Latest news with #NorthSlope
CNN
a day ago
- Politics
- CNN
‘What connects us is our airwaves': How Trump's public media cuts might leave these communities in the dark
In Alaska's North Slope region — the northernmost county in the US, roughly the same size as the United Kingdom — one small public radio station, KBRW, keeps eight Iñupiat villages connected and serves about 10,000 people. Now, it may not survive. Last Thursday, President Trump signed into law $9 billion in DOGE cuts, including $1.1 billion from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a key funder of NPR and PBS stations nationwide. The president and his allies have long aimed to defund public media, alleging widespread 'bias' in its broadcasts. KBRW is one of 36 tribally licensed public radio stations and four TV stations across the US that rely on CPB funding to stay on the air. Without that money, they could go dark, cutting off Indigenous communities from local news, safety alerts and cultural programming, Loris Taylor, president and CEO of Native Public Media, told CNN. 'In the long term, we risk erasing decades of investment in native media infrastructure,' Taylor said. 'Once these stations go dark, they may never return. That would be a catastrophic loss to tribal sovereignty, self-representation and democracy.' Alaska has 15 tribally licensed stations, far more than South Dakota and New Mexico, the next closest states with four each. The rest are scattered across the West and Midwest, serving rural tribal communities where broadband and phone access remain limited or nonexistent, according to the American Indian Policy Institute at Arizona State University. KBRW, based in Utqiaġvik, gets about 40% of its funding from CPB. The station's manager, Jeff Seifert, told CNN that they have just one part-time and four full-time employees. Now, they imminently face layoffs, cuts to local programs and dropping NPR — their most costly content — meaning no national news. 'It's really up in the air as to how long we can survive,' Seifert said. 'But it's just not sustainable. It's just going to run out of gas eventually.' More than 500 miles south in Bethel, KYUK — another tribally licensed public station — serves more than 50 federally recognized tribes and at least 25,000 listeners across the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. It relies on CPB for 70% of its annual funding. KYUK broadcasts local newscasts in English and Yup'ik, the primary language of the villages it serves, three times a day. It also hosts call-in shows where elders and community members talk about what's happening in the area. 'We're not connected to a road system,' said Kristen Hall, KYUK's general manager. 'So I often say, what connects us is our airwaves.' In the winter, the frozen rivers become highways connecting these villages. But travel can be risky when the ice starts to form or melt. To help keep people safe, KYUK works with a search-and-rescue organization on call-in shows, where listeners report hazardous areas, such as open water or weak ice. Both KBRW and KYUK run on thin margins with limited staff. Local fundraising can't replace lost federal funds, Hall said, so 'if additional funding isn't found by the fall, KYUK will be forced to cut its local staff.' The local programming would cease, including its call-in shows, local weather reports and local news. 'These cuts are further distancing this community from the rest of America,' Hall said. 'The people in the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta are Americans, too. They deserve the same access to news and information as anyone else.' Following the House vote, CPB released a statement warning that cuts could jeopardize emergency alerts that are a lifeline for many Americans. 'The path to a better, more trusted public media is only achievable with continued federal support and constructive reforms,' the statement said. Alaska Native communities rely on a mix of cash income and subsistence living — hunting, fishing and gathering, according to the US Department of the Interior. Subsistence preserves culture and helps offset high costs in remote areas where food must be flown in. With limited cash flow, these regions often lack wealthy donors or sponsors, so tribal radio stations rely heavily on federal funding. Statewide, 45% of Alaska's revenue came from federal funds in 2023, according to Pew Charitable Trusts' analysis of the latest available Census data. In both regions, there are no roads connecting villages; residents travel by plane. Seifert said there are no local newspapers or TV stations, and many, especially the elders, lack internet access. KBRW broadcasts in both English and Iñupiaq, the traditional language of the region's Indigenous people. The local elderly population speaks primarily Iñupiaq, and Seifert said the station helps keep the language and culture alive while delivering crucial public safety updates, weather alerts and community news. 'We are in areas that are very, very remote, and a lot of the information you can get in the big cities just isn't there for us,' Seifert said. 'And I don't think Congress understands, because they don't live here, how important these services are.' Every day at 6 pm, KBRW airs 'Story Time,' featuring taped cultural stories from the elders, some more than 70 years old. It's among the station's most popular shows. Geoffrey Carroll, 74, is a retired wildlife biologist who has relied on KBRW since moving to Utqiaġvik in 1974. Although originally from Wyoming, his wife and children are Iñupiat. He said the station has been central to their home life in these remote parts of Alaska. 'It would just be such a hole in our lives if we didn't have the radio station. I listen to the radio stations every day. Several hours every day,' Carroll told CNN. His children grew up hearing Iñupiaq on the radio and learning about their heritage, including through the 'Story Time' show. 'They didn't have much choice,' he said. 'The radio was on all the time — it was ever-present in our house.' KYUK similarly produces a storytelling show with local elders sharing their oral histories and legends. Hall said KYUK maintains the world's oldest Yup'ik and Cup'ik audiovisual collection and has spent years digitizing it for easier access, especially for younger generations. As part of this effort, they launched a website featuring a series of elder interviews with Yup'ik transcripts and English translations — a unique language preservation tool. 'Sharing that language and culture for people is important, and that's really at risk right now,' Hall said. Local Alaska stations received $12 million in CPB funding last year — 0.00018% of total federal spending. Still, Alaska Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski, who voted against the cuts, called public broadcasting an 'invaluable resource that saves lives in Alaska.' Seifert and Hall say lawmakers underestimate the importance of local public radio for rural Alaskans — not just for their culture, but for their survival. One common misconception, Hall said, is that emergency alerts will still reach everyone as long as Congress continues to fund the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 'FEMA doesn't operate radio stations,' she said. 'If we go dark, there's no receiver to get those signals to the public. It's a partnership — they send the alerts, but local stations like ours are the ones that get them out to people.' The Trump White House and FEMA did not respond to requests for comment. Earlier this month, a 7.3-magnitude earthquake in the Gulf of Alaska triggered tsunami warnings. The local public stations broadcast safety instructions in real-time. This past spring, the importance of the station became clear when a massive slab of sea ice sliced through an undersea fiber-optic cable, cutting off internet to communities across the North Slope region. Suddenly, there was no 911, no phone lines and no cell service. KBRW was the only line of communication left. 'The radio was it,' Seifert said. 'We were the only source of information, the only connection.'
E&E News
2 days ago
- Politics
- E&E News
Interior yanks Biden plan on Alaska energy development
The Trump administration on Monday unraveled an effort begun during Joe Biden's presidency to study and seek public input about whether additional protections are warranted for sensitive landscapes on Alaska's North Slope. The Interior Department rescinded a request for information, published in July 2024, asking for feedback from stakeholders on whether protection-designated areas in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska needed to have their boundaries adjusted, whether new areas should be considered for protection and if there were 'significant resource values' that had until then been missed. The NPR-A allows oil and gas drilling in portions of the reserve but also has 'special areas' that have broad environmental protections for their sensitive habitats. Advertisement Interior also rescinded a report on the public comments received about the NPR-A, which included determinations by the Bureau of Land Management that 'subsistence' be recognized as a 'significant resource value' in the special areas, and noting that proposed expansions of several currently designated special areas 'are suitable for designation and merit further consideration.'
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Business
- Bloomberg
The Trans-Alaskan Pipeline Opens
On July 28, 1977, oil from Prudhoe Bay on Alaska's North Slope completed its 800-mile journey through the newly built Trans-Alaska Pipeline, reaching export terminals on the state's southern coast. Romaine Bostick explores how the above-ground pipeline sparked an economic boom for Alaska. (Source: Bloomberg)
Yahoo
16-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Pontem Energy Capital Aims to Raise $250MM for New Upstream Fund
Pontem Energy Capital held an initial close for its second fund, a new private equity vehicle targeting $250 million in commitments. Pontem Energy NonOp Fund I seeks to acquire non-operated working interests in oil, gas and NGL assets in U.S. basins. Investments will target producing and pre-drill wellbores. Houston-based Pontem also has investments in the Williston Basin and in Alaska. The company raised Pontem Alaska LP last year to acquire upstream and midstream assets on Alaska's North Slope. Pontem was previously an investor in Eagle Ford E&P Validus Energy before realizing the investment in 2022, the company said on its website. Validus is backed by Elliott Investment Management today. Pontem said it is also considering making controlling equity investments in energy companies. RELATED After $900 Million Acquisition, Validus Sees Potential Eagle Ford Consolidation Error while retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data Error while retrieving data
Globe and Mail
01-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust Announces No Unit Payment for the Second Quarter of 2025 and Update on NYSE Delisting
BP Prudhoe Bay Royalty Trust (NYSE: BPT) announced that Unit holders of record on July 15, 2025 will not receive a dividend payment for the quarter ended June 30, 2025. As provided in the Trust Agreement, a quarterly royalty payment by Hilcorp North Slope, LLC to the Trust is the sum of the individual revenues attributed to the Trust as calculated each day during the quarter. The amount of revenue is determined by multiplying Royalty Production for each day in the calendar quarter by the Per Barrel Royalty for that day. Pursuant to the Trust Agreement, the Per Barrel Royalty for any day is the WTI Price for the day less the sum of (i) Chargeable Costs multiplied by the Cost Adjustment Factor and (ii) Production Taxes. For the three months ended June 30, 2025, the Per Barrel Royalty was calculated based on the following information: Average WTI Price $ 63.95 Average Adjusted Chargeable Costs $ 99.63 Average Production Taxes $ 2.15 Average Per Barrel Royalty $ (37.83 ) Average Net Production (mb/d) 63.3 The average daily closing WTI price was below the 'break-even' price for the quarter, resulting in a negative value for the payment calculation for the quarter. However, as provided in the Trust Agreement, the payment with respect to the Royalty Interest for any calendar quarter may not be less than zero. As previously disclosed, the Trust terminated at 11:59 PM on December 31, 2024, and The Bank of New York Mellon Trust Company, N.A., as trustee (the 'Trustee'), has commenced the process of winding up the affairs of the Trust. The Trustee cannot predict when the wind-up of the Trust will be completed. Delisting from NYSE The Trust also announced that on June 30, 2025, it had received notification from the New York Stock Exchange ('NYSE') of its determination to suspend trading of the Trust's units of beneficial interest (the 'Units'), effective as of the close of trading on June 30, 2025, and to initiate proceedings to delist the Units. The determination to commence the delisting proceeding results from the Trust's inability to satisfy the continued listing compliance standards set forth under Rule 802.01C of the NYSE Listed Company Manual because the average closing price of the Units fell below $1.00 over a 30 consecutive trading-day period that ended on December 30, 2024, and the Trust was unable to regain compliance with the applicable standards within a cure period that concluded on June 30, 2025. As a result of the suspension, the Units began trading on July 1, 2025, under the symbol 'BPPTU' on the Pink Limited Market ('OTC Pink'), which is operated by OTC Markets Group, Inc. To be quoted on OTC Pink, a market maker must sponsor the security and comply with SEC Rule 15c2-11 before it can initiate a quote in a specific security. OTC Pink is a significantly more limited market than the NYSE, and the quotation of the Units on OTC Pink may result in a less liquid market available for existing and potential unitholders and could further depress the trading price of the Units. There is no assurance that an active market in the Units will develop on OTC Pink. FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements in this press release are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties beyond the control of the Trust. These forward-looking statements include the Trust's expectations regarding the timing of the transition of the quotation of the Units to OTC Pink, expectations regarding the trading of the Units on OTC Pink and the Trust asset sale process. Descriptions of some of the risks that could affect the future performance of the Trust appear in the Trust's Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024, the Trust's subsequent Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, and the Trust's other filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the 'SEC'). The Trust's annual, quarterly and other filed reports are or will be available over the Internet at the SEC's website at The Trustee undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements after the date of this report, except as required by law, and all such forward-looking statements in this report are qualified in their entirety by the preceding cautionary statements.
