PART 62 Van's Dive Bar
Van’s is on Fire
At a legendary local venue, a fire, a recovery and now, a transition.
Reported by Brian 'BMac' MacMillan
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INVESTIGATIVE SERIES · ECONOMY
TRANS-ALASKA PIPELINE TAX VALUE FIGHT
Ongoing reporting on the multi-billion dollar municipal tax valuation battle between oil majors and the State of Alaska.
← ALL INVESTIGATIVE SERIES
Economy 62 DISPATCHES IN TIMELINE
PART 61 Economy
A California cloud-seeding company created rain near Homer — and an uproar
Local officials say they weren’t informed before a recent ‘cloud-seeding’ test on the Kenai Peninsula.
Reported by Max Graham
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PART 60 opinion
Alaska politicians sport beards and bear-hunting bona fides to claim authenticity. But those tropes originated Outside.
The ‘Real Alaskan’ is cheap repackaging of what one historian describes as hunter-heroes, Kaitlin Jade Armstrong writes in an opinion piece.
Reported by Kaitlin Jade Armstrong
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PART 59 Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
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.
Reported by Max Graham
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PART 58 Halong
Haunted by Halong
Western Alaska youth are grappling with trauma they suffered during last year's climate disaster.
Reported by Jess Zhang, The Margin
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PART 57 trans-Alaska pipeline system
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.
Reported by Max Graham
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PART 56 Alaska governor
Alaska governor's race survey: how much should companies pay in oil taxes?
We also ask what album candidates would bring if they were stranded on the remote Bering Sea island of St. Matthew.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 55 commercial fishing
Alaska’s board of fish restricted a commercial fleet to protect Western Alaska salmon. Then the AG stepped in.
Subsistence fishermen are fighting the attorney general’s decision to overturn the board’s action.
Reported by Olivia Ebertz
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PART 54 gas prices
“You'd be crying at the pump”: This Alaska village's gas was $8.44 — before the Iran war
Gas and heating fuel prices in rural Alaska were already high. An impending spike from the Iran war could "wipe out" communities.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 53 trans-Alaska pipeline system
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.
Reported by Max Graham
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PART 52 Alaska governor
New independent group, 'Build the Damn Roads!', will support Alaska GOP governor candidate Wilson
The super PAC-type group hasn’t reported any fundraising yet, but it’s working with professional political operatives.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 51 data centers
A huge data center could rise on Alaska’s North Slope
The $500 million project could consume twice as much natural gas as urban Alaska’s grid.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 50 trans-Alaska pipeline system
After 10-year truce, a major tax dispute looms over the trans-Alaska pipeline system
Hundreds of millions of dollars in property taxes for the state, the North Slope and Fairbanks boroughs and the city of Valdez could be at stake.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 49 Crude oil
More Alaska crude flows to Asia as Strait of Hormuz stays shut
Two tankers have departed Valdez for Asia in recent weeks — the same number that shipped oil to Asia in all of 2025.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 48 Alaska governor
Alaska governor's race survey: climate change and dinner guests
Candidates tell us how they'd respond to threats like typhoons and thawing permafrost, and with whom they'd want to dine — living or dead.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 47 Click Bishop
An Alaska GOP governor candidate is getting a boost from organized labor
A newly formed group will spend “six figures” to support former state senator Click Bishop.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 46 Alaska governor
Alaska governor's race survey: health care costs, and candidates' own premium payments
Candidates tell us how they'd respond to threats like typhoons and thawing permafrost, and with whom they'd want to dine — living or dead.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 45 oil
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.
Reported by Max Graham
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PART 44 Alaska governor
Governor's race survey: the PFD question. (And ferries.)
Candidates propose their PFD amounts — and tell us the last time they rode an Alaska state ferry.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 43 Pebble
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.
Reported by Max Graham
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PART 42 Nuiqsut
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.
Reported by Max Graham
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PART 41 governor
Governor's race survey: How much money would you propose for schools? And: cars.
Candidates share what they'd propose for a per-student schools budget, and dish about their whips.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 40 Andrew Kastning
Outside Olympic glamour, cross-country skiing’s Alaska-based broadcasters face late nights and solo calls
Kikkan Randall is one of the commentators who pulls graveyard shifts over the weekend to call races happening in Europe.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 39 Alaska LNG
Governor's race survey: Should Alaska spend millions more on its huge LNG project? Plus, Alaska books.
Many candidates say they'll make the $40 billion-plus LNG project a priority.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 38 Nuiqsut
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.
Reported by Max Graham
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PART 37 alaska
Alaska's candidates for governor weigh in on oil taxes, and how to cook fish
New from Northern Journal: a recurring survey of candidates for governor.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 36 Mike Dunleavy
Alaska’s governor said he texts Trump. I asked for copies.
"Give them all MY LOVE. Wow!" Trump said in one of his messages to Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who says he tries not to abuse his access to one of the most powerful men in the world.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 35 Red Dog Mine
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.
Reported by Max Graham
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PART 34 Economy
Food review: This Californian ate five Valdez burritos in 72 hours – on purpose
A Northern Journal contributor explores the culinary delights of a community whose name he hoped would denote a thriving Latino culture.
Reported by Matt Drange
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PART 33 oil spills
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.
Reported by Max Graham
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PART 32 Chugach Electric Association
With gas crunch looming, Alaska's utilities won’t get big wind before tax credits expire. Here’s why.
One utility leader points to private developers and the Trump tax bill. But advocates say utilities share some of the blame.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 31 Julius R
Offshore in Cook Inlet, a 'silent economy' hunts for gas to keep Alaska running
Northern Journal helicoptered out to the offshore rig drilling for the increasingly scarce natural gas that powers urban Alaska.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 30 bitcoin mining
New Alaska Bitcoin mine would use as much power as the state’s largest coal plant produces
The startup planning the operation near the North Slope oil fields would power its computers not with coal but with another fossil fuel: natural gas that’s currently going unused.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 29 podcast
Northern Journal news and a side of Interesting Stuff
The podcast is back! And other news.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 28 Mike Dunleavy
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."
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 27 Hilcorp
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.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 26 natural gas
Regulators, advocates warn of utility inaction as Alaska gas shortfall looms
“The window for making decisions is closing,” said one top regulator. “If things just sort of slide and there’s no leadership, and we’re in the same position 12 months from now, we are looking at a dire, dire, situation. And people should get angry.”
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 25 Red Dog Mine
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.
Reported by Max Graham
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PART 24 Hilcorp
Arctic Bitcoin? Hilcorp, tech firm aim to test North Slope data center
A Hilcorp oil field in Alaska’s Arctic is set to host a tech firm that wants to use natural gas-fired power to mine digital currency.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 23 Joe Nelson
Interesting stuff: Dunleavy attends Trump fundraiser, solar for Alaska airports, and a company wants $50 million in state loans for natural gas drilling
Also: A renewable energy advocacy group says a recent ruling by state regulators is an "abdication" of their responsibility, and a contested election for leadership of Alaska's largest statewide Native organization.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 22 Mike Dunleavy
Data centers face growing opposition Outside. Gov. Mike Dunleavy wants them in Alaska.
The Republican governor says Alaska has in excess what the data industry is finding increasingly scarce Outside: land and water, if not cheap electricity. He also says new data centers would boost the case for Alaska’s proposed natural gas pipeline.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 21 black cod
Interesting Stuff: How Alaska regulators ignored a gas conservation scheme. And: What happened to those Kodiak king salmon?
The Regulatory Commission of Alaska rejected a proposal to increase electricity rates for heavier users. And: updates on the Kodiak king salmon bycatch incident and the future of Peter Pan Seafood.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 20 Regulatory Commission of Alaska
Interesting stuff: Anchorage water wars, a Doyon pipeline deal and a law firm’s look at the Permanent Fund
Interesting Stuff is back from hibernation. Items include a feud between bottled water companies and Anchorage's water utility, a Doyon subsidiary's acquisition of a share of a major pipeline on the North Slope and continuing turnover at the Regulatory Commission of Alaska.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 19 ConocoPhillips
In latest sign of North Slope’s evolution, privately owned Texas company targets Chevron’s Alaska assets
A little known Texas company is buying a share of a key North Slope pipeline and asked to buy all of Chevron's oil interests in the region — reviving questions about the Alaska oil industry’s capacity to decommission aging infrastructure and pay damages in the event of a spill.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 18 black cod
A public serv-fish announcement: You should be eating more black cod.
Alaska caught black cod is oily and delicious, and it's selling at rock bottom prices right now in part because of the devaluation of the Japanese yen.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 17 Economy
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.
Reported by Max Graham
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PART 16 Newsletter
Shell abandons North Slope oil leases, raising questions about the industry’s future in Alaska
As the world pivots toward lower-carbon energy sources in response to global warming, experts say some of the state’s hard-to-tap oil prospects are becoming less attractive.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 15 Newsletter
Alaska utility regulators work shorthanded as policymakers consider tighter qualifications
Alaska’s five-member public utility commission has a vacancy with no announced timeline for filling it. Meanwhile, some policymakers and advocates want to tighten commissioner qualifications.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 14 Newsletter
Political pressure builds as state-led Alaska LNG project goes another year without a deal
GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy is asking legislators to spend another $4.5 million on marketing and development of the huge LNG project. But lawmakers sound increasingly skeptical.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 13 Newsletter
Could a new Alaska coal power plant be climate friendly? An $11 million study aims to find out.
With state and federal money, University of Alaska researchers plan to explore the viability of a new coal plant in the Susitna River valley that would inject its carbon emissions underground.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 12 Newsletter
Millions for a carbon capture study, Alaska's gas pipeline and a Copper River trail project: A tour of Gov. Dunleavy's capital budget.
Other highlights: money for tree planting and thinning, a new state vessel and plane, and a major budget boost for the state grant program funded by oil production in the National Petroleum Reserve.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 11 Newsletter
I just reviewed 1,000 pages of Alaska budget documents — so you don't have to.
Buried in GOP Gov. Mike Dunleavy's new budget plan are items to escalate the state's subsistence fight with the feds, enhance drone use for law enforcement and pay for a growing number of autopsies.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 10 Newsletter
Interesting stuff: A major Anchorage trailhead upgrade, a legislative trip to North Dakota and Begich-hosted mayoral forums
Plus, Alaska's state-owned economic development agency could invest in a new North Slope infrastructure project.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 9 Newsletter
There's lots of gas in Cook Inlet. Here's why some companies aren't drilling.
Leaders of Alaska's biggest gas and electric utilities say they don't want to risk customer money to invest in uncertain drilling efforts, when imported LNG appears reliable and competitively priced.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 8 Newsletter
Amid natural gas crunch, an Alaska utility asks to resurrect in-state gas pipeline
Enstar wants to take over the project last estimated to cost $10 billion. But its own chief executive acknowledges that the pipeline isn't viable without multi-billion-dollar subsidies from the state.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 7 Newsletter
News Donuts: Ambler delays, a North Slope tax dispute and growing opposition to Alaska's LNG project
The mining company leading the Ambler mine project has shelved a planned summer drilling program amid delays to a related road proposal. Plus a property tax dispute over the Point Thomson oil field.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 6 Newsletter
Anchorage’s electric utility is having the most hotly contested election in years. We surveyed the candidates.
Nine candidates are vying for three seats on Chugach Electric Association's board of directors. Here are their positions on renewable power, transparency and liquefied natural gas imports.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 5 Newsletter
Alaska, long a resource exporter, now wants to profit by leaving timber uncut and pumping carbon underground
Gov. Mike Dunleavy, in an interview, said he doesn't accept that carbon emissions cause climate change. But he still wants the state to benefit from markets that have arisen to address the problem.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 4 Newsletter
ConocoPhillips loses bid to limit competitor’s access to Alaska’s next big oil project
Australia-based Santos got a permit from the state to access its new Pikka development by crossing Conoco's roads. After losing an appeal last week, Conoco could now take its case to court.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 3 Newsletter
Alaska Native corporations take fight over carbon credits revenue to court
A new lawsuit pits three of the state's huge regional corporations against three others, in a battle that could jeopardize a four-decade-old pact that's guided distribution of more than $2 billion.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 2 Newsletter
Could oil-rich Alaska be forced to import LNG? Two utilities are looking into it.
Amid warnings of diminished supplies in the medium-term future, Anchorage's major home heating and electric utilities have hired consultants to examine imports of liquefied natural gas.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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PART 1 Newsletter
New from Nat Herz: Northern Journal
A dispatch from Tokyo, and news on the Alaska Peninsula.
Reported by Nathaniel Herz
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