Senator Lisa Murkowski (NGP Photo) Senator Lisa Murkowski, Legacy Wells, Photo by Dave Harbourtoday criticized the Interior Department’s budget proposal for attempting to make Alaska pay for the decades-old broken promises of the federal government.
Alberta Oil: Could the N.W.T.’s Canol shale be the next Bakken?
CBC News: Enbridge Gas New Brunswick has won its legal challenge of provincial regulations that stipulate how the Energy and Utilities Board sets distribution rates.

Yesterday, at Houston’s Offshore Technology Conference, Alaska was a big subject of discussion (See our report yesterday).  From the Houston Chronicle, comes the following commentary by Consumer Energy Alliance President, David Holt (NGP Photo) -dh.  In Alaska, where a vast pool of oil and natural gas resources is not only surveyed but accessible, federal policy is also halting development. Several companies have temporarily suspended exploration offshore Alaska due to regulatory uncertainty. Meanwhile, Russia and Norway are moving to expand their Arctic drilling capabilities, shifting investment and expertise away from American interests and putting us behind the curve in developing our Arctic resources.  Yesterday at OTC, a group of eight coastal governors … called for an improved dialogue with the federal government to allow …

Other news media references to the OTC include : Wall Street Journal: “Coastal Governors Want More Offshore Drilling”

 … expanded access to U.S. waters. They noted that 85 percent of the nation’s OCS is currently off limits. They also urged federal policymakers to better manage regulatory standards for offshore development to provide increased certainty and more efficient timelines for operators. Finally, the governors endorsed legislative efforts to expand oil and gas revenue-sharing to all coastal states, underscoring the importance of such revenues to state coastal management and infrastructure development programs.  Policymakers should take their cues from the can-do spirit of OTC and apply that same dynamism to fashioning reasonable offshore regulations. Building on our undeniable success and technological advancement in developing our onshore resources, we should be looking to the sea to help supply our nation with domestic oil and natural gas in a safe, reliable and responsible manner. With a renewed focus on the OCS and the flexibility to allow states to determine their own fate, Washington could help usher in the next energy boom.  The future of American energy production is offshore, just as much as it’s onshore, and it’s time our federal policymakers enable this growth."

Governor Sean Parnell’s office provided the following report: May 6, 2013, Houston, TX – Alaska Governor Sean Parnell, Texas Governor Rick Perry, Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory headlined a panel today….   (See Multi Media and Photos Here)

The governors underscored their support for federal legislation mandating revenue sharing from the development of oil, gas and renewable energy resources in the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). They also highlighted the importance of efficient, timely, and consistent regulatory approval for offshore development.
 
In his remarks, Governor Parnell cited lower unemployment in more hospitable places like Aberdeen, Scotland, West Texas, Alberta and North Dakota, and the importance of the federal government unlocking resources to enable new energy production to create jobs.
 
“Those places that are allowed to grow create more opportunity for our people,” Governor Parnell said. “We should not accept nearly 12 million Americans out of work.
 
“As chair of the OCS Governors Coalition, we’re advocating to expand revenue sharing to states that host offshore development. Currently, Eastern Seaboard states and Alaska are generally not eligible to share in revenues generated by oil, gas, and renewables in the OCS. These states should be treated equitably with other coastal states.
 
“We continue to urge the Obama administration to provide timely regulatory approval for the development of oil, gas, and renewable energy resources in the OCS. More timely federal decision-making means more jobs sooner for Americans and reduces our nation’s growing debt.
 
“In the U.S. Interior Department’s Five-Year Plan for Oil and Gas Leasing for 2012-2017, the department did not open access to new areas through 2017, including leases in the Atlantic, despite the fact that a lease sale off of Virginia’s coast had been included in a previous five-year plan. What’s more, Interior postponed all Arctic OCS lease sales by one year from the date proposed in the draft plan. As it stands, 85 percent of America’s OCS is effectively closed to oil and natural gas exploration. This is unacceptable.”
 
Since its formation in 2011, the coalition of coastal governors has advocated for energy expansion through safe and responsible resource development and has supported proactive offshore energy production as part of a comprehensive national energy policy. The coalition provides a discussion and policy platform, and includes the governors of Alaska, Louisiana, Texas, Virginia, Mississippi, Alabama, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
 
“When it comes to the federal government, the states often only see delay,” said Governor Parnell. “We are looking for more coordination by the federal government with the states instead of federal decision-making without them.”
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