Month: May 2026

A major oil exploration effort in the Yukon River watershed that prompted tribal opposition is coming to an end without an announcement of any major petroleum discoveries — and after the completion of only one of the two wells originally planned.

Oil and gas company Hilcorp was set to drill both wells last summer on land held by Indigenous-owned corporations, including the regional corporation for Alaska’s Interior, Doyon, Limited.

But Hilcorp only ended up drilling one well in the summer of 2025. Toward the end of the season, Doyon said that exploration at both planned drill sites in the region known as the Yukon Flats was “expected to continue into 2026.”

But now, before the exploration season gets started, Hilcorp says it’s finished its exploration program and will begin demobilizing work in the coming months.

“We are honored to once again work with Doyon, tribal governments, and regional organizations during the 2026 season and extend our sincere gratitude for their partnership, trust and collaboration throughout this multi-year effort,” spokesman Matt Shuckerow said in a prepared statement Friday.

Data and analysis from the well that was drilled “represent a meaningful geological contribution to the broader understanding of the Yukon Flats basin and will help inform future exploration in the region,” he added.

Hilcorp’s oil exploration efforts had drawn support from Doyon and a smaller Indigenous village corporation that also owns land where the wells were planned — as well as from the tribal government in the village, Birch Creek.

Oil development on Native-owned land, Doyon executives said previously, could produce jobs and royalty checks for the corporation’s more than 20,000 shareholders, generate business for its subsidiary companies that work in the oil business, and pump low-cost natural gas to heat local villages.

But in a rare split with Doyon, tribal leaders along the Yukon River broadly opposedthe drilling effort, saying it was too risky in a watershed that’s already seen sharp declines in salmon runs in recent years.

Advocates opposed to Hilcorp’s exploration work celebrated the news that the company would not drill this summer.

“Our expectation was that they were going to move forward with that second exploration well,” said Rhonda Pitka, first chief of the Yukon River village of Beaver and vice president of Tanana Chiefs Conference, a regional tribal government that had opposed the drilling effort. The news that Hilcorp is pulling out, she added, is a “very happy surprise.”

Pitka said she hopes that Doyon and Hilcorp ultimately provide a “full and transparent report” on the full extent of their removal of drilling infrastructure, and on their future intentions. Hilcorp, in its statement, did not directly state whether it plans further exploration or development in future years.

A spokesperson for Doyon, Sarah Obed, said the company is “pleased with the progress to date on the Yukon Flats exploration project, which has been done in consultation with local communities at every step.”

Doyon, Obed added, “continues to see promise” in its lands for the betterment of its shareholders.

In an community mailer, Doyon said Hilcorp’s test well was part of a “very limited project, with more than 1.6 million acres of our lands still unexplored.”

“Future development opportunities may be pursued by Hilcorp or another operator as opportunities allow, with Doyon shareholders, local villages, and partners closely involved in the process,” the update said.

Nathaniel Herz welcomes tips at natherz@gmail.com or (907) 793-0312. This article was originally published in Northern Journal, a newsletter from Herz. Subscribe at this link.

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