The Biden administration approved the ConocoPhillips’ Willow project today, locking in oil and gas drilling and massive greenhouse gas emissions for decades. This decision undermines Biden’s climate promises and puts industry interests before the health of people and the planet.… Read More

Here we are, well into Alaska’s notorious faux spring, where we’re so excited about the returning light that we forget we’ve got another two or three months of deep winter. If you love snow, Anchorage sure has it. I don’t mean to pour water on those fired up about playing in snow, but I’d be happy to do less shoveling. Especially since I’ve mostly run out of places to put it and I’m having trouble throwing snow that high!

I guess that’s the state of play for Trustees, too.… Read More

By Dawnell Smith Alaska faces serious climate impacts, pollution concerns, and industrial pressures. A new Arctic study shows that the amplified warming in the Arctic exceeds what climate models predict, with dangerous consequences for people and the planet. Meanwhile, decisions … Read More

By Dawnell Smith Agencies produce environmental impact statements to analyze and assess the impacts of a project proposal on people and the environment. An EIS is meant to help agencies make good decisions about proposals that impact land, water, animals, … Read More

By Dawnell Smith The U.S. Bureau of Land Management released a draft supplemental environmental impact statement last week for the massive ConocoPhillips Willow proposal for the western Arctic, with the shortest public comment period legally allowed. The project would spew … Read More

Western Arctic Alaska basks in endless sunlight these days, with caribou and birds migrating, blooms and tundra life emerging, and communities embracing the summertime warmth and nourishment. You can find industrialization here, too, and evidence of extraction and pollution that impacts the health of the region and planet.… Read More

The Biden administration announced in January 2022 that it intends to reverse a Trump-era plan that would have allowed for increased and extensive oil extraction within the largest unit of public land in the country. This is good news, and also it’s not enough. … Read More

August brought good news for the Arctic and planet when a federal court voided illegally issued permits for the ConocoPhillips’ Willow oil and gas project in Alaska’s National Petroleum Reserve. And September brought more good news when the Interior Department directed the Bureau of Land Management to reevaluate the destructive Trump-era 2020 management plan that would open up protected areas of the Reserve to oil and gas and further driving up carbon emissions.… Read More

I visited my family in the Lower 48 last month, and wow, this introvert sure has missed being around people. I still need alone time, of course—and I sure don’t miss the heat—but I do miss the kinship and connections. … Read More