Energy

KYUK’s Evan Erickson spoke with Northern Journal reporter Nat Herz, who traveled to Hooper Bay as part of a broader look at what leaders describe as an unfolding crisis that threatens barge-dependent communities in Western Alaska.

Consumers across the country are contending with sharply higher fuel prices amid a supply crunch brought on by the closure of a key strait in the Middle East. But even residents of California, where $6-a-gallon gas prices are making headlines, would face sticker shock if they traveled to Hooper Bay, or any of the dozens of other villages and hub towns across Western Alaska.

Lawmakers advanced $29 million to offset school districts’ rising energy costs next year, and a plan for the state to cover the bulk of districts' energy costs statewide starting in 2028.

Alaska has seen skyrocketing gas prices driven by the war in Iran. But communities in the western part of the state that have been burning last year’s fuel are bracing for their own crisis as they anticipate what could be an even more drastic spike with the arrival of the first barges of the spring.

The gap between the price of Brent crude and North Slope crude "may be the highest value in history."

The war in Iran is risking what could be a catastrophic spike in the price of fuel in the rural villages and hub communities across Alaska’s coast — and distributors are also warning of possible supply shortages.

Bethel Democratic Sen. Lyman Hoffman recently visited his hometown, where he says he plans to spend some quality time after doing what he can to help fund the state's ailing budget in his final legislative session.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski called the program a “lifesaver” for residents in Alaska when questioning Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about its future.

While the Trump administration emphasizes fossil fuel extraction and pauses funding for renewable projects, the Alaska senator describes renewables as key to energy independence.

The hydrokinetic turbine pilot project, scheduled to launch in June, is a partnership between the Native Village of Napaimute, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and Oregon-based company BladeRunner Energy.