Consumer Energy Alliance Says “Alaska Is Key To American Energy Success!”


NGP Readers Everywhere: Please Comment Before Thursday’s Deadline On National Petroleum Reserve – Alaska Permit Application.


Dandelion, invasive species, Alaska, bureaucrats, conference, Dave Harbour Photo

Today, at great cost to state and local governments, bureaucrats gather in Anchorage to ‘discuss’ how to deal with invasive species.

Meanwhile, we have shown how government managers coddle and cultivate the biggest invasive weed, the ubiquitous dandelion, which grows and multiplies under their noses, infesting northern forests and city landscapes alike.  We observe — and have given ample proof throughout these archives (Search above left) — that national energy policies, in the hands of bureaucracies, are similarly managed.  -dh


Inuvik, NWT, Church, Dome, Silver, Oil and Gas Conference, Dave Harbour PhotoYour author once chaired a pipeline portion of the Inuvik Oil and Gas Conference.  We reported a week ago (i.e. You read it here first) that the conference would be postponed from this coming summer to 2016. 

Today, the CBC provides more background, here.


Ribbon cutting for new Alaska Geologic Materials Center Tomorrow, Oct. 29

Could This Website And Other Alaskan Blogs Become Regulated?

Power Grab: Dems Want Regulation Of Internet Speech
By DICK MORRIS
Published on DickMorris.com on October 27, 2014

Not content with the total bias and domination of the news networks, CNN, and the nation’s leading newspapers, the Democrats on the Federal Elections Commission (FEC) have moved to assert federal control over Internet political speech.  Claiming the authority to regulate political postings and blogs as independent campaign expenditures, they want to apply federal campaign finance laws to online voices.   More here….

Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Spokeswoman Elizabeth Bluemink alerts our readers to the ribbon-cutting and open house for the new Geologic Materials Center (GMC) at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 29. The center is located at 3651 Penland Parkway in Anchorage.

The GMC houses the State of Alaska’s collection of geological materials, which are cataloged, preserved and available for use by the public, industry, researchers and educators. The open house on Wednesday will include a tour of the new center.

“The new Geologic Materials Center is an outstanding example of the State saving money and improving its services to the public by undertaking a public-private building purchase agreement. We significantly reduced the cost and duration of this project and will deliver an enhanced facility that provides excellent access to our state’s geologic information,” said Department of Administration Commissioner Curtis Thayer.

New construction was sought to replace the aging GMC located in Eagle River, which had grown out of its available space and was in poor condition. The original building project concept was estimated to cost roughly $45 million and take eight to nine years to complete.

By purchasing the former Sam’s Club building in East Anchorage for $16.1 million and investing in renovations instead of new construction, the State spent closer to $24.5 million and is enabling the staff and the public to use the new GMC in under two years. The State also benefited from Walmart’s generous contribution of $2.5 million to support enhanced educational opportunities, including viewing rooms and space for classroom instruction. In addition, the building occupied by the GMC will house the State Pipeline Coordinator’s Office, currently located on 4th Avenue in downtown Anchorage, resulting in additional cost saving for the state.

“With the new GMC, Alaska now has a state-of-the-art facility to house our geologic materials for the maximum benefit of the public, industry and our educational system,” DNR Commissioner Joe Balash said.

“Maintaining and protecting this collection will result in tremendous benefits to future generations of Alaskans, supporting both an educated workforce and new resource discoveries,” Balash said.

Among the geologic materials that will be housed in the 100,000 square-foot, heated building are thin sections, core and cuttings representing over 13 million feet of oil and gas drilling, 300,000 feet of core drilling from mineral projects, 115,000 surface rock samples, and 96,000 pulps.

The new GMC has significantly expanded and improved core viewing facilities, including large private viewing rooms, conference rooms, new microscopes, new sampling equipment and wireless internet access. 2-D and 3-D seismic data will also be available from the new facility as they are made available.

Relocation of the geologic collection will begin following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, with the new facility fully functional and open for business by next spring.