Cook Inlet

On the lookout for Cook Inlet’s belugas

On the lookout for Cook Inlet’s belugas

Cook Inlet’s belugas will be the target of a different kind of hunt this weekend. On Saturday, communities on the Cook Inlet will be on… Continue reading

 

Beluga food sources shifted from marine to freshwater over past 50 years

Over the past fifty years Cook Inlet’s endangered beluga whales have changed their feeding habits, eating less prey that originates in marine waters and more… Continue reading

 

Hilcorp details plans for cross-inlet oil pipeline

Editor's note: This story has been changed to correct the type of vessel that presently carries oil across Cook Inlet.  By fall 2018, oil produced… Continue reading

 

AOOS map syncs up agencies’ beluga research

There’s a lot of research happening on Cook Inlet beluga whales at any given time. Unfortunately, a lot of the data has stayed isolated, held… Continue reading

DNR grants one of three Chuitna Citizens Coalition water reservations

Editor's note: This story has been changed to add additional information and to correct the year of CCC's lawsuit against DNR. The Alaska Department of… Continue reading

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion The liquid natural gas tanker Excel sits at the ConocoPhillips LNG facility Friday May 2, 2014 in Kenai, Alaska. It is the one of six planned LNG cargoes to be exported from Kenai to Japan and the first since plant operations were suspended in late 2012.

Inlet rebound comes at cost to state during price plunge

The turnaround in Cook Inlet oil and gas production in recent years is one of the big success stories for Alaska. It has come at… Continue reading

Photo by Rashah McChesney/Peninsula Clarion The liquid natural gas tanker Excel sits at the ConocoPhillips LNG facility Friday May 2, 2014 in Kenai, Alaska. It is the one of six planned LNG cargoes to be exported from Kenai to Japan and the first since plant operations were suspended in late 2012.

Hilcorp plans $285 million Alaska investment in 2018

Hilcorp is planning to spend about $285 million in Alaska during 2018, the oil and gas company’s Operations Manager Chad Helgeson told audiences at the… Continue reading

In April 2017 Hilcorp’s Bruce Platform, pictured here, was shut in along with its neighboring platform Anna after the later released a sheen from its flaring system that turned out to be roughly three gallons of natural gas condensate. The incident was one of the 2017 hydrocarbon leaks from Cook Inlet’s aging platforms and pipelines that prompted the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council to begin an overview of Cook Inlet oil and gas infrastructure, leading to recommendations for preventing future leaks. (Photo courtesy of Ground Truth Trekking.)

CIRCAC studying pipeline leaks

After 2017 began with a natural gas leak in Cook Inlet, local spill prevention experts are preparing a comprehensive look at Cook Inlet’s aging oil… Continue reading

In April 2017 Hilcorp’s Bruce Platform, pictured here, was shut in along with its neighboring platform Anna after the later released a sheen from its flaring system that turned out to be roughly three gallons of natural gas condensate. The incident was one of the 2017 hydrocarbon leaks from Cook Inlet’s aging platforms and pipelines that prompted the Cook Inlet Regional Citizens Advisory Council to begin an overview of Cook Inlet oil and gas infrastructure, leading to recommendations for preventing future leaks. (Photo courtesy of Ground Truth Trekking.)
In this September 2017 photo, pink salmon swim up a drainage ditch at Beluga Slough in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Data shows Prince William Sound pink salmon in Homer streams

The wash of pink salmon that showed up in streams across Lower Cook Inlet this year weren’t all local stocks — in some streams, up… Continue reading

In this September 2017 photo, pink salmon swim up a drainage ditch at Beluga Slough in Homer, Alaska. (Photo by Michael Armstrong/Homer News)

Furie defers 2017 drilling for want of tax credit payment

Cook Inlet gas producer Furie Operating Alaska is blaming its scuttled 2017 drilling season on a technical problem and the Alaska government’s nonpayment of incentive… Continue reading

Once Tesoro, now Andeavor

The refinery in Nikiski that turns Cook Inlet’s oil output into gasoline, jet fuel, diesel and propane won’t be immediately affected by the expansion and… Continue reading

Drilling fluid released from Hilcorp platform

Two gallons of oil-based drilling fluid spilled into Cook Inlet during a drilling operation aboard Hilcorp’s Steelhead Platform on Monday after a burst hose on… Continue reading

Oil workers celebrate 60 years of Swanson River

Editor's note: This story has been changed to correct the name of Bobbi O'Neill, originally referred to by her maiden name of Burns. Three generations… Continue reading

No oil and gas damage reported after earthquake

The epicenter of Monday’s brief 5.3 magnitude earthquake was in west Cook Inlet’s Trading Bay, according to the U.S Tsunami Warning System — less than… Continue reading

Cook Inletkeeper scientist will head to Antarctica

Early next year, 80 female scientists plan to set sail from Ushuaia, Argentina, for Antarctica. Among them will be Homer’s Sue Mauger, Science Director of… Continue reading

Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion In this June 2016 photo, the clouds mass over the mountains around Lower Russian Lake near Cooper Landing, Alaska. The conservation nonprofit Cook Inletkeeper recently installed a temperature sensor on the Russian River below Lower Russian Lake to keep track of the river's temperatures on a real-time basis.

Cook Inletkeeper adds Russian River temperature sensor

Editor's note: This article has been corrected to show that Trout Unlimited is represented on the Kenai Peninsula Fish Habitat Partnership steering committee but the… Continue reading

Photo by Elizabeth Earl/Peninsula Clarion In this June 2016 photo, the clouds mass over the mountains around Lower Russian Lake near Cooper Landing, Alaska. The conservation nonprofit Cook Inletkeeper recently installed a temperature sensor on the Russian River below Lower Russian Lake to keep track of the river's temperatures on a real-time basis.

Hilcorp’s Anna Platform restarted

Hilcorp’s Anna Platform has resumed work after having been shut down since a suspected oil release April 1. An Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC)… Continue reading

Hilcorp to reduce flow in leaking gasline, halting production on two platforms

Editor's note: This story has been updated with an estimated future leak rate as a result of the pressure decrease. Hilcorp announced plans on Saturday… Continue reading

Cook Inlet Energy ordered to take corrective actions after flare-up

The Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission softened its enforcement actions on Cook Inlet Energy, LLC after the company requested a review of a proposed… Continue reading

Cook Inlet Energy fined for safety valve violations

The Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission — the state regulatory oversight group for the hydrocarbon industry — has issued a $446,000 penalty to Cook… Continue reading