This week on The Wild Line, we’re tracking the Ambler Road comment deadline, a second Cook Inlet lease sale, proposed methane rule rollbacks, new transmission lines for Virginia data centers, and USDA letters on state wolf protections. From the Arctic to Appalachia, these stories show where energy demand and federal rule changes are reshaping public lands and wildlife protections.

🎧 Listen to the full episode for context, analysis, and what to watch next.

Ambler Mining District Comment Period Closes Monday

The public comment period on permitting for the first mine proposed in Alaska’s Ambler Mining District ends Monday, November 2. The open-pit mine would sit near the Kobuk Wild and Scenic River, and ore would move along the proposed 211-mile Ambler Road, which would cross thousands of rivers and streams and run through Gates of the Arctic National Preserve. Americans for Alaska has set up a landing page for submitting comments.

https://americansforalaska.org/act-now/

“Roadless” Film Follows the Proposed Ambler Road on Foot

A new film, Roadless, follows three adventurers who set out on foot to travel the full 211-mile length of the proposed Ambler Mining Road. They face injuries, exhaustion, hunger, and relentless mosquitoes, along with terrain with no roads or trails, while the expedition also offers a look at an Arctic ecosystem largely untouched by development. We spoke with filmmaker Robert Lester about the landscape. The Wilderness Society is sponsoring showings in cities across the West.

https://mountain-king-industries.com/roadless

Second Cook Inlet Offshore Lease Sale Planned for March 2027

The Trump administration is preparing a second offshore oil and gas lease sale in Alaska’s Cook Inlet, after the first auction earlier this year drew no bids. Scheduled for March 2027, the sale would offer approximately 1.05 million acres at a proposed 12.5 percent royalty rate. The plan renews concerns about industrial activity in habitat used by the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale, a population that numbers only a few hundred animals.

Reporting Links Russian Energy Giant Novatek to Alaska’s Polar LNG

The New York Times reports that Novatek, a Russian energy company under partial U.S. sanctions, may have secretly financed Polar LNG, an American startup planning to export liquefied natural gas from Alaska. Documents and former executives describe discussions of up to $15 million in financing for parent company Tech Wave. CEO Joel Riddle later learned of Novatek’s role, called Russian control of Alaska’s Arctic gas illegal, and left along with two other senior executives. The project is valued at roughly $25 billion.

Polar Bear and Walrus Take Rule, and Bear Baiting in Alaska Preserves

The Fish and Wildlife Service finalized a five-year rule allowing incidental take of polar bears and Pacific walruses during oil and gas activity in Alaska’s Beaufort Sea through 2031, covering unintentional impacts including harassment and potentially lethal take. Separately, the Department of the Interior finalized a rule allowing sport hunters to bait bears in Alaska’s national preserves, reversing restrictions from the Obama and Biden administrations. Baiting uses food such as doughnuts, bacon grease, and meat scraps to draw bears in for close-range shooting.

Data Center Power Lines Proposed Through West Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic

Two transmission projects, Valley Link and the Mid-Atlantic Resiliency Link (MARL), would carry power through parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Virginia to serve data center growth in Loudoun County. The lines would run on roughly 200-foot rights of way with towers nearly 200 feet tall, crossing residential and agricultural land, including a family farm of Bill’s in production since 1763. Next Tuesday, November 3, is Election Day.

EPA Proposes Loosening Methane Rules for Oil and Gas

President Trump is set to announce a proposal to loosen Biden-era EPA methane rules, with the largest change aimed at marginal wells, which account for about 7 percent of U.S. oil and gas output but roughly half of the sector’s methane emissions. The proposal would also restore flaring at 95 percent efficiency as the standard for associated gas, and the EPA is expected to eliminate the Methane Super Emitter Program. The administration estimates $45 billion in industry savings. It is still a proposal, not a final rule.

NOAA Fisheries Gear-Marking Rule Affects 335 Vessels

Approximately 335 vessels using pot or bottom longline gear will face new NOAA Fisheries gear-marking requirements beginning in 2027. The agency estimates average compliance costs of $809 per vessel, and fishermen have until 2030 to transition to manufactured line that meets the new color-marking standard.

USDA Asks States to Reconsider Wolf Protections

On October 12, Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins sent letters to the governors of every state with gray or Mexican wolf habitat, following a September 4 executive order, “Supporting America’s Ranchers.” Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado were asked to reconsider state-level protections, while Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana were asked to keep current policies. The letters cite USDA’s Livestock Indemnity Program and an estimate that wolf predation costs ranchers $128 million a year. The House Natural Resources Committee praised the move; conservation advocates worry it will undermine restoration work.

Forest Service Early Exit Deadline Arrives as Rollins Says “Full-Steam Ahead”

October 30 was the cutoff for Forest Service employees to leave under the Voluntary Early Exit, part of the administration’s effort to reduce the agency workforce. The offer has been extended into early next year while courts rule on challenges, but a number of employees had already filed to leave. Despite a court-ordered stop to USDA’s proposed Forest Service reorganization this week, Secretary Rollins said the department is “full-steam ahead.”

The Wild Line is sponsored by The Wilderness Society.

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