11-16-19, NORTHERN ENERGY HISTORY: Exxon’s Important North Slope Position Includes Prudhoe Bay AND Point Tompson!

Producers 2019: Exxon pursuing two fronts Operator’s ultimate goal at North Slope Point Thomson unit is marketing 8 Tcf of natural gas Kay Cashman Petroleum News Caribou on oil industry gravel pad. Five feet above the mosquito infested tundra decreases mosquito caused mortality among spring-born calves. -dh One of the earliest explorers in Alaska and one of the primary working interest owners on the North Slope, ExxonMobil did not embark on the $4 billion Point Thomson development just to produce 10,000 barrels of condensate a day. Production [...]

11-12-19 Farewell Epilogue and Alaska’s Dangerous Oil Tax Increase By Voters Initiative

“BOTAX” Dave Harbour Glen Biegel Lawyer’s oil & gas tax scheme threatens Alaska’s economy (.PDF of this commentary here: Footnote Version & Clean Version like this w/o footnotes.) By Dave Harbour and Glen Biegel First, let’s get some ‘housekeeping’ out of the way on the proposed oil tax initiative.  Then we’ll explain why all Alaskans should be concerned. Alaska Lieutenant Governor Kevin Meyer recently certified a voter’s initiative petition application entitled “An Act relating to the oil and gas production tax, tax payments, and tax credits.”  Attorney [...]

11/9/19 Fairbanks Utility Wants To Buy LNG Facility But Is The Whole Deal Financially Feasible? We’ve Never Thought So.

Credit: http://www.thedailysheeple.com/the-west-is-on-the-wrong-path_082014 Commentary: With fuel oil prices low and the true cost of serving too few natural gas customers being high -- would enough oil-heated homes convert to gas to make the Interior Energy Project feasible?  Gas rates to customers are subsidized, and artificially low.  How can the repayment of loans to AIDEA be guaranteed?  Meanwhile, the cash-strapped state could be investing the several hundred million going to Fairbanks subsidies for market-based income.  That means the rest of the state at a time of budget shortfalls is subsidizing [...]

11-2-19 Is Alaska’s Economy Finally On the Move!?

Third Quarter Alaska Employment Numbers Commentary: The good employment news below is all about a dynamic Alaska oil industry on the cutting edge of new technology.  Longtime Alaskans know that oil not only supports industry jobs, but pays the lions share of government budgets that also fund education, public works, public safety and infrastructure for retail, tourism and commercial fishing industries and JOBS!  We're even pleased to spot signs of a new LNG project for commercializing Alaska North Slope gas.  But a lawyer is a major sponsor of a voters [...]

7-15-19 A Tale of Two Teachers

"It was the best of times; it was the worst of times... Alaska Budget Graph "...it was the age of wealth, it was the epoch of waste," we paraphrase with apologies to Charles Dickens. For over four decades Alaska's great Prudhoe Bay wealth elevated the sparsely populated, largest state in the U.S. to the biggest per capita spender. Its public officials knowingly created an unsustainable budget.  They knew that North Slope production would decline but allowed their policies to create a state budget that was over 3/4 [...]

4-30-19 China Is Toxic

China: "Danger Stranger" Nicolas Maduro, Venezuela's socialist (i.e. communist) dictator. Today as we watch an effort by the Venezuelan people to restore freedom and democracy pursuant to their Constitution, we see China, Russia and Cuba supporting dictator Maduro.  In particular, China is effectively achieving economic control over many developing countries by providing money for projects that cannot be repaid ... approved by politicians who benefit today by approving the debt their children must pay. We know our friends in Ecuador must be both outraged and fearful of [...]

By |2019-04-30T08:52:37-09:00April 30th, 2019|China, Commentary, Russia|0 Comments

3-26-19 Alaska Governor Michael Dunleavy Works to ‘Bring Home the Bacon’ From CERA Week!

Michael J. Dunleavy in Special Dialogue... Dan Yergin, NGP file photo, by Dave Harbour (NARUC). ...with Dr. Daniel Yergin, Vice Chairman IHS Markit 24:19.  (Note: Your publisher first met Dr. Yergin in the 1970s when the latter was a rising star in the energy/environmental consulting field.) Report: On Friday, March 22, 2019, Alaska Governor Michael J. Dunleavy addressed a crowded room at the international energy conference known as CERAWeek, an annual gathering in Houston, TX attended by more than 4,500 individuals from over 70 countries and regions. [...]

3-18-19 Lest We Forget: Alaska Once Had A Stable Investment Climate!

Correction: in our recent email alert we rightly associated Anchorage property taxpayers with proposed bonded indebtedness but inadvertently associated property taxpayers with a proposed liquor tax.  -dh Lest We Forget: Alaska Once Created Two Decades Of Investment/Tax/Economic/Social Stability Commentary by Dave Harbour TRANS ALASKA PIPELINE SYSTEM (TAPS) Thirty-Eight years ago today, Alaska created what was to be two decades of "quasi"-fiscal stability.  We say, "quasi" because even in the wake of "reform", politicians would continuously be seeking more revenue. But let us begin the story this way.  [...]

3-15-19 We Vote to Confirm Commissioner Brune

Jason Brune. Northern Gas Pipelines file photo by Dave Harbour Dear Readers: Today, you'll see my testimony (below) in support of a great, accomplished professional to be confirmed as Alaska's Commissioner of the Department of Environmental Conservation. But over half our readers are outside Alaska in the Lower 48 and Canada.  Why should they care?  Because this is an example of why remaining silent loses freedom. Here we have a highly qualified person appointed to his cabinet by Governor Michael Dunleavy.  Commissioner Brune now needs to be [...]

By |2019-03-15T11:20:41-09:00March 15th, 2019|Commentary|3 Comments

3-6-19 Closest Ever To Achieving ANWR

(View Hearing Live at 1:20 p.m. ADT here. Scroll down for details.) TODAY'S THE DAY: Alaska is the closest it's ever been to achieving access to oil and gas on ANWR's Coastal Plain TODAY we ALERT our readers who happen to be in Anchorage to attend an Alaska legislative hearing to support BLM's leasing program. We hope many of our readers will join us TODAY at the Anchorage Legislative Information Office (LIO) at 1:20 p.m. for a public hearing on Senate Joint Resolution 7 (SJR 7), which advocates for [...]

By |2019-03-06T11:34:29-09:00March 6th, 2019|ANWR, Arctic Policy, Commentary, Federal Progress|2 Comments

2-13-19 Monday’s ANWR Hearing and Rally

We were proud of our fellow Alaskans who participated in a "Support ANWR" rally during the course of BLM's ANWR hearing! NOTE: YOU may still provide comment until March 13. For the Archives: BLM's 2-11-19 ANWR Hearing, Anchorage, Alaska BLM's Documents, Including the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) to implement an oil and gas leasing program within the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge Coastal Plain.  Resource Development Council for Alaska's Agenda Alaska Support Industry Alliance's After Meeting Commentary Alaska Public Media's Take Our Monday 2-11-19 Commentary and Our Email Alert [...]

By |2019-02-13T07:19:51-09:00February 13th, 2019|ANWR, Arctic Policy, Canadian Energy Policy, Commentary|0 Comments

2-11-19 Could this be one of the last ANWR hearings? Not likely, But This Is A Big One!

Another ANWR Hearing...TODAY? Don't Get Public Hearing Testimony Fatigue.  Every Hearing Produces A Record.   Decisions That Benefit or Hurt Our Families Are Partly Based On That Record! by Dave Harbour Today in Anchorage the Interior Department will hold what is, hopefully, one of the last hearings dealing with the environmental impact statement preceding the leasing of a small section of the huge Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil & gas exploration and perhaps, eventually, development. See the point? Dulles Airport area, within 1.5 million area, within 19.6 million [...]

2-8-19 Alaskans: Prepare for Monday!

Not Just For Alaskans Alert and Commentary: Monday! Joe Balash, Department of the Interior Assistant Secretary for Land and Minerals Management. NGP File Photo by Dave Harbour Alaskans who can should turn out en masse for a federal public hearing on Monday by 1 p.m.!  For years the Alaska legislature, Governors and state organizations like the Interstate Oil & Gas Compact Commission and National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (i.e. IOGCC & NARUC) have been advocating for the environmentally responsible development of a small sliver of the 1002 [...]

1-24-19 In Today’s Senate Vote, We Hope Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski Will Support The President’s Bill, For We Believe That Border Control Is Essential To Preserving Reliable U.S. Energy Industries

Here is why Alaska's Senior Senator should keep faith with President Trump on today's Senate vote. Fairbanks Natural Gas Update: Consumers Should Follow the Money Fairbanks Borough Assembly to vote on natural gas powered transit.  (Note: Since Fairbanks is dependent on the Southcentral Alaska gas reserves.  And, since Fairbanks has depended on state subsidies to create a gas distribution system whose economics are marginal at best...perhaps citizens should at least "follow the money" to determine the real costs of CNG buses, CNG sources and costs, [...]

By |2019-01-24T09:57:56-09:00January 24th, 2019|AGDC, Canadian Energy Policy, Commentary|1 Comment

1-7-19 FLNG Comment – and – Changing World Fiscal Systems

NGI by Charlie Passut.   Alaska and three Chinese companies have agreed to a six-month extension to negotiate and conclude definitive agreements for a liquefied natural gas (LNG) project in the state, despite an ongoing U.S.-Sino trade war. The Alaska Gasline Development Corp. (AGDC), China's state-owned Sinopec Group, the Bank of China and CIC Capital, a subsidiary of China Investment Corp., agreed to extend the deadline for an agreement until June 30. The four parties (See Footnote) signed a joint development agreement (JDA) in November 2017 to develop the Alaska LNG project, which is [...]

Go to Top