Comment: Northern Economics and the University of Alaska's Institute of Social and Economic Research have quantified the economic effects of Alaska OCS exploration and development programs.  In effect, the economists demonstrated the dangerous economic impacts of government permitting delays.  At a time when the Nation needs economic recovery and Alaska desperately needs predictable Trans Alaska Pipeline throughput, federal government permitting delays are inexcusable.  -dh ADN by Richard Mauer.  Peter Slaiby (NGP Photo), Shell Alaska's vice president, said at a news conference in Anchorage that the decision to forgo exploratory drilling [...]

Today we issued an email alert and, while we used spell check on the body of the editorial, we stupidly left typographical errors in the email subject line; we misspelled the President's name and the word 'government'.  For that and all our other failings, we deeply apologize.  -dh  (See our email editorial comment below.) New York Times, by Phil Taylor.  Royal Dutch Shell PLC this morning announced it is postponing plans to drill for oil this summer in seas off Alaska, citing continued uncertainty over whether it would receive federal [...]