So ends a political era. The Alaskan senator Ted Stevens, the longest-serving Republican senator in history and a force on Capitol Hill for decades, yesterday finally conceded the re-election race to his Democratic rival, Mayor Mark Begich.
This brings us to the end of the “Uncle Ted” era in Alaska, when billions of  Stevens’s “pork-barrel” money [...]

Like a record stuck in a bad groove, President Bush has reiterated his call for Congress to open more areas for drilling, including ANWR.
“If Congress is truly interested in solving the problem, they can send the right signal by saying we’re going to explore for oil and gas in the U.S. territories,” starting with the [...]

A controversial land swap proposal could open portions of an Alaska wildlife refuge to oil drilling, but the scheme is already dividing native Alaskans.
Supporters of the plan to exchange land in the Yukon Flats National Wildlife Refuge, which lies just south of the more-famous ANWR, want the plan approved before the pro-oil Bush Administration leaves [...]

In the US, Democrats have unveiled a new wide-ranging, $17.5 billion renewable energy and building-efficiency bill even though Republicans have repeatedly blocked their efforts in the Senate.
In renewing their push, Democrats are relying on the same financing plan that produced Senate opposition last year, repealing tax breaks granted to oil and gas companies.

Oil and natural gas production at Alaska’s North Slope may have been declining since 1988 but the region holds promise if energy prices stay high and Congress opens key areas to exploration, the U.S. Energy Department is arguing.
The North Slope could yield up to 36 billion barrels of oil and 137 trillion cubic feet of [...]