1-17-19

Alaskanomics

What does the future hold for the Alaska economy?

By Mouhcine Guettabi,

The U.S. economy is convincingly in an expansionary phase, and is nearing peak growth rates for the current business cycle. Job creation has been consistently strong for an extended period, and unemployment rates have now returned to pre-recession levels. Recent stock market volatility has …. MORE HERE

Alaska

AGDC audit recommends minor changes, additional report forthcoming Alaskajournal.com. The misstep occurred when seven invoices from the Bureau of Land Management were charged to the corporation’s Alaska LNG Project fund instead …

Canada

Varcoe: Canadians believe a pipeline ‘crisis’ has arrived and say Ottawa needs to do more: poll Calgary Herald. It indicates the public opinion on the need to build new oil pipelines is … something the prime minister acknowledged during a recent trip to Calgary.

Canadian oil weakens after Notley says she’s hopeful production cuts will ease in April Calgary Herald. Calgary Herald Homepage … Canadian oil weakens after Notley says she’s hopeful production cuts will ease in April … as we move out of winter production into April,” Notley told reporters in Calgary Tuesday. … to alleviate a local glut caused by rising production meeting a shortage of export pipelines.

Consumer Energy Alliance Clips

01 / 17 / 2019

U.S. News & World Report: Oil and Gas Deemed ‘Essential’ in Shutdown
Following reports last week that certain federal workers were back on the job to review oil and gas drilling permits, the Bureau of Land Management is confirming that employees across the country have been ordered back to work to resume green-lighting fossil fuel development on federal lands.

The Hill: Dems ask Interior to stop offshore drilling work during shutdown
Top House Democrats are asking the Trump administration to reverse its decision to bring dozens of furloughed employees back to open more areas for offshore oil and natural gas drilling.

Forum News Service: An outgrowth of pipeline protests, first-ever Indigenous Peoples March set for Friday on National Mall
A historic demonstration stemming from oil pipeline protests in North Dakota and Minnesota is descending on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., on Friday. The first-ever Indigenous Peoples March is estimated to draw a crowd of 10,000 to the nation’s capital during a weekend when other large-scale marches are taking place.

New York Post: U.S. drilling projects to add 1,000 coal plants’ worth of pollution by 2050
Despite the global call to phase out fossil fuels to stave off climate change, the U.S. is expanding fossil fuel production. The US is currently on track to add 1,000 coal plants’ worth of carbon emissions into the atmosphere in the next 30 years, according to a new report. These new reserves are estimated to add 120 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere by 2050.

Natural Gas Intelligence: Oil, Gas Industry Increasingly Nervous as Government Shutdown Drags On
Representatives from the oil and gas industry are beginning to worry that the partial shutdown of the federal government, now the longest in U.S. history, could impact drilling on federal lands and blunt permitting for infrastructure, including pipelines and liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities.

Reuters: Oil prices slip as U.S. crude output nears record 12 million barrels per day
Oil prices fell on Thursday as U.S. crude production neared an unprecedented 12 million barrels per day just as worries about weakening demand emerge.

The Wall Street Journal: Wheeler vows to continue deregulatory actions as permanent EPA head
At his Senate confirmation hearing Wednesday, Andrew Wheeler, President Donald Trump’s pick to lead the Environmental Protection Agency, renewed his commitment to deregulation and to adopting rules that give businesses and states “a climate of certainty.”

E&E News: 4 things to watch this year at DOE
In 2018, Energy Secretary Rick Perry visited the Middle East and completed tours of all the national laboratories. This year, he could be making more treks to Capitol Hill as newly empowered House Democrats vow to investigate everything from the Energy Department’s solar grants to its connections with coal moguls.

About the Author: wpnorthern

Dave Harbour, publisher of Northern Gas Pipelines, is a former Chairman of the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, a Commissioner Emeritus of NARUC, NARUC's Official Representative to IOGCC and Vice Chairman of NARUC's Gas Committee. He served as Gas Committee Chairman of the Western Conference of Public Service Commissioners. He also served as commissioner of the Anchorage Bicentennial Commission and the Anchorage Heritage Land Bank Commission. He earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree: English, at Colorado State University, a Master of Science Degree: Communications-Journalism at Murray State University and graduated from Utility Regulatory School for Commissioners at Michigan State University. He served as a Vice President for Communications and Public Affairs at Alaska Pacific University, taught bank marketing classes at the University of Alaska and was an English teacher at Los Alamos High School. Harbour served in ranks of Private - Captain during a 4-year assignment with the Army in Korea, Idaho, Georgia and Fort Meade and received the Meritorious Service Medal among other commendations. Harbour is also a past Chairman of the Alaska Council on Economic Education, the Alaska Oil & Gas Association Government Affairs Committee, the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce, the Export Council of Alaska and the Department of Commerce's District Export Council. He is a past President of the Alaska Press Club, American Bald Eagle Foundation, Consumer Energy Alliance-Alaska and Common Sense for Alaska. Harbour was instrumental in founding the American Bald Eagle Research Institute (UAS), the Alaska Support Industry Alliance, the Downtown Anchorage Business Partnership, and Arctic Power. He also served as CEO of several small Alaska organizations, including the Anchorage Parking Authority and Action Security, Inc. Harbour is also Chairman Emeritus of the Alaska Oil & Gas Congress. Harbour's wife, Nancy, is a professional, performing arts administrator and his three boys, Todd, Benjamin and William work in the fields of environmental management, energy marketing and medicine.