Exxon's Russia Ties Still Strong Amid Crisis. The standoff between the United States and Russia isn't getting in the way of ExxonMobil's lucrative relationship with Vladimir Putin's regime. At least not yet. The U.S.-based oil and gas giant has spent years cultivating ties with the Kremlin, reaching a multibillion-dollar exploration deal with state oil company Rosneft in 2011. Putin even awarded Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson the Order of Friendship, one of Russia's highest honors, for the company's "big contribution to developing cooperation in the energy sector." Politico

Be Prepared for Realpolitik Over Arktik Politik. In a March 6 article, Kevin McGwin rightly noted that "Arctic leaders have expressed their outrage over Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but when it comes to the region's issues it is still co-operation as usual". Russia's behavior in Ukraine has been met with widespread criticism, especially by western states, including Arctic states that have a vested interest in Russia's foreign and defense policies. Arctic Journal

House Panel Says It Will Act on Federal Report on Rural Crime, but Doesn't Know How. Members of an Alaska House committee said Tuesday they would act on a federal report that singled out the state for failing to protect its rural residents against violent crime, sexual assaults and suicides, though they weren't yet sure what they could do. The U.S. Indian Law & Order Commission wrote the report and its chairman, Troy Eid, had a few suggestions. For one, he said, the state could stop suing its own people to forestall greater tribal autonomy. Anchorage Daily News

TCC Convention Speaker Blasts Governments' Treatment of Native. A colonial attitude and lack of tribal sovereignty are contributing to an "unconscionable" record for Alaska Native justice, the head of the Indian Law and Order Commission told a Fairbanks audience on Tuesday. In a fiery speech at the Tanana Chiefs Conference convention, Troy Eid blasted the state and federal governments for treating Alaska Natives like second-class citizens. The result, he said, has been an ineffective and unequal system for the state's indigenous people. Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Finland is EU's Third Largest Renewable Energy User; Swedes Like Wind Subsidies. EU statistics show 34.3 percent of Finnish energy currently comes from renewable sources, meaning that of the European Union countries, Finland ranks third for renewable energy use, behind Sweden and Latvia. In 2012, energy from renewable sources was estimated to have contributed 14.1 percent of gross final energy consumption in the 28 countries of the European Union, up from 8.3 percent in 2004, the first year for which data was available. The goal is to increase this percentage to 20 by the year 2020. Alaska Dispatch