a special interest in the northernmost U.S. state.
BY Max GrahamJun 17, 2025
Fueled by trade tensions and foreign wars, a rush for an obscure mineral heats up in Alaska
A Texas company recently acquired 50 square miles of mining claims across interior Alaska. Now it wants to start trucking antimony — a mineral used in weapons and solar panels — to its processing plant in Montana.
BY Max GrahamJun 5, 2025
Who will benefit from melting glaciers?
In a remote corner of North America, salmon and mining companies are vying for new territory.
BY Max GrahamMay 22, 2025
A contentious mining project in Southeast Alaska just changed hands. Its new owner is already looking to sell.
Opponents are celebrating the news as a setback for the Palmer Project near Haines, one of the state’s most advanced — and polarizing — mining projects.
BY Max GrahamMay 8, 2025
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.
BY Max GrahamApr 29, 2025
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.
BY Max GrahamApr 24, 2025
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.
BY Max GrahamApr 22, 2025
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.
BY Max GrahamMar 21, 2025
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.
BY Max GrahamMar 19, 2025
“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.
BY Max GrahamFeb 27, 2025
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.
BY Max GrahamFeb 19, 2025
A major Alaska mine could end up in the crossfire of Trump’s trade war with Canada
Teck's Red Dog mine in Northwest Alaska supplies the U.S. with zinc and germanium — but only after those minerals get processed in Canada.
BY Max GrahamJan 30, 2025
Could a push to expand winter trails boost a controversial mining road west of Anchorage?
Boosters of a mining road in the backcountry northwest of Anchorage are poised to get a $100,000 federal grant for trail work. Some locals see it as part of an under-the-radar effort to push the road forward.
BY Max GrahamJan 16, 2025
This company helped build an Alaska mine without a tailings dump. Can it build two more?
Touting an unconventional approach, Contango Ore says it can develop mines faster and with a smaller environmental footprint. But some Alaskans fear an influx of ore trucks on state roads.
BY Max GrahamJan 2, 2025
Feds approve key step toward expansion at major Northwest Alaska zinc mine
Red Dog mine, a regional economic linchpin, is running low on ore. With a new permit in hand, the multinational company that operates the project is now moving quickly to try to extend its life.
BY Max GrahamDec 6, 2024
Interesting Stuff: Researchers eye low-carbon fuel from Alaska rocks, Biden official visits a B.C. mine and election results boost Ambler mining company.
We've got items on the proposed Ambler road and neighboring mines, a project to research low-carbon fuel that could come from Alaska mines and Indigenous challenges to mining projects in British Columbia and the Nome area.
BY Max GrahamDec 5, 2024
Japanese smelting giant pulls out of major Southeast Alaska mining project
The Palmer development, near a glacier above the salmon-bearing Chilkat River, has for years fueled political divisions in the town of Haines. Now it's getting a new owner, raising questions about the project's future.
BY Max GrahamNov 21, 2024
America needs antimony for weapons and solar panels. The mining industry is looking to Alaska.
Two Australian companies are pursuing federal funding to jump-start antimony mining near Fairbanks and Anchorage.
BY Max GrahamNov 15, 2024
Above the Stikine River, the Canadian government is boosting a huge mining project you’ve probably never heard of
Canada’s federal government plans to fund a key road at the Galore Creek development, along a major salmon bearing river that flows into Southeast Alaska near the fishing town of Wrangell.
BY Max GrahamOct 21, 2024
Dozens of fish died near a Southeast Alaska gold mine. Two months later, state regulators haven’t determined what killed them.
State fish scientists say the circumstances of the fish kill suggest that it stems from a water quality problem. But regulators say they're still waiting from data from the Kensington gold mine's operator.
BY Max GrahamOct 4, 2024
“Huge disaster”: Historically weak pink salmon runs strain Alaska’s seine fishermen
Skippers in Prince William Sound and Kodiak say this year's pink harvest is one of the worst they’ve ever seen. “I wake up every morning and I try to apply for a different job," one said.
BY Max GrahamAug 9, 2024
A Canadian gold mine spill raises fears among Alaskans on the Yukon River
Officials say cyanide pollution at Victoria Gold’s Eagle Mine poses no health risks to Alaskans. But advocates worry it could compound a yearslong salmon crisis on the Yukon River — and should draw new attention to Canadian mines in areas that drain into Alaska waterways.
BY Max GrahamJul 24, 2024
Inside a company’s bid to make Alaska’s next big oil field lower-carbon
With the future of fossil fuels in question, an Australian oil company is branding its new Arctic development as climate-friendly.
BY Max GrahamJul 2, 2024