Tuesday was not a good day for Alaska’s Sen. Ted Stevens. Stevens was indicted on seven felony counts for concealing approximately $250,000 in gifts from a major oil contractor that is known to have lobbied him for government funding.

The 84-year-old politician, and the country’s longest-serving Republican senator, is the first U.S. senator to face a federal indictment in the last 15 years.
more »

On Tuesday, the Center for Biological Diversity and Pacific Environment filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court in Alaska to challenge a recent move by the Bush administration to allow several oil companies to begin drilling in the Chukchi Sea, home to roughly 1/10th of the Arctic’s polar bears. The decision was protested because of its timing, coming just before the polar bear was placed on the Endangered Species List, making it the first animal to be listed specifically because of the threat posed to its habitat by global warming. more »

TransCanada is one step closer to securing a profitable Alaskan license that will allow the corporation to pursue what is being called the “most expensive private-sector construction project in North American history.” During a recent vote by Alaska’s House of Representatives, the company gained approval for its landmark project.

more »

Recently, Vice President Gore spoke on one of the major TV networks for one hour on global warming.  more »

It was a busy week in the Arctic, one that saw the release of the United States Geological Survey assessment of oil and gas available for retrieval as well as new test flights conducted by the Russian navy’s bombers in a move that is broadcasting its military presence in the area. While not directly linked, the two occurances are part of a larger pattern that sees the Arctic Cirlce becoming more militarized and more viewed for its oil and gas resources than at any point in memory. more »

A BBC news crew will be traveling with the Scottish Association of Marine Sciences (SAMS) as they try to look deeper into the nature of life in the seas of the Arctic Ocean, hoping to better be able to predict the changes that are likely to begin occurring in the oceans very soon. It turns out that the future of the planet may well rest with an organism too small to see with the naked eye: phytoplankton. more »

U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann called for more domestic drilling Tuesday following a congressional energy tour in Alaska and Colorado. According to Bachman, the United States harbors domestic energy resources that could easily provide Americans with gas-price relief.
more »

Sometimes, things are not as they appear. In the past astronomers have been certain the Northern Star would eventually burn out. This theory rides on observations during the past century that the star is slowly dying. Today, however, the North Pole’s astrological marker is making headlines after scientists from the United States, Scotland and Australia concluded the Polaris is now increasing its activity.
more »