WASHINGTON, April 17 -- A coalition of 16 environmental and health organizations has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concerning premanufacture notices (PMNs) for certain new chemicals, specifically four perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and four chemicals derived from the processing of plastic waste. The letter argues that approving these new chemicals would exacerbate environmental problems and violate the Toxic Substances C  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- A coalition of 365 former attorneys who served at the U.S. Department of Justice has submitted a public comment letter expressing strong opposition to a proposed rulemaking concerning the review of state bar complaints and allegations against DOJ attorneys, aiming to give the Attorney General discretionary authority to review and potentially delay or displace state bar disciplinary investigations into DOJ lawyers. The former DOJ attorneys argue that this proposal is both   more

WASHINGTON, April 18 -- The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense released the following testimony by Rear Adm. Lower Half Richard S. Lofgren, acting chief of the U.S. Navy Reserve, from an April 17, 2026, hearing on the fiscal 2027 budget: * * * Chair Calvert, Ranking Member McCollum, distinguished members of the Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify on behalf of the 59,000 Navy Reserve Sailors, 2,400 Strategic Sealift Officers, and 400 civilians of the Navy Reserve. I wa  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- Ahtna Inc., representing the Ahtna people and shareholders in Alaska, submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior regarding the Federal Subsistence Management Program Review. The letter emphasizes the critical importance of federal management for subsistence fishing and hunting practices among native Alaskan communities, particularly in the Mentasta area. In the letter, Ahtna Inc. traces the history of subsistence fishing restrictions imposed  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 [Category: Political] -- America First Legal, a civil rights organization, posted the following news release: * * * America First Legal Calls on the Trump Administration to Investigate Alaska School District's "Gender Identity" Policies * Today, America First Legal (AFL) filed a formal federal complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and the U.S. Department of Education (ED) against Hoonah City School District (HCSD) in Hoonah, Alaska, alleging that the distri  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The Association of Village Council Presidents (AVCP) submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior as part of the Secretaries' review of the Federal Subsistence Management Program (FSMP). Representing 56 federally recognized Tribes in 48 communities in Alaska's Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, AVCP emphasized the essential role the federal program plays in safeguarding rural subsistence rights and urged the department not to weaken federal authority or th  more

COLUMBIA, South Carolina, April 17 -- South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson issued the following news: * * * Attorney General Alan Wilson fights against the rise of the administrative state * (COLUMBIA, S.C.) - Attorney General Alan Wilson is joining a 21-state friend-of-the-court brief pushing back against burdensome regulations on national markets and the rise of the administrative state. The brief was filed in support of a challenge to a 2020 federal statute requiring the U.S. Envi  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee posted the following news release: * * * Begich Votes to Greenlight Trump's Reckless War That is Raising Costs on Alaska Families * Yesterday, Nick Begich voted in lockstep with Donald Trump and Deputy Speaker Mike Johnson to give the president unchecked power on his reckless war of choice in the Middle East. As a result, costs are rising for hardworking American families who are paying more at the gas pump after alrea  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management issued the following news release: * * * BLM announces 2026 oil and gas lease sale in Alaska's Coastal Plain * ANCHORAGE, Alaska -The Bureau of Land Management will hold an oil and gas lease sale in Alaska's Coastal Plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on June 5, 2026. This is the first lease sale for the 1.56-million-acre Coastal Plain under the Working Families Tax Cuts and is a milestone in unlea  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management issued the following news release: * * * BLM announces June 2026 sale of oil and gas leases in Colorado * LAKEWOOD, Colo. - The Bureau of Land Management today announced an oil and gas lease sale scheduled for June 16, 2026, to offer 170 oil and gas parcels totaling 155,816 acres in Colorado. The BLM completed scoping on these parcels in January 2026 and held a public comment period that closed in March 2  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management issued the following news release: * * * BLM seeks input on proposed Castle Mountain Mine expansion in southern California * NEEDLES, Calif. - The Bureau of Land Management is seeking public comments for the proposed second expansion of the Castle Mountain gold mine in the eastern Mojave Desert of San Bernardino County. The Castle Mountain Mine Phase 2 Project is the BLM's first mining project to receive fu  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The Bristol Bay Native Corp. (BBNC) has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) regarding the Department's proposed review of the Federal Subsistence Management Program. BBNC, a for-profit Alaska Native regional corporation established under the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA), represents the economic, social, and cultural interests of Alaska Native people connected to the Bristol Bay region and strongly advocates for the  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The Bristol Bay Subsistence Regional Advisory Council has submitted a public comment letter to the Federal Subsistence Board regarding the Programmatic Review of the Federal Subsistence Management Program conducted by the U.S. Department of the Interior. The Council provided insights from its recent meeting held in Anchorage that considered the program's effectiveness in meeting subsistence users' needs in the Bristol Bay region. The Council expressed concerns about the   more

WASHINGTON, April 18 -- The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee posted the following news release on April 17, 2026: * * * WHAT THEY'RE SAYING: Democratic Senate Candidates "Dominate" GOP Opponents in Q1 and Are "Practically Printing Money" in a "Warning Sign" for Republicans In case you missed it, "Democrats are feeling increasingly bullish about their ability to flip the Senate" as Democratic Senate candidates are "practically printing money," posting "eye-popping," "staggering," and "  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- Shannon Magnuson, an Alaska native and subsistence harvester, submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior regarding the Federal Subsistence Management Program (the Program) during its ongoing review. The Program, established to implement the rural subsistence priority set forth in the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) of 1980, provides legal protections for subsistence fishing and hunting to rural Alaskans. Magnuson emp  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The Gwichyaa Zhee Gwich'in Tribal Government has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior expressing strong support for maintaining the current structure and authority of the Federal Subsistence Management Program. The letter addresses concerns regarding proposed changes under review by the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture and emphasizes the importance of preserving protections for rural subsistence users in Alaska. The tribal g  more

WASHINGTON, April 13 -- American Rivers issued the following news release: * * * Hard Rock Mine Proposal Earns Chilkat River #6 Spot on America's Most Endangered Rivers List of 2026 The Chilkat River (Jilkaat Heeni), the lifeblood of Klukwan, Alaska Native communities, and home to the largest congregation of Bald Eagles on Earth, has been named to America's Most Endangered Rivers list of 2026 due to a large-scale hard rock mine proposed along one of its major tributaries. Canadian Vizsla Co  more

MCLEAN, Virginia, April 18 -- The Air Line Pilots Association International issued the following news release: * * * Hawaiian Airlines Pilots Union Elects Leadership Team HONOLULU, Hawaii -- Earlier this week, the Hawaiian Airlines Master Executive Council (MEC) of the Air Line Pilots Association, Int'l (ALPA) elected its officers for a two-year term starting May 6, 2026. Capt. Larry Payne was unanimously re-elected to his fourth consecutive term as MEC chair. Capt. John Crabbe was unanimousl  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The House Natural Resources Committee issued a report (H.Rpt. 119-579) on the Unrecognized Southeast Alaska Native Communities Recognition and Compensation Act (H.R. 41). The report was advanced by Rep. Bruce Westerman, R-Arkansas, on April 2, 2026. Here are excerpts: * * * Purpose of the Legislation The purpose of H.R. 41 is to provide for the recognition of certain Alaska Native communities and the settlement of certain claims under the Alaska Native Claims Settleme  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The Native Village of Savoonga has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior regarding the Federal Subsistence Management Program review. Representing one of twenty tribes and twenty-one Alaska Native Corporations in the Bering Strait Region, a rural area with about 10,000 residents, the village emphasizes the importance of ensuring Tribal consultation precedes completion of the scoping report to the Secretary. The letter highlights subsiste  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- Paug-Vik Inc. has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior expressing opposition to proposed regulatory changes under review by the Federal Subsistence Management Program. The company addressed concerns over petitions that could alter the rural subsistence priority for fish and game and limit the authority of the Federal Subsistence Board (FSB). The letter challenges efforts by groups such as Safari Club International, which propose elimin  more

GREENVILLE, South Carolina, April 17 -- Furman University posted the following news: * * * Paul L. Thomas says education policy and socioeconomic policy have strong ties * Paul L. Thomas was quoted in the Alaska Beacon and other news sources about standardized test scores and what they mean for policymaking. Thomas, a longtime Furman University education professor, told the Alaska Legislature Task Force on Education Funding that standardized test results might not be the most appropriate dat  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- Andrea Ogier, a librarian working with Arctic communities to document subsistence practices and specialized knowledge, has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior regarding the Federal Subsistence Management Program. Ogier emphasized the importance of conducting a thorough review of the program, urging the Secretaries of the Interior and Agriculture to engage in consultations with Alaska Native and rural Alaskan communities before making d  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- Save Long Beach Island Inc., a community organization representing over 10,000 supporters from Long Beach Township, New Jersey, submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior's Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM). The letter addresses proposed administrative revisions concerning the leasing process for minerals other than oil, gas, and sulfur on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The group voiced concern about the expansive offshore critical  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- Sealaska Corp., representing over 26,000 Alaska Native shareholders primarily of Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian descent, has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior addressing the ongoing Subsistence Management Program Review for public lands in Alaska. The corporation provided extensive input on the federal subsistence program's administration and policies as part of the Department's scoping process and plans to engage further in consultat  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The Seward Peninsula Subsistence Regional Advisory Council submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior regarding the Federal Subsistence Management Program (FSMP) review conducted by the Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of Agriculture. The Council gathered in Nome in January to discuss the program's current organization and functioning and submitted their observations and recommendations to the Federal Subsistence Board for further   more

WASHINGTON, April 17 [Category: Environment] -- Greenpeace USA, an organization that says it uses protest and confrontation to expose environmental problems and promote solutions, posted the following news release: * * * Trump Administration Rushes Offshore Mining Lease Sales in Pacific Waters, Sidestepping Indigenous Consultation * New Interior document outlines 2026-2027 timeline targeting American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and Alaska, with Indigenous outreach planned only after  more

WASHINGTON, April 18 -- The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense released the following testimony by Lt. Gen. Leonard F. Anderson IV, commander of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserve, from an April 17, 2026, hearing on fiscal 2027 budget requests: * * * Chairman Calvert, Ranking Member McCollum, and distinguished members of the Subcommittee, it is my privilege to testify on behalf of the Commandant of the Marine Corps. This testimony will provide an overview of the current state of the Ma  more

ANN ARBOR, Michigan, April 18 (TNSjou) -- The University of Michigan issued the following news: * * * Family-led firearm strategy goes 'beyond the screen' to curb suicide risk A family-centered approach to firearm safety can change how guns are kept in homes and may offer a new path to reducing suicide risk. A new University of Michigan study, published in Injury Prevention, tested a method called the Family Safety Net in Alaska, which shifts suicide prevention away from individual screening  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The Wrangell Cooperative Association (WCA), a federally recognized Tribe from Southeast Alaska, submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Agriculture opposing a Petition for Rulemaking filed by Safari Club International. The petition requests fundamental changes to the Federal Subsistence Management Program, which the WCA asserts would undermine the rights and livelihoods of Alaska Native and rural communities. Th  more

WASHINGTON, April 17 -- The Yupiit of Andreafski Tribal Council, a federally recognized tribe representing members in St. Mary's, Alaska, has submitted a public comment letter to the U.S. Department of the Interior regarding the Federal Subsistence Management Program review. The council advised against changes that could undermine the rural subsistence priority, the Federal Subsistence Board (FSB), or the Office of Subsistence Management (OSM). The council emphasized preserving all public membe  more