Department of the Interior

A bus station in Ninilchik has the potential to become a small Native reservation — but the state of Alaska is pushing back. A lawsuit playing out in Juneau could impact the Ninilchik tribe’s bid for sovereignty and protection of its bus services.

Industry watchers say the lukewarm response to the hotly contested sale points to a long-term trend of low interest in the inlet's federal waters.

In a new proposed plan for offshore drilling, the U.S. Department of the Interior floated the idea of auctioning off leases to oil and gas companies in Cook Inlet in 2026, in addition to 10 lease sales proposed for the Gulf of Mexico over the next five years.

The federal government said it will continue taking steps toward a potential oil and gas lease sale in Cook Inlet, after a Louisiana district court judge…

Oil and gas leasing on federal lands and waters is on pause. That includes a sale in Alaska’s Cook Inlet that was originally slated for later this year…