Big news came out of Washington, DC today: Interior Secretary Bernhardt announced the Record of Decision for the 10-02 Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) had been finalized and released. The Coastal Plain has been a hotbed of eco-extremist activism for decades, with anti-development zealots pushing a feelings-over-facts narrative that drilling in the area would decimate Native subsistence harvests, kill the Coca-Cola polar bears and wipe entire ecosystems that have existed for millennia overnight. The Record of Decision allows leases to take place – with Bernhardt giving a timeline by year’s end – and someday, drilling to occur. …

Earlier this week, Congressional Democrats in the House Committee on Oversight and Reform called for a review of the permitting process for the Pebble Mine by one or more of the Inspectors General of the Department of Defense and/or US Army. In doing so, they alleged a number of errors and process inadequacies were made or overlooked by the US Army Corps of Engineers during their work under the NEPA process.  These included rushing the timeline, ignoring comments from key constituencies and that Pebble’s lobbying efforts somehow tainted the Corps’ decisions. If the Committee thought that was going to scare…

In a typical year, kids would be spending their last week of summer vacation outside in the beautiful Alaskan weather.  They’d be shopping for school clothes with their parents, getting haircuts, checking in with friends to compare schedules and see who has classes together. But 2020 isn’t a typical year.  This year, Internet connectivity is more important than school clothes.  A webcam won’t care if your hair is cut or a little shaggy.  Zoom class sessions will allow students and their friends the chance to hang out…virtually. But it is a good time for a reminder that energy workers across…

Every Tuesday night from 5:00-6:00 PM local time, Alaska State Director Rick Whitbeck hosts the “Power The Future Energy Hour” on KNVT (92.5 FM, 1020 AM and online at 1020KVNT.com).  The show (also replayed during the same hour on Saturday night) is heard throughout Southcentral Alaska communities, and acts as a recap of Power The Future activities in Alaska, as well as an opportunity to hear from various members of Alaska’s energy community. Since the show’s inception in January 2018, it has had dozens of guests, including members of Congress, Alaska’s Governor, Lt. Governor, State Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners, members…

I took some time away from my work with Power The Future last week to recharge and rest.  My family and I spent a week outside of Sterling, Alaska, on the banks of the Kenai River. I decided before leaving for vacation that – aside from catching my limit of three sockeye salmon each day – my “work” for the week would be to ask people about themselves; their jobs, their families, and their views on life.  I spent nearly 40 hours fishing last week and talked with over 100 people while doing so.  Some were Alaskans, some weren’t.  Here…

Every Tuesday night from 5:00-6:00 PM local time, Alaska State Director Rick Whitbeck hosts the “Power The Future Energy Hour” on KNVT (92.5 FM, 1020 AM and online at 1020KVNT.com).  The show (also replayed during the same hour on Saturday night) is heard throughout Southcentral Alaska communities, and acts as a recap of Power The Future activities in Alaska, as well as an opportunity to hear from various members of Alaska’s energy community. Since the show’s inception in January 2018, it has had dozens of guests, including members of Congress, Alaska’s Governor, Lt. Governor, State Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners, members…

I took some time away from my work with Power The Future last week to recharge and rest.  My family and I spent a week outside of Sterling, Alaska, on the banks of the Kenai River. I decided before leaving for vacation that – aside from catching my limit of three sockeye salmon each day – my “work” for the week would be to ask people about themselves; their jobs, their families, and their views on life.  I spent nearly 40 hours fishing last week and talked with over 100 people while doing so.  Some were Alaskans, some weren’t.  Here…

I took some time away from my work with Power The Future last week to recharge and rest.  My family and I spent a week outside of Sterling, Alaska, on the banks of the Kenai River, where we focused on all we are thankful for. Rather than checking the Web for the daily COVID-19 numbers, the focus was on the daily fish counts.  Rather than turning on the news to see what demonstration or political story was creating the latest hubbub, we focused on my son’s birthday, as he turned six. I spent nearly 40 hours fishing last week, and…

The US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) released its final Environmental Impact Statement (FEIS) on the proposed Pebble Mine today, completing a fifteen-year process. The NEPA process that laid the foundation for the Pebble federal permitting project – called the “Magna Carta of environmental law” by the extremists at the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC), ultimately proved that science, and not feelings, is paramount. With the mine, its backers and the public besieged by a blatant misinformation campaign since its inception – with tens of millions of dollars spent to vilify the project – today’s FEIS release signifies a clear…

Every Tuesday night from 5:00-6:00 PM local time, Alaska State Director Rick Whitbeck hosts the “Power The Future Energy Hour” on KNVT (92.5 FM, 1020 AM and online at 1020KVNT.com).  The show (also replayed during the same hour on Saturday night) is heard throughout Southcentral Alaska communities, and acts as a recap of Power The Future activities in Alaska, as well as an opportunity to hear from various members of Alaska’s energy community. Since the show’s inception in January 2018, it has had dozens of guests, including members of Congress, Alaska’s Governor, Lt. Governor, State Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners, members…