New challengers are lining up to oppose the Biden administration’s latest restrictions on oil and gas development in Alaska’s 23 million-acre National Petroleum Reserve.
In parallel lawsuits filed last week, ConocoPhillips Alaska and Republican state Attorney General Treg Taylor urged a federal judge to toss out an Interior Department rule that set stronger environmental protections for more than half of the reserve.
Interior’s Bureau of Land Management advanced the protections as it sought to address public backlash for approving new fossil fuel development in the remote Arctic region, also referred to as the NPR-A. At the same time, Alaskan politicians on both sides of the political aisle have warned that limiting oil and gas drilling in the state would seriously undercut revenue needed to fund a range of public services.
In their lawsuits filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska, Taylor and ConocoPhillips Alaska claimed the BLM rule “dramatically and fundamentally changes” how the reserve is managed.
A highly anticipated oil lease sale in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on Friday generated $3.7 million after failing to attract interest from major drilling companies.
The muted response to the sale in ANWR’s coastal plain was a rebuke to the Trump administration, which hyped the sale as part of its energy dominance agenda. The sale followed earlier, successful lease sales in Alaska and New Mexico that showed signs the oil industry remains largely interested in drilling on public lands.
The sale drew nine bids on five tracts, and the total sum of winning bids for the sale was $3.74 million, of which half goes to the state of Alaska. The bidders were Hex Energy and the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority. AIDEA is an independently governed public corporation.
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“Today’s sale featured multiple bidders and competing bids on multiple tracts, resulting in millions of dollars in new revenue for the American people and for the state of Alaska,” Kevin Pendergast, state director for the Bureau of Land Management in Alaska, said at the sale.
Note: Map shows the area with a shake intensity of 3 or greater, which U.S.G.S. defines as “weak,” though the earthquake may be felt outside the areas shown. All times on the map are Philippine time.The New York Times
A major, 7.8-magnitude earthquake struck in the Celebes Sea near the Philippines on Monday, raising the possibility of a tsunami for the country’s coastlines, according to United States monitoring agencies.
A tsunami advisory has also been issued for Guam, according to the U.S. Tsunami Warning System. There was no threat to the Pacific coastlines of the United States and Canada, the agency said.
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The temblor happened at 7:37 a.m. Philippine time about 15 miles southwest of Burias, Philippines, data from the U.S. Geological Survey shows.
Tsunamis are a series of long waves caused by a large and sudden displacement of water in the ocean, usually from a large earthquake on or below the ocean floor. Tsunamis radiate in all directions from the epicenter and can cause dangerous coastal flooding and powerful currents that can last for hours or days.
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Experts warn that just before a tsunami hits shore, seawater can first be drawn out to sea — exposing large swaths of beach and giving people along the water a false sense that a coast is safe.
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Aftershocks detected
Subsequent quakes have been reported in the same area. Such temblors are typically aftershocks caused by minor adjustments along the portion of a fault that slipped at the time of the initial earthquake.
Quakes and aftershocks within 100 miles
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Aftershocks can occur days, weeks or even years after the first earthquake. These events can be of equal or larger magnitude to the initial earthquake, and they can continue to affect already damaged locations.
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When quakes and aftershocks occurred
All times are Philippine time.The New York Times
As more information becomes available, officials may update, add or cancel tsunami alerts and revise the earthquake’s reported magnitude. Additional information collected about the earthquake may also prompt U.S.G.S. scientists to update the shake-severity map.
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Sources: United States Geological Survey (epicenter, aftershocks, shake intensity); LandScan via Oak Ridge National Laboratory (population density) | Notes: Shaking categories are based on the Modified Mercalli Intensity scale. When aftershock data is available, the corresponding maps and charts include earthquakes within 100 miles and seven days of the initial quake. All times above are Philippine time. Shake data is as of Sunday, June 7 at 7:56 p.m. Eastern. Aftershocks data is as of Sunday, June 7 at 9:38 p.m. Eastern.
(Anchorage) Twenty Alaska educators will hit the road June 7-12, 2026, for an exciting trip across the Last Frontier. Alaska Resource Education’s Natural Resource Management Teacher Externship takes teachers on a trip across Alaska to see the state’s natural resource sites and training locations firsthand.
“The natural resource industry is a big part of Alaska but unless you work within the industry, you’ve probably never had the opportunity to see it up close,” says Beki Toussaint, ARE’s executive director. “The NRM Teacher Externship allows educators to gain important insight into these industries and the many careers within them.”
The externship is also an opportunity for educators to learn how to implement ARE’s curriculum in the classroom. ARE’s curriculum is designed for grades K-12 and aligned with Alaska State Standards.
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“Alaska students are the future of our great state. Our educators are the ones who inspire them and help them unlock what comes next. By investing in our educators, we’re investing in our students,” says Toussaint.
During the week-long trip, educators will visit industry sites including the North Slope, Chena Hot Springs, Kinross Fort Knox Gold Mine and Usibelli Coal Mine. The group will also visit training locations like the Pipeline Training Center and the UAF Community and Technical College. New this year, teachers are taking a private tour of the Mining Hall of Fame followed by a reception with community members.
“Many educators have spent their entire careers in education and have never worked in the trades or had the opportunity to learn how apprenticeships and industry training programs operate. By visiting the mines and speaking directly with industry leaders, my fellow educators and I will gain valuable firsthand knowledge that we can share with our students and communities. As a result, we become ambassadors for both educational opportunities and the industries that help sustain Alaska’s economy and communities.” said Keith Hodson, Anchorage educator.
Teachers from across the state will attend, including educators from Galena, Juneau, Hydaburg, Anchorage, Fairbanks, Soldotna, North Pole, Eagle River, Point Hope and Prince of Wales Island. The NRM Teacher Externship is certified through the University of Alaska as a 500-level course. Successful completion will earn educators three continuing education credits.
ARE is able to offer programs like this due to generous donations from our supporters like, innovation visionary sponsors, Jim & Vicki Jansen Foundation and a partnership grant through the Anchorage School District.
