For years, shipping safety advocates have called for better protections against oil spills in the Aleutian chain. Now, the plan for a new prevention and response system is finally finished.
The Aleutian Islands Risk Assessment’s new draft report recommends some familiar solutions in new places – all at a cost of almost $14 million a year.
Read full story: http://kucb.org/news/article/aleutians-risk-assessment-unveils-spill-prevention-plan/
A dynamic event is underway in Arctic Alaska — one that, if successful, could have a profound effect on our state’s economy.
Shell Alaska is preparing to drill for oil this summer in Alaska’s offshore continental shelf. To date, Shell has expended over $7 billion in gearing up for its effort. It anticipates substantially advancing its delineation effort by the end of this year’s drilling season.
Read full story: http://juneauempire.com/opinion/2015-07-22/my-turn-action-alaskas-arctic
Last month, the Canadian government gave conditional approval to the Northern Gateway pipeline in British Columbia. If it’s built, it’ll bring hundreds more oil tankers through the Bering Sea.
That’s putting pressure on the Aleutian Islands to get ready for an increase in vessel traffic.
Read full story: http://www.ktoo.org/2014/07/04/aleutians-prepare-vessel-traffic-canadian-pipeline-advances/
Signs of a huge investment in the past abound here. The huge storage buildings, long docks for ships, and stylish suburban housing for thousands of military personnel and families are nearly all empty, following the end of the Cold War between the United States and former Soviet Union. The Naval Air Facility closed in the 1990s because of the absence of an enemy that made the remote site’s high maintenance costs worthwhile, thanks to fear as a funding source.
Read full story: http://www.thebristolbaytimes.com/article/1238adak_hopes_oil_trans-arctic_shipping_will
Oil and gas development in the Arctic could bring some major changes to the city of Adak. On Tuesday, Offshore Systems Inc and several subsidiaries of the Aleut Corporation signed an agreement to collaborate on developing the former military base as a support hub for Arctic oil drilling. OSI spokesperson Jim Butler says the community is a logical place for future development.
Read full story: http://kucb.org/news/article/adak-to-support-offshore-oil-and-gas-development/
The speech that follows was presented by Thomas Mack, president of the Aleut Corporation at the Arctic Imperative Summit in June at Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, Alaska.
Read full story: http://www.alaskapublic.org/2011/09/09/arctic-imperative-thomas-mack-president-aleut-corporation/