WASHINGTON (AP) Shrinking glaciers, Arctic temperatures and a mix of messy energy politics await President Barack Obama on his historic trip to Alaska. Even before he departed, Obama was making waves with a decision to rename Alaska's famed Mount McKinley despite a backlash from Ohio politicians.
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Obama flies to Anchorage on Monday morning for a three-day tour of the nation's largest state, closely choreographed to call attention to the ways Obama says climate change is already damaging Alaska's stunning scenery. By showcasing thawing permafrost, melting sea ice and eroding shorelines, Obama hopes to raise the sense of urgency to deal quickly to slow climate change in the U.S. and overseas.

His excursion north of the Arctic Circle will make Obama the first sitting president to step foot in the Alaska Arctic, home to Alaska Natives who have received less attention amid Obama's recent efforts to improve conditions for Native Americans. In a major show of solidarity, Obama announced on the eve of his trip that his administration is changing the name of North America's tallest peak, Mount McKinley, to Denali, its traditional Athabascan name.

Obama's move to strip the mountain of its name honoring former President William McKinley, a son of Ohio, drew loud condemnations from Ohio lawmakers, including House Speaker John Boehner, who said he was "deeply disappointed" in the decision.

"This political stunt is insulting to all Ohioans, and I will be working with the House Committee on Natural Resources to determine what can be done to prevent this action," added Rep. Bob Gibbs, R-Ohio.

In renaming 20,320-foot Mount McKinely as Denali, Obama was instating a moniker Alaskans have informally used for centuries. The name means "the high one" in Athabascan.

Yet Obama was to navigate far more turbulent political waters when he arrived Monday afternoon in Anchorage, where his grand declarations on climate change have been met with skepticism by leaders in a state that's heavily dependent on oil revenues that have fallen precipitously.

At the same time, environmental groups warned in the lead-up to Obama's trip that he hadn't done enough to protect Alaska and the climate. They took particular offense at his administration's move just a few weeks ago to give Royal Dutch Shell a final permit for expanded drilling off Alaska's northwest coast.

"I share people's concerns about offshore drilling. I remember the BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico all too well," Obama said in his weekly address. Yet he said the economy still had to rely on oil and gas while it transitions to cleaner renewable fuels, and said his administration was ensuring risks were minimized.

Although mindful that the Shell issue would likely come up, White House officials said Obama intended to keep his visit largely focused on climate change. Yet as a State Department-sponsored summit on Arctic issues opened on Sunday, Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, a Republican, sought to shift attention back to Alaska's energy needs.

"I want to highlight one aspect of Arctic policy that I hope will be at the forefront of the discussion: the people who live in the region, and their need for sustainable economic activity," Murkowski said, praising oil revenues for funding advances in medicine, communications and basic infrastructure.

After touching down in Anchorage in the afternoon, Obama was to hold a listening session with Alaska Natives before speaking at the climate-focused Arctic summit, which involves leaders from Arctic and non-Arctic nations. Setting the stage on Sunday night, Secretary of State John Kerry told reporters in Alaska that climate change skeptics won't be remembered kindly.

"I think the people who are slow to come to this table will be written up by historians as having been some of the folks most irresponsible in understanding and reacting to scientific analysis," Kerry said.

Obama and Kerry are intensely focused on a global climate treaty that nations hope to finalize in December, as the president works to secure his environmental legacy before leaving office. The president has pledged a U.S. cut in greenhouse gas emissions of up to 28 percent by 2030, compared to 2005 levels, and planned to use the Alaska visit to press other nations to commit to similarly ambitious measures.

Following his speech, Obama was to embark on a camera-friendly boat tour Tuesday of Kenai Fjords National Park and to hike to Exit Glacier. The sprawling expanse of ice is retreating, in what environmentalists say is a dramatic sign of warming temperatures.

His visit continues Wednesday in Dillingham, in southwest Alaska, where Obama will meet with fishermen locked in an ongoing conflict with miners over plans to build a massive gold and copper mine in Bristol Bay, home to the world's largest salmon fishery. Then he'll fly north to Kotzebue, a regional hub in the Alaska Arctic, where Obama will focus on the plight of rural, native villages where livelihoods are threatened by encroaching climate change.

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Associated Press writer Dan Joling in Anchorage, Alaska, contributed to this report.

He should hike into the forest and see bears in their natural habitat, alone

Well this big hype on Denali's name being changed is so funny to us Alaskan's since Guess wha??? Lower 48'ers... We never called it McKinley sorry doesn't happen want to show you are new to Alaska call Denali, McKinley...

As far at the Meaning of Denali.. It means.. "The Great one"... I have worked with Athabascans for years and have never heard it called "the high one" I actually called a local lady that teaches Athabascan language to the younger generation and she cracked up.

IMO This is nothing more than a media hype up here. The officials can go around glad handing and making this into something that it isn't. I honestly believe he wanted another vacation and is scrambling to find a legacy..Remember President Carter and his legacy. if not google Alaska and President Carter. Same thing IMO...

Hiking Exit glacier well that is a walk in the park people that are wheel chair bound do it everyday. Paved trail and all.

Running through the Wilderness hmmm well does that mean he is going to step out off the beaten trail a hundred feet and see something that might be there or does this mean that he is dropped 50 miles from the nearest highway. That is what we Alaskan's call Wilderness not stepping a 100ft off the trail system.

Insinuating that we Alaskan's don't care about our environment is so insulting to me.. The big clash of fishing against the mine out of Dillingham most Alaskans DON'T WANT IT.. I for one have been fighting and will continue to fight it. Not to stop mining but to preserve the largest salmon spawning ground in the world of natural spawning..

I'm not bashing anyone that wants to come and see our beautiful state it is glorious and many wonders to be had. We just don't need another to use us for their stepping stone. But he won't be the last one for sure to use us.

Mr. Obama you already have had to many passes in a fiasco of being our President leave Alaska alone.. IMHO

I for one will not apologize for being an American nor will I apologize for being an Alaskan. So come up here have your photo shoot gather more ammo that is misrepresented for your next legacy. I for one will be happy when you get your jet setting self and friends back out of our state.

Okay sorry to any I may have offended.. I will step back down off my soapbox.

I'm just glad that he finally visited our 57th state.

point well taken..touche

did it bother yall that he gave away some of the Aleutian Islands?

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
To my knowledge said islands were never Alaskas to begin with they were always part of Russia Siberia if I am correct.


Could you please provide the link of this.

And they weren't part of the Aleutian chain

Hey, Sitka, I hope you don't mind, but I quote you in my blog post about this topic.
I just published it on two sites.
http://themoderatevoice.com/208308/ohios-congressmen-need-a-whaaambulance/
http://wizbangblog.com/2015/08/31/ohios-congressmen-need-a-whaaambulance/

this was from 2010-11, it has already happened...

http://statedepartmentwatch.org/GiveawaySummary.htm


naturally, they blamed it on the repubs, GB senior...

The claim that President Obama gave away some of the Aleutian Islands is a false claim promoted by World Net Daily, which previously claimed that the previous presidential administration had given away those islands.

Carl Olson's State Department Watch is less reliable than WND.

doesn't matter, the Islands were given away while obarry was president... everything else is liberal doubletalk...

I have a cousin that lives in Alaska. He said that renaming Mount McKinely to "Denali" is the first time he's ever agreed with something Obama did.

Actually it was republican lol {I am of neither party} and if these are the islands I am thinking of we really didn't do anything with them. Nor were they really officially claimed. in the presents sense of the word..

The only one of the islands that I am familiar with if we are talking about the same islands, and one that I would have contested would have been wrangell.. No matter what the history of the others were..

It comes down to location of said islands and to be quite honest I don't feel comfortable debating this since I don't know my facts.
Let me get educated a bit and then I will weigh in.
I don't like going off half cocked and have wet powdered. I have to clean off.

To put it bluntly, this is B.S.

The maritime boundary between the USA and Russia was established by a 1990 treaty that the U.S. Senate ratified in 1991.

so why did they wait 20 years and 4 presidents later then? if your saying obarry didn't put it in action, then i have some beachfront property in New Mexico to sell ya...

heh... you said cock and wet... in the same sentence...

Moe, in this particular case, the facts aren't on your side.

opinions, and i disagree with yours...