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Alaska hits back at insurers accused of using ‘woke’ underwriting to reshape energy policy as ANWR reopens

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Alaska hits back at insurers accused of using ‘woke’ underwriting to reshape energy policy as ANWR reopens

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EXCLUSIVE: The state of Alaska sent warning letters Monday to four major insurance firms, saying their climate-related policies may violate state insurance and consumer-protection laws by creating an uneven playing field for energy projects.

The news comes as Alaska’s congressional delegation led a successful effort to disapprove – or overturn – Biden-era restrictions placed on energy exploration in Section 1002 of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) on Thursday, effectively lifting those restrictions. 

Alaska Attorney General Stephen Cox and Commerce Commissioner Julie Sande warned AIG, Zurich, Chubb and The Hartford that some of their policies may conflict with state rules designed to protect Alaska’s status as a leading investment destination, particularly for energy production.

“Alaska’s insurance code is built on a central premise: underwriting decisions must rest on risk, and that means no discrimination based on extra-legal political, environmental, or long-range policy commitments,” the beginning of each of the four letters read.

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The Alaska pipeline parallels the famous ‘ice-road-trucker’ Dalton Hwy in Alaska. (Lance King/Getty Images)

“And where the insurance code doesn’t reach, our consumer-protection statute prohibits unfair or deceptive acts or practices, which could include misrepresentations of compliance with Alaska law in contractual dealings.”

Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy told Fox News Digital his administration is taking a close look at “friction points” that may make it harder to build things in the Last Frontier.

“With respect to how our projects get insured, we’re concerned that some of the underwriting standards being applied today—particularly broad Arctic exclusions and long-range climate-driven policy restrictions—may be shutting out responsible Alaska projects for reasons that have nothing to do with actual risk,” he said.

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Dunleavy said the letters are foremost meant to start a dialogue with the four insurers so that he and officials in Juneau can better understand their policies and underwriting criteria – and clear up any “misconceptions about our state.”

In the state’s letter to AIG CEO Peter Zaffino, Alaskan officials wrote of “substantial concerns” about the insurer’s treatment of the state’s oil and gas sector, amid documentation it published committing to “phasing out” underwriting of existing operation insurance risks and halting new investments for clients deriving 30% or more revenue from coal or oil-sands by 2030.

The company also cited a 2050 net-zero greenhouse gas emissions standard for its policies in a separate document footnoted in the letter.

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“AIG’s net-zero underwriting goal necessarily will result in emissions requirements that do not appear to be tied to short-term actuarial risk within the policy period,” Juneau’s letter read.

“AIG’s goal appears to be an effort to reshape a lawful sector according to AIG’s long-term environmental commitments.”

In a sentiment expressed to The Hartford, Juneau officials wrote that, “when an insurer adopts blanket exclusions based on geography or on long-range public policy objectives untethered to risk, those exclusions function as de-facto prohibitions on investment.”

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In its letter to Zurich’s North America executive Kristof Terryn, Alaska also cited a reported “net-zero” goal of 2050, writing that “whatever the merits of those commitments, Alaska law requires insurers to treat insureds with like risk characteristics alike and to base underwriting decisions on risk—not on corporate climate-policy preferences or extra-legal standards developed to “[l]imit… average temperature increases” in line with the Paris Agreement,” citing a company document.

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It warned that Zurich in the future may run afoul of the Alaska Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Act, but stressed “we do not reach that conclusion here, but it is part of our broader review.”

Alaska took issue with Chubb’s March 2025 announcement that it would no longer underwrite oil and gas projects in International Union for the Conservation of Nature management categories one through four – which it noted included ANWR.

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Cox and Sande wrote that the underwriting prohibition on ANWR is one that “uniquely affects Alaska” and that “Alaska has invested years of planning and permitting work to open responsible opportunity in the ANWR… no other state faces this kind of prohibition.”

Consumers’ Research executive director Will Hild told Fox News Digital that the situation reveals “woke capitalism masquerading as risk management.”

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“[I]t threatens jobs, consumers, and President Trump’s energy agenda. Consumers’ Research applauds the Alaska delegation for standing up to these woke insurers and defending Alaskan consumers from political ideology.”

As a response to potential criticisms from a macro level, Juneau officials said Alaska is home to modern transmission systems, well-trained operators and “robust” environmental protection rules.

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ANWR is shown. (Fox News/On The Record)

In prior statements, Chubb CEO Evan Greenberg assured observers that his company will continue supporting energy development through its underwriting.

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“We’re continuing to insure oil and gas because the world needs energy,” Greenberg said. “We don’t yet have great alternatives to gas and oil. And it would be irresponsible of us not to continue to insure those in a responsible way.” 

ChubbFacts, a noted fact-check site supporting the insurance giant’s arguments in cases such as this, pushed back on claims of “wokeness” and other critiques, saying that it insured some of President Donald Trump’s legal cases, as well as oil companies, manufacturers, construction firms, and American farmers as a leading agricultural insurer—regardless of politics.”

“We’ve taken heat from climate activists for continuing to insure energy companies, but our focus never shifts,” the company wrote on ChubbFacts.com.

Fox News Digital reached out to media contact addresses for The Hartford, AIG, Zurich and Chubb for additional comment.

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Alaska

Alaska Air National Guard rescues injured snowmachiner near Cooper Landing

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Alaska Air National Guard rescues injured snowmachiner near Cooper Landing


 

An Alaska Air National Guard HH-60W Jolly Green II helicopter, assigned to the 210th Rescue Squadron, 176th Wing, returns to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska, after conducting a rescue mission for an injured snowmachiner, Feb. 21, 2026. The mission marked the first time the AKANG used the HH-60W for a rescue. (U.S. Air National Guard photo by Staff Sgt. Joseph Moon)

Alaska Air National Guard personnel conducted a rescue mission Saturday, Feb. 21, after receiving a request for assistance from the Alaska State Troopers through the Alaska Rescue Coordination Center.

The mission was initiated to recover an injured snowmachiner in the Cooper Landing area, approximately 60 air miles south of Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. The Alaska Air National Guard accepted the mission, located the individual, and transported them to Providence Alaska Medical Center in Anchorage for further medical care.

The mission marked the first search and rescue operation conducted by the 210th Rescue Squadron using the HH-60W Jolly Green II, the Air Force’s newest combat rescue helicopter, which is replacing the older HH-60G Pave Hawk. Guardian Angels assigned to the 212th Rescue Squadron were also aboard the aircraft and assisted in the recovery of the injured individual.

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Good Samaritans, who were on the ground at the accident site, deployed a signal flare, that helped the helicopter crew visually locate the injured individual in the heavily wooded area.
Due to the mountainous terrain, dense tree cover, and deep snow in the area, the helicopter was unable to land near the patient. The aircrew conducted a hoist insertion and extraction of the Guardian Angels and the injured snowmachiner. The patient was extracted using a rescue strop and hoisted into the aircraft.

The Alaska Air National Guard routinely conducts search and rescue operations across the state in support of civil authorities, providing life-saving assistance in some of the most remote and challenging environments in the world.



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Arizona

Arizona NAACP responds to ‘Simon Says’ case, calls for police accountability

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Arizona NAACP responds to ‘Simon Says’ case, calls for police accountability


PHOENIX — The Arizona NAACP is responding to the violent arrest of Israel Devoe, a Phoenix man who was acquitted of all charges stemming from a 2024 traffic stop in which officers punched, kneed, and elbowed him.

Sarah Tyree, president of the Arizona NAACP State Conference, said the case is part of a broader and familiar pattern.

“What happened here reflects a pattern our communities know all too well. Time and again, we see policing tactics that are dangerous and deeply harmful to civilians, yet are later justified as ‘within policy’ through carefully crafted reports and the broad protections afforded under Graham v. Connor,” Tyree wrote in an emailed statement following an ABC15 investigation.

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Phoenix police officials found all four officers involved in Devoe’s arrest to have acted within policy, records show.

After a two-day trial, jurors unanimously found Devoe not guilty on all four of the felony charges against him — including aggravated assault on officers and resisting arrest.

In her statement, Tyree said true accountability is not possible without changing state law.

“Accountability remains out of reach in Arizona because the Peace Officers’ Bill of Rights continues to insulate misconduct from meaningful oversight, too often shifting blame onto the very communities most impacted by these encounters,” she wrote. “We also encourage Arizona voters to engage their state legislators and advocate for the repeal or amendment of the Peace Officers’ Bill of Rights to ensure systems of public safety are truly accountable to the public they serve.”

Devoe’s case again highlights problems with policing in Phoenix, which has been under scrutiny following a Department of Justice investigation that found the city had a pattern and practice of using excessive force, discrimination, and weak oversight.

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The push for federal oversight ended in 2025 after the Trump administration ended such efforts across the country.

Devoe’s civil attorney, Jesse Showalter, also represents Tyron McAlpin, a deaf Black man with cerebral palsy who was violently arrested by Phoenix officers in July 2024. Showalter has said both cases reflect what he described as an accepted norm of extreme violence within the Phoenix Police Department.

A Phoenix police spokesperson said the department declines to comment because Devoe is set to file a lawsuit against the city.

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This digital article was produced with the assistance of AI and converted to this platform based on the broadcast story written and reported by ABC15 Chief Investigator Dave Biscobing (Dave@abc15.com). Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy. 





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California

Rep. Kevin Kiley announces run in California’s redrawn 6th Congressional District

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Rep. Kevin Kiley announces run in California’s redrawn 6th Congressional District



Congressman Kevin Kiley has announced his plan to run in California’s newly redrawn 6th district.

In a statement on Monday, Rep. Kiley revealed he had considered running in the 5th District – which could have set up a possible showdown between two current Republican officeholders.

“It’s true that I was fully prepared to run in the new 5th, having tested the waters and with polls showing a favorable outlook in a “safe” district. But doing what’s easy and what’s right are often not the same,” Kiley stated.

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Kiley currently represents California’s 3rd district, which originally comprised counties making up much of the back spine of the state.

As of the Prop. 50 redistricting push, the 3rd district was redrawn for the 2026 midterm election to lean toward the Democratic Party – with those eastern spine of California counties lopped off and more of Sacramento County, including Rancho Cordova, added.

California’s new 6th district is now comprised of Rocklin, Roseville, Citrus Heights, much of North and East Sacramento, and the city of West Sacramento. Democratic Rep. Ami Bera currently represents the district, but will be running for the new 3rd district in 2026.

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Other declared candidates for the 6th district include Democrats Lauren Babb Thomlinson, Thien Ho, Richard Pan, Kindra Pring, Tyler Vandenberg, and Republicans Christine Bish, Craig DeLuz, and Raymond Riehle. 

Kiley was first elected to the House in 2022 and was reelected in 2024. 





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