“Our position is aligned with Kaktovik — the only community located within the boundaries of ANWR — and VOICE will continue advocating for policies that strengthen the North Slope’s economy, advance Indigenous self-determination, and sustain Iñupiaq culture.” Nagurak Harcharek, President Voice of the Arctic Inupiat
Interior to Reinstate 7 AIDEA Leases in ANWR
Adam Federman, Politico, October 17, 2025
The Trump administration is preparing to allow oil and gas leasing across the entire Arctic National Wildlife Refuge coastal plain, a wilderness landscape that has been protected for more than four decades, according to documents reviewed by POLITICO.
The announcement, which is expected from the Interior Department later this month but may be delayed due to the government shutdown, is the latest move by the administration to ramp up U.S. fossil fuel production and would fulfill a promise President Donald Trump made during his first term to advance drilling in the 1.56-million-acre expanse of tundra on Alaska’s North Slope. And it would be the latest in a nearly decadelong regulatory back-and-forth over the prospect of drilling in the wildlife refuge that Trump first ordered in 2017 but that was later halted by President Joe Biden.
Copper Demand Disruptors & the Energy Transition. Our thoughts? Pebble, Ambler…
High-wire act: is soaring copper demand an obstacle to future growth? | Wood Mackenzie
Charles Cooper, Peter Schmitz, Natalie Biggs, Wood Mackenzie, October 2025
Copper’s role in humanity’s technological transformation has made it a linchpin of global economic activity. Essential to artificial intelligence (AI) data centres, defence systems, electric vehicles, and renewable energy transmission and distribution infrastructure, it is an irreplaceable, fundamental element of our low-carbon, digital future. Demand projections suggest staggering growth over the next decade.
Yet, while global appetite for copper may be voracious, there are serious questions over whether the mining industry can deliver the supply needed to meet the expected surge in demand. Western mining companies have been more fixated on capital discipline and achieving scale by engaging in mergers and acquisitions than on investing organically in the new copper mines needed.
This month’s edition of Horizons explores the dynamics of copper supply and demand and the potential impact of the looming supply gap over the next decade. Copper prices are already lofty and could go higher still if investment in mine supply continues to lag.
Enter the demand disruptors
Under Wood Mackenzie’s base case scenario, total copper demand is expected to surge 24% to 42.7 Mtpa by 2035, primarily driven by global economic development and electrification. But while steady demand growth seems assured, there could be significant upside surprises from demand shocks.
Despite the slow pace of the energy transition, there are four powerful disruptors currently affecting copper consumption:
- the energy transition: electric vehicles (EVs), renewable energy and grid infrastructure
- data centres: the AI-driven electricity demand explosion
- defence spending: Europe’s €800 billion military buildup
- economic development: India and Southeast Asia’s rapid industrialisation.
By 2035, these four disrupting factors will account for a combined 40% of demand growth (3 Mtpa), while traditional economic development will add another 4.5 Mtpa. Importantly, however, policy developments and technological breakthroughs could trigger demand shocks at any point in time.
Making Alaska More Attractive for Investment!
Dunleavy drive to reduce regulation could reshape many parts of life in Alaska
James Brooks, Alaska Beacon, October 17, 2025
A new administrative order seeks to radically reduce state regulations that underpin dozens of professions, utilities, elections and more
In the next few years, Alaskans could see sweeping changes to everyday life under an ambitious and far-reaching program launched by Gov. Mike Dunleavy.
Administrative Order 360, issued in August, calls on state agencies to reduce the number of state regulations by 15% before 2027 and 25% cumulatively before 2028.
Both deadlines would come after Dunleavy, who is term-limited, leaves office in December 2026.
Development permitting regulations are a top priority
The governor’s order specifies that the departments of Natural Resources, Environmental Conservation and Fish and Game focus “on permitting process reform,” eliminating regulations that lay out steps to take before a development project like a new mine, road or neighborhood can be built.
Attorney General-designee Stephen Cox began leading the Alaska Department of Law not long after Dunleavy issued AO 360, and his agency is taking a lead role in its implementation.
“One of the things that the governor is trying to do is make Alaska all the more attractive for investment,” he said.