A Hilcorp drilling rig operates on the shore of Cook Inlet, not far outside Anchorage. The company used a different rig for its exploratory well in the Yukon Flats in summer 2025. (Photo by Nathaniel Herz/Northern Journal)
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…