by Owen Phillips | Jan 28, 2026 | Home, News
In a decision that underscores the strength of Alaska’s permitting and environmental review process, a federal judge has upheld approval for ConocoPhillips’ Alaska oil exploration project—confirming that regulators did their homework and did it well.
ConocoPhillips Alaska Oil Surveys to Begin While Groups Litigate
Taylor Mills, Bloomberg, January 28, 2026
Federal approval for a ConocoPhillips Alaska oil exploration will remain in effect after a federal judge ruled the US Bureau of Land Management conducted a reasonably thorough environmental study.
The US District Court for the District of Alaska denied the tribal and environmental groups’ bid for a preliminary injunction to stop the company from drilling four test oil and gas wells in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, awarding the agency deference for mitigating impacts on the reserve.
BLM’s prohibitions on bulldozing tundra vegetation and limitations for off-road travel are sufficient under the Naval Petroleum Reserves Production Act.
The Trump administration is escalating its efforts to bolster the domestic critical minerals industry, exploring every opportunity to increase mining activities in the U.S. – including off the coast of Alaska.
Feds mull first-ever seafloor mining in Alaskan waters
Hannah Northey, E & E News, January 28, 2026 (subscription required)
The Trump administration is considering allowing deep-sea mining in the waters off the coast of Alaska, sparking concerns about the fate of world class fisheries and fragile ecosystems.
The Bureau of Ocean Energy and Management, or BOEM, will begin gauging interest in a competitive mineral lease sale on Alaska’s outer continental shelf when a notice is published in the Federal Register on Thursday. The agency, according to a map posted online, is looking at large swaths of the Bering Sea, including the Aleutian Islands.
BOEM’s acting Director Matt Giacona said in a statement that Alaska’s offshore “holds strategic potential for the minerals that drive American industry, defense and next-generation technologies,” and that the request for information is “a practical first step to gauge interest and identify areas where development could make sense for jobs, investment and national supply chains.”
Supporting LNG should be a straightforward question in an energy-producing state. Yet when asked, some candidates managed to circle the issue without ever landing on a clear position.
Governor’s race survey: Should Alaska spend millions more on its huge LNG project? Plus, Alaska books.
Nat Herz, The Northern Journal, January 27, 2026
Many candidates say they’ll make the $40 billion-plus LNG project a priority.
We’re back with the next edition of our recurring survey of the more than a dozen candidates running to be Alaska’s next governor.
This week’s questions revolve around a huge — and hugely expensive — LNG export project pushed by Alaska’s current governor, Mike Dunleavy. We also asked for some book recommendations. Full questions and answers are below. Republican candidates Bernadette Wilson and Treg Taylor did not respond to the survey; Northern Journal sent multiple messages to each.
READ RESPONSES HERE
by Owen Phillips | Jan 20, 2021 | News
NEWS OF THE DAY:
McConnell, Schumer fail to cut power-sharing deal amid filibuster snag
Jordain Carney, The Hill, January 19, 2021
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) and Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) failed to reach a deal on Tuesday on organizing a 50-50 Senate as a fight over the filibuster threatens to drag out the talks for days.
The two Senate leaders met to discuss how to share power in an evenly split Senate. According to Schumer, they talked about “a whole lot of issues” but didn’t reach an agreement.
The talks have snagged over a fight on the 60-vote legislative filibuster, which could drag out the negotiations for several days.
OIL:
The U.S. remains important in oil market, even if Biden is less vocal than Trump: UAE energy minister
Andrea NG, CNBC, January 20, 2021
KEY POINTS
- The U.S. will remain important in oil markets, even if President-elect Joe Biden is less vocal than President Donald Trump, says UAE Energy Minister Suhail al-Mazrouei.
- Outgoing President Trump used to post on Twitter about crude oil and even communicated with OPEC leaders Saudi Arabia and Russia during the oil price war last year. Biden is expected to take a different approach.
- Al-Mazrouei also weighed in on the timeline for a recovery in the oil market.
The U.S. will always play an important role in global energy markets, even though President-elect Joe Biden is likely to be less vocal than President Donald Trump about oil, the UAE’s energy minister told CNBC ahead of Inauguration Day.
“The United States of America is a major player now … with its production, with the fact that this industry that has been developed through shale oil and gas has created lots of jobs and created an economy by itself,” said Suhail al-Mazrouei.
That won’t change under a new U.S. president who is expected to focus more on renewable energy and less on oil, he said.
GAS:
Earth to Joe Biden: Canceling Keystone XL Pipeline Is a Gift to China and Russia
Daniel Turner, Real Clear Energy, January 19, 2021
Joe Biden’s plans to cancel the Keystone XL Pipeline is a gift to someone. The radical green groups for sure: they have opposed the oil link since its inception. The trucking and railroad industry will benefit, too, because once the pipeline is stopped, then the oil will be transported in and around America by something with wheels. It’s also a gift to our adversaries: for who will benefit when America and Canada can’t bring their fossil fuels to market? The competition. Russia and Venezuela will be thrilled to know their market share will increase thanks to the Biden Administration’s fumble.
What’s fascinating about Keystone is how un-fascinating the project actually really is. Sure, it’s a marvel of engineering and an extraordinary accomplishment of human and mechanical skills. The 1,200-mile pipeline from Alberta, Canada to the U.S. Gulf Coast carrying crude oil to be refined is a great infrastructure project. A State Department study commissioned during the Obama Administration (when Joe Biden was Veep, a point which requires emphasis) determined the pipeline would create 3,200 temporary construction jobs directly, 42,000 additional jobs indirectly, and generate over $2 billion in wages. For the people in Montana, South Dakota, and Nebraska, the states through which the proposed pipeline will transverse, that’s an enormous opportunity.
MINING:
Barrick, NovaGold report additional assay results for Donlin
Mining.Com, January 19, 2021
Joint venture partners Barrick Gold (TSX: ABX) (NYSE: GOLD) and NovaGold Resources (TSX: NG) have released the third set of assay results from the 2020 drill program at the Donlin gold project in Alaska.
The primary objective of the drill program was to validate and increase the confidence in recent geologic modeling concepts at the Donlin. With a total of 85 holes and 23,400 m of completed, this was the largest drill campaign completed in the Donlin area since 2008.
According to NovaGold, the Donlin deposit hosts one of the largest and highest-grade undeveloped open-pit gold endowments in the world, with an estimated 39 million ounces of gold grading 2.24 g/t in the measured and indicated resource categories.
So far, results for 67 holes have been received, representing approximately 16,680 m of the total lengths drilled. The remaining assay results are expected in the first quarter of 2021.
The latest assay results from both the ACMA and Lewis deposit areas continue to demonstrate higher drilled grade-thickness than predicted by previous modelling. Data collected has also resulted in an improved understanding of the controls on mineralization.
POLITICS:
All Bills and Resolutions Introduced To Date by Alaska Legislators
CLIMATE CHANGE CONVERSATIONS:
Biden to reveal comprehensive day-one climate agenda
Jennifer A. Dlouhy and Ari Natter on 1/20/2021
Joe Biden will unveil sweeping action to combat climate change hours after becoming president, moving to rejoin the Paris accord and imposing a moratorium on oil leasing in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Environmentalists said Biden’s actions — some of which could take years to be implemented — will renew the U.S. commitment to safeguarding the environment and signal to the world that America has returned to the global fight against climate change.
The moves mark a dramatic rebuke of President Donald Trump’s pro-industry approach to energy and the environment.
Connected : Biden will temporarily halt oil and gas leasing in Arctic National Wildlife Refuge
by Owen Phillips | Jan 18, 2021 | General
“Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve. You don’t have to have a college degree to serve. You don’t have to make your subject and verb agree to serve. You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love.”
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
We would like to take a moment today to reflect on the service that we have seen among industry leaders, both in the state of Alaska and in the Nation. It is no question that there are things dividing us all in our current climate. But there is also one aspect where we continually come together: service.
Over the past 12 months we have seen businesses step up to help their fellow citizens. Whether that’s refabbing an assembly line to create PPE, donating food or resources to support food pantries and soup kitchens, or individuals going out of their way to support local businesses, it is refreshing to see an amount of grace during this troubling time.
Our challenge to our readers today: take a minute to contemplate service and grace. What can you do to help serve your community today? What is one way to extend grace to those around you?
by Owen Phillips | Nov 30, 2020 | News
OIL
Seven reasons a world without fossil fuels is not practical
Yves Siegel, Washington Examiner, November 24, 2020
There has been a lot of talk about a “Green New Deal” that will rapidly phase out the use of all fossil fuels. As an investor who has long experience in the energy field, let me say that it is not practical for us to live in a world without fossil fuels for seven reasons.
First, fossil fuels (oil, natural gas, and coal) account for nearly 85% of the world’s energy consumption. Renewable energy, such as wind and solar, while growing rapidly, only comprises about 5% of the world’s energy supply, based on data from the BP Statistical Review of World Energy June 2020. Cries for eliminating fossil fuels are akin to prescribing medicine that cures an illness but kills the patient. By the way, most medicines, such as aspirin, use oil and natural gas-based petrochemicals in their manufacture.
GAS
U.S. shale firms amp up natural gas output as futures signal more gains
Jennifer Hiller, Scott DiSavino, Reuters, November 30, 2020
Higher natural gas futures prices for 2021 and a continued glut of crude oil are prodding U.S. shale firms to boost gas drilling and production.
Shale producers are increasing spending on natural gas, a change from the past, amid forecasts for a 45% jump in gas prices next year compared to a 15% gain for Brent prices. The shift is a reminder to the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries meeting this week how shale moves quickly in response to price. The OPEC group is considering whether to ease oil output curbs from Jan. 1.
The largest U.S. shale oil producer, EOG Resources, this month said next year it will start selling gas from 15 new wells from a newly discovered field holding 21 trillion cubic feet of gas. Continental Resources recently shifted drilling rigs to gas from oil in Oklahoma. Apache Corp this month said it plans to complete three Texas wells after lifting its third-quarter U.S. gas production by 15% over the second quarter and 6% over the same period last year.
MINING
Most important hole drilled at Estelle
Shane Lasley, North of 60 Mining News, November 30, 2020
As Americans were preparing for the most unusual Thanksgiving holiday in memory, Australia-based Nova Minerals Ltd. announced results from the most significant hole drilled to date at Estelle and the raising of A$21 million (US$15.5 million) to fund the ongoing exploration of this rapidly expanding gold project about 100 miles (160 kilometers) northwest of Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city.
Korbel, a growing gold resource area at the north end of the 85-square-mile (220 square kilometers) Estelle land package, currently hosts 291 million metric tons of Australian Joint Ore Reserves Committee- (JORC) compliant inferred resource averaging 0.4 grams per metric ton (3.3 million ounces) gold.
POLITICS
Trump banking proposal on fossil fuels sparks backlash from libertarians
Rachel Frain, The Hill, November 29, 2020
A new Trump administration proposal that could push more banks to finance fossil fuel activities is creating divisions in conservative circles as free market groups decry the move as government overreach. The proposed rule, which would put limitations on banks that try to exclude entire industries like oil and gas from financing, has garnered support from a number of Republican lawmakers who back fossil fuels while sparking criticism from libertarian-oriented organizations. Those groups argue the rule is inconsistent with free market principles and could backfire in the long run by forcing conservative bank owners to provide financing for abortion providers and other groups they don’t like.
CLIMATE CHANGE CONVERSATIONS
Why Oil Won’t “Go Gentle Into That Good Night”
Jude Clemente, Real Clear Energy, November 29, 2020
The progressive goal to “transition” away from oil might not be as easy as some proclaim. In the U.S., oil has been our main source of energy since 1950, when it surpassed coal. Along with its sister energy source, natural gas, oil dominates the immense U.S. energy complex (see Figure). In the U.S., more than 265 million cars run on oil-based products such as gasoline and diesel fuel; less than 2 million run on electricity.
Oil won the transport race because it packs a much bigger punch than alternatives. For example, the energy density of gasoline is approximately 47.5 megajoules per kilogram, or some 100 times more than that of an electric car’s lithium-ion battery (about 0.4 MJ/kg). Most Americans probably don’t realize that back in 1900, 40% of U.S. cars were electric, though they were soon overtaken by Ford’s more powerful Model T and its gasoline-powered internal combustion engine (ICE). Oil’s indispensability is clear for heavy trucking, and even more so in aviation: there is no battery-powered 737, and there never will be.
by Owen Phillips | Nov 25, 2020 | News
OIL
Arctic Refuge Oil Rights Auction Faces Uncertain Response
Associated Press, November 25, 2020
The Trump administration is preparing to auction oil drilling rights inside the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, but the degree to which the industry will participate is uncertain. Leases on the land in northeast Alaska could be go on the block days before President-elect Joe Biden takes office, Alaska’s Energy Desk reported Tuesday.
Supporters, including Alaska’s congressional delegation, have celebrated the prospect of a lease sale as a way to create jobs and revenue. Opponents express concerns about impacts on ecosystems, Indigenous people, and the climate.
Kara Moriarty, CEO of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, said oil and gas companies are unsurprisingly remaining quiet about their intentions. “Participation in lease sales is one of the most competitive and secretive things between companies,” Moriarty said.
The public likely will not learn about the industry’s level of interest until the federal government unseals the bids on the sale date, which has not yet been announced. There is a possibility that the sale could be held shortly before Biden’s Jan. 20 inauguration. Some industry analysts believe there is a measure of uncertainty and risk that could lead to limited interest in a lease sale within the next two months.
GAS
Corpus Christi drives U.S. LNG export feed gas to record high
Yahoo Finance, November 25, 2020
Gas flowing to U.S. LNG (liquefied natural gas) export plants was on track for a record high on Wednesday as Cheniere Energy’s Corpus Christi plant in Texas pulled in enough fuel to supply its three liquefaction trains. Corpus had been receiving small amounts of gas in recent weeks as it prepares to put the third train into commercial service during the first quarter of 2021. On Wednesday, Corpus was on track to pull in a record 2.0 billion cubic feet per day (bcfd), preliminary data from Refinitiv showed, which would be enough to supply gas to all three of its 0.66-bcfd trains.
MINING
Pebble mine critics say text messages reveal the state is helping the project. A state official says the texts have been misinterpreted.
Alex DeMarban, Anchorage Daily News, November 24, 2020
Text messages and other public records released by the state to a conservation group appear to show the Dunleavy administration supporting the proposed Pebble mine’s efforts to secure a key construction permit from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, mine critics say.
Dan Saddler, a spokesman with the state Department of Natural Resources, said the agency properly provided information about state laws and procedures at Pebble’s request. “DNR has engaged with the Pebble project proponents just as it would with any potential project applicant in the regular course of the department’s operations,” Saddler said. He said the released records have been misinterpreted, and that some people who don’t understand DNR processes might jump to false conclusions.
POLITICS
Progressives want Biden to sidestep Congress with green ‘national emergency’
Ari Natter, World Oil, November 25, 2020
Progressive environmentalists are mounting a long-shot bid to get President-elect Joe Biden to go beyond naming a climate czar and declare an environmental national emergency, borrowing a tactic employed by President Donald Trump to fund part of his border wall.
Invoking a climate emergency could give Biden the authority to circumvent Congress and fund clean energy projects, shut down crude oil exports, suspend offshore drilling and curtail the movement of fossil fuels on pipelines, trains, and ships, according to a research note by consulting firm ClearView Energy Partners.
“The president’s powers to address climate change through an emergency are very, very large,” said Kassie Siegel, an attorney with the environmental group Center for Biological Diversity, which is lobbying Biden’s team to act. “This is No. 1 on the list of things the Biden administration should do.”
In a statement, Biden’s transition team didn’t explicitly address the question of a climate emergency, saying only that he plans to follow through on his policy platform to fight the climate crisis while creating millions of jobs. Biden’s climate platform includes no mention of declaring a climate emergency.
CLIMATE CHANGE CONVERSATIONS
President Trump’s Underappreciated Climate Successes
John Hart & Jeff Luse, C3 Solutions, November 24, 2020
As the Trump administration winds down, Donald Trump continues to be assailed as an environmental catastrophe. He has been called a “threat to the planet,” the “worst President for the environment in our history” and a “worse threat to humanity than Hitler.” In September, the New York Times reported that President Trump’s 100 environmental regulatory rollbacks would “add up to a lot more planet-warming emission.” Joe Biden even indulged in histrionics by tweeting, “If we give Donald Trump another four years in the White House, our planet may never recover.”
Yet, the facts – and science – tell a different story. Carbon emissions actually decreased during the Trump administration, which is surprising for an administration with a supposed fossil fuels fetish.
Trump made progress by doing a few things well:
- Trump Embraced the Power of Markets
- Trump Streamlined Projects
- Trump Reclaimed America’s Conservation Heritage
- Trump Adopted an “All of the Above” Energy Approach
