The U.S. Capitol, as seen from the East Plaza. (Liz Ruskin/Alaska Public Media)
WASHINGTON — As the Trump administration freezes spending and hollows out federal offices, just identifying the extent of the impact is difficult, so lawmakers in Juneau and Washington D.C. are resorting to unusual means.
The U.S. Senate Indian Affairs Committee, chaired by Sen. Lisa Murkowski, turned to Facebook this week to gather information.
The committee said in a post that it wants to hear how federal workforce changes and executive orders are affecting Native communities.
“If your community is affected,” the post says, “please share your experiences and concerns by contacting us at oversight@indian.senate.gov.”
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Senators usually have better methods of finding out what the government is up to. Murkowski said gathering information is just one of the goals. They’re also performing administrative triage.
“Some of it, quite honestly, is we’re listening to it and trying to see, ‘All right: Is this one that we can resolve right now with just a phone call?’” she said.
Murkowski said President Trump’s chief of staff, Susie Wiles, recently told Republican senators she doesn’t know about problem unless someone alerts her. Wiles invited Republican senators to call her when they can’t get specific funding unlocked, which, Murkowski said, is helpful.
“You hate to have to say that it’s project-by-project, case-by-case, but sometimes that happens,’ she said.
As for the Trump administration’s termination of federal workers in Alaska, Murkowski said her staffers are trying to compile a list but some agencies, like the National Park Service, are hard to track. She’s heard more about the Alaska terminations in the U.S. Forest Service. Somewhat more.
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“I don’t even want to hazard a guess, but it’s over 50,” she said.
Murkowski said her staffers are hearing from Alaskans and trying to piece together information to “get some more fidelity to the numbers.” But it’s a moving target. Waves of terminations come almost daily, and then some are rescinded. A federal judge in San Francisco said Thursday the Trump administration’s firing of thousands of probationary employees is illegal, but the case is far from over.
That any U.S. senator — and Murkowski in particular — can’t get the data on federal job elimination in public land agencies shows how haphazard the government actions have been. In addition to chairing Indian Affairs, Murkowski chairs the Appropriations subcommittee that drafts the annual spending bills for the Park Service, the Forest Service and the Bureau of Indian Affairs, among other agencies.
Meanwhile, in Juneau, state Rep. Alyse Galvin of Anchorage has launched her own effort to learn the extent of Alaska’s federal job losses. She’s asking Alaskans who were fired from their federal jobs to fill out a Google form.
“‘Currently my family is in upheaval. We do not know if my income will continue from day to day,” one respondent wrote.
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“My job was the culmination of decades of hard work, first to get a PhD … and then to do years of post-doctoral training,” reads another. “My wife is also a fed and may get sacked after 20 years of service. My children are incredibly anxious.”
“I found a place to rent in Palmer for this position,” another person wrote. “Spent two months working and moving in, thousands of dollars to relocate, and was terminated on week 8.”
Galvin said she plans to pass all the stories on to Murkowski, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Nick Begich.
“We hope that it will better inform them and give them what they need, the fire under them, to stand up on the floor and talk about the person from Wasilla …and what they’ve done, what they used to do, how concerned they are for the losses to Alaska,” Galvin said.
So it goes in the early weeks of the second Trump administration. In the absence of hard data and a systematic approach, the hope is that a powerful anecdote can ward off federal havoc.
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Reporter Eric Stone contributed to this report from Juneau.
Alaska Airlines has given its chief financial officer, Shane Tackett, another responsibility — president. Tackett will assume his additional role at the SeaTac-based airline on June 29. (M. Scott Brauer/Bloomberg)
Alaska Airlines has given its chief financial officer, Shane Tackett, another responsibility — president.
Tackett will assume his additional role at the SeaTac-based airline on June 29, according to a news release Wednesday.
Tackett will continue leading the organization’s finance, fleet management, investor relations, supply chain, internal audit and information technology functions, according to the release. His new responsibilities as president include oversight of Alaska Airlines’ commercial division.
Tackett previously held positions in labor relations, e-commerce and financial planning at the company, according to his LinkedIn profile.
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“I started at Alaska more than 25 years ago, and over that time we’ve built a stronger, more resilient airline with a clear strategy for the future,” Tackett said in a statement.
He said he is excited to lead more of the organization in his new role and deliver to guests, employees and owners.
In a statement, Alaska Airlines CEO Ben Minicucci said Tackett has led the company through challenges and helped it grow over his 25-year tenure.
“Bringing commercial and finance leadership together under Shane will strengthen alignment and accelerate our priorities as we continue advancing our strategy and creating long-term value for our stakeholders, said Minicucci, who also serves as CEO and president of the airline’s parent company, Alaska Air Group.
Tackett’s promotion comes as the airline navigates challenging macroeconomic factors, including rising fuel costs and weakening consumer demand for travel.
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Alaska Air Group — which includes Alaska and Hawaiian Airlines, as well as regional carrier Horizon Air and ground support company McGee Air Services — saw its profits drop 70% in 2025 year over year. It continued to face financial woes in 2026.
The company lost $193 million in the first three months of 2026 as it dealt with skyrocketing jet fuel prices due to the war in Iran.
Alaska study sees mixed results on links between kelp farms and CO2 levels
Published 5:30 am Thursday, June 18, 2026
A study into the amount of CO2 absorbed at a pair of Alaska kelp farms is throwing some cold water on hopes that seaweed could be an answer to climate change.
Alaska kelp farms, which have been viewed as a potential boon for reducing local carbon-dioxide levels, have surprisingly murky effects on atmospheric CO2 removal, according to a new study.
A University of Alaska Fairbanks-led project measured the amount of CO2 that was emitted and absorbed at two kelp farms in the Gulf of Alaska during the 2023-2024 growing season. The outcome was mixed — one farm slightly reduced carbon dioxide in the local environment while the other added more to it.
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Marine carbon dioxide removal (mCDR) has been touted as a potential strategy to reduce atmospheric carbon dioxide levels, with the ocean serving as a sink for human-produced CO2.
The study, which was recently published in the journal Ocean Science, is the first to measure mCDR in Alaska waters. It focused on kelp farms, which can draw down CO2 through the process of photosynthesis.
“It’s easy to jump on the bandwagon that seaweed is going to change the world, but ultimately we want to be honest to the public,” said Amanda Kelley, an associate professor at UAF’s College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences and a contributor to the study.
“Really, it’s very nuanced, and there are a lot of factors that affect kelp’s ability to do that.”
Josianne Haag, who led the project as a UAF doctoral student, installed sensors both inside and outside kelp farms in Windy Bay near Cordova and Kalsin Bay on Kodiak Island. From seeding to harvest, hourly data was collected on ocean chemistry, temperature, salinity and oxygen levels.
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The two sites had numerous differences, including the type of seaweed being planted, the timing of their growing seasons and the size of the farms. Also, Windy Bay’s tides are more extreme than Kalsin Bay’s.
The results were striking and varied. The farms flipped between absorbing and releasing carbon dioxide depending on the amount of sunlight and the time of day. Extreme low tides affected CO2 levels by flushing groundwater into the area, briefly raising carbon dioxide levels.
A film of marine fauna grew on some of the farm equipment in Kalsin Bay, leading to a burst of carbon dioxide production through their respiration.
Overall, the Windy Bay farm slightly reduced nearby atmospheric marine carbon dioxide levels while the Kalsin Bay farm boosted them. Measurements will continue at the farms for at least two more years, but the first season revealed that a kelp farm’s recipe for carbon intake and output is surprising and complex.
“It’s really not doing much in either direction,” Haag said. “The farms aren’t necessarily harming anything, but we shouldn’t be blowing out of proportion that they’re going to save us from climate change.”
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The study was part of the Mariculture Research and Restoration Consortium project, which is an ongoing effort to look at the impacts and benefits of mariculture in Alaska. Mar ReCon research is funded by the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill Trustee Council.
By Alaska Division of Forestry & Fire Protectionon
At approximately 7:30 p.m. Wednesday evening, a fire was reported off Healy Spur Road. The Division of Forestry & Fire Protection, along with the Tri-Valley Volunteer Fire Department and Anderson Fire Department, responded to the Gagnon Coal Seam Fire (#206).
Estimated at 3 acres, the fire was burning in grass with approximately 50% of the perimeter actively burning. A five person Initial Attack squad, helicopter, and engine responded. Light rain was reported at the incident upon arrival.
There are no structures threatened, and there are no evacuations in place. This will be the last update on this incident, unless conditions change.
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This map shows the location of the Gagnon Coal Seam Fire (#206) located on the Healy Spur Road east of Usibelli on Wednesday, June 17, 2026. Click on the image to download a PDF type file to enlarge or print.
‹ DFFP is responding to the Bulchitna Fire in the Fish Lakes area of the Yentna River
Categories: Active Wildland Fire, Alaska DNR – Division of Forestry & Fire Protection (DFFP)
Tags: 2026 Alaska Fire Season, coal seam, DFFP Northern Region, Gagnon Coal Seam Fire
