Middle East War Threatens Alaska Fuel Crisis

0:00It's April 15th from your city to your ears. This is Anchorage News today powered by AI intro This is Arctic Voices. You're weekly deep dive into life at the top of the world I'm your host Lena Anders The war in the Middle East is hitting rural Alaska hard threatening massive fuel price jumps and shortages in coastal villages and hubs Prices were already sky high even before this gas hit six dollars in 72 cents a gallon in Bethel this winter and 17 dollars and 50 cents an ambleer for the past year Distributors won prices could surge by 50% from the global oil crunch with Iran blocking the straight-of-hormos Cutting 20% of world supply Asian refineries that feed over 160 Western Alaska spots by a summer tankers are slammed leaving gaps in the 140 million gallons needed locals are freaking out calling it a survival crisis

1:00Folks might flee to Anchorage if heating fuel tops $20 a gallon Energy managers like Engle-Mar Mathiason say utility space doubling cost from $3.10 up to over $6 a gallon for diesel Buyers of stuck unsure whether to lock in now or wait While vendors push quick orders before sea ice shortens the shipping window No extra tanker lows this year due to cost and air deliveries would cost even more if tanks run dry Senators like Lisa Murkowski are pushing Washington for help but with tight budgets Targeted loans might be the move Economists peg the hit at $6,000 per rural resident. I yearly hundreds of millions total making this a straight-up catastrophe if the conflict drags on Outro thanks for listening to Arctic voices tune in next week for more stories that matter most to our communities