Shell's Biggest Regulator Challenges in Arctic Alaska May Yet Lie Ahead. A chunk of ice the size of a small stadium, perhaps a rogue remnant of a distant ice island, recently ground ashore near the Northwest Alaska village of Wainwright, providing a textbook example for the kind of subsea phenomena Royal Dutch Shell must watch for as it considers where to build hundreds of miles oil pipelines. Those pipelines won't be built unless the Netherlands-based oil giant finds a huge cache of oil -- a very real prospect, given Shell is giving itself 1 in 2 odds it could discover commercial quantities of crude off Alaska's northern coastline. The company is set to begin exploratory drilling in the coming weeks after years overcoming legal and regulatory hurdles. And one thing Shell is studying extra closely: Masses of ice whose underwater keels can potentially shred the seafloor and anything in their way, including an oil pipeline running to Alaska's shores. Alaska Dispatch

 

Northern Premiers Meet in Iqaluit. More territorial participation in the Arctic Council, concerns about high food prices and the ability to identify priority infrastructure projects were some of the points the territorial premiers discussed during their annual meeting. Nunavut Premier Eva Aariak, NWT Premier Bob McLeod and Yukon Premier Darrell Pasloski met in Iqaluit on June 26 and 27 for the 10th Annual Northern Premiers' Forum. During a discussion on the territories' infrastructure needs, Aariak explained the lack of transportation - ports and inter-community roads - is linked to the high cost of living. She said the Northern premiers would like to work with Ottawa to suggest where infrastructure investments could me made. Northern News Service

 

Why is Alaska's Largest Caribou Herd Seeing a Steady Decline? Alaska's largest caribou herd continues to shrink as challenges on its huge range in Northwest Alaska continue to pose problems. The Western Arctic Herd numbered about 325,000 animals, according to the most-recent census by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game. Although that's just 5 percent less than the previous census in July 2009, it's about a third smaller than the herd's peak in 2003.  Since then, the population has steadily declined 4 to 6 percent a year. State wildlife biologists believe their counts are accurate. Caribou bunch up in tight groups in summer in response to harassment by flies and mosquitoes. Radio-collared caribou within the herd help biologists flying aerial surveys locate these groups. The number of known collared animals relative to the number actually found is an indicator of completeness. Alaska Dispatch