1-19-15 Optimism Amid Challenges

Essay: Maintaining Optimism In A Challenging Environment An essay to assist both Alaska citizens and our thousands of readers abroad in understanding the critical circumstances now confronting the 49th state. By Dave Harbour (Send us your comments, and scroll up for tomorrow's related commentary!) America invented the term, “Keep a stiff upper lip”, exactly two hundred years ago in a book entitled, "Massachusetts Spy".  The Brits adopted the term and now oil producers throughout the world are repeating it to stay calm in the face of what may be a prolonged period of [...]

By |2016-12-22T22:28:38-09:00January 19th, 2015|Alaska Taxes, Commentary, Enviro-Industrial-Governmental Cabal, Federal Obstruction, LNG|0 Comments
Read More

1-16-15 BP to cut more jobs in response to continuing, low oil prices

Caution:  We would urge our Arctic oriented readers to carefully follow this BSEE Arctic/General OCS Research Plan, for if contracts are given to organizations or professors that are predisposed to be agenda driven, the results may be less than scientific, less than objective.  In short, one hopes we can avoid the situation wherein a Federal Administration sells leases, then does everything in its power to nullify action--at considerable expense to leaseholders and consumers.  -dh   But hold on....  Bradner has an update for this story. Alaska Attorney General Craig Richards ... said [...]

By |2016-12-22T22:28:38-09:00January 16th, 2015|Commentary, Enviro-Industrial-Governmental Cabal, Interstate Gas, Keystone XL|0 Comments
Read More

1-13-15 Why Is ‘Climate Change/Global Warming’ Important To Energy Producers?

Alaska budget and gasline Comments, ADN by Tim Bradner (NGP Photo).    I have sympathy for new Gov. Bill Walker walking into this.  So far — with one exception — Walker’s actions have been quite reasoned. He prudently ordered a stop to unobligated spending on several high-profile state development projects and put off submitting a revised state budget until January to allow his team to develop a plan. Note to readers and public service advertisers:  the right hand column normally appearing here is being reconstructed.  Thank you for your patience.  -dh [...]

By |2016-12-22T22:28:38-09:00January 13th, 2015|Commentary, Enviro-Industrial-Governmental Cabal, Federal Obstruction|0 Comments
Read More

1-12-15 KEYSTONE GAINS SUPPORT (SCROLL DOWN FOR SATURDAY’S PRENTICE STORY)

Responding To The Oil Price 'Crisis' Commentary:   While consumers rejoice, low oil prices cause "crises" to those governments and economies that are highly dependent on a high price for the volatile oil & gas commodities they produce. It may be instructive for decision makers in Alaska and Alberta, for example, to observe -- as they develop their own creative solutions -- ideas from abroad. Here is what the Ecuador’s Vice President Jorge Glas said yesterday in a Radio announcement about that country's dependence on falling oil prices (See our earlier story [...]

By |2016-12-22T22:28:38-09:00January 12th, 2015|Commentary, Federal Obstruction, Keystone XL|0 Comments
Read More

1-9-15 Will The Keystone XL Ever Be Built?

Today is the Alliance's Meet Alaska Conference in Anchorage Will The Keystone XL Ever Be Built? (See Senator Murkowski's Release Today) by James R. Halloran, Independent Energy Analyst Most of the readers know we deal with trends, not forecasts. We have only made three forecasts that involved “a rate and a date” in fifteen years; our record is 2-1, and would be perfect if natural gas had moved $0.10 higher in 2013. However, we have gone out on a bit of a limb with two forecasts recently. The first one is well known:The [...]

By |2016-12-22T22:28:38-09:00January 9th, 2015|Commentary, Federal Obstruction|0 Comments
Read More

11-7-14 Alaska Governor Acts On Gasline And Legislators React – President Makes Preemptive Attack On Keystone XL

See Our Earlier Commentary: "Is Alaska Beginning A New Year Of Accomplishment or Acrimony?" (Other references) ADN by Dermot Cole.  Gov. Bill Walker (NGP Photo) took a major step toward revising the way the state is dealing with a proposed gas pipeline by removing three members of the Alaska Gasline Development Corp. board and instructing two commissioners not to sign a secrecy pledge proposed by the Parnell administration. (Comment: We do not know enough about all the circumstances to comment on the rightness or wrongness of the Governor's action or legislative reactions.  We do [...]

By |2016-12-22T22:28:38-09:00January 7th, 2015|AGDC, Commentary, Enviro-Industrial-Governmental Cabal, Federal Obstruction, Interstate Gas, You Read It Here First|0 Comments
Read More

1-3-14 Will We Make Our Children Proud?

In response to our commentary yesterday (scroll down), we are pleased to provide a related Facebook discussion below from Brad Keithley's (NGP Photo) page, Alaskans For A Sustainable Budget:      Greg L Kisor Best article on the subject I've read. 22 hrs · Unlike · 1 Steve Pratt Good piece. My own analysis a few years ago indicated the PERS liability to be about $5 Bill. more than the $10B. In any case, it is going to be interesting. 22 hrs · Like Andy Holleman Dave, I find one part confusing....you say " The piece quotes some who contend [...]

By |2016-12-22T22:28:39-09:00January 4th, 2015|Alaska Taxes, Commentary|0 Comments
Read More

1-2-15 Is Alaska Beginning A New Year Of Acrimony–Or Accomplishment?

Today, we ponder Alaska's 2015 challenges below -- including less capability to fund energy projects.  We also sympathize with our Canadian friends.  The Calgary Herald's Deborah Yedling said of TransCanada's Russ Gurling that, "three fronts consume Girling’s time and energy — the Energy East file, an activist shareholder and, of course, the Keystone project." Is Alaska beginning a new year of acrimony or accomplishment? ​Yesterday's Alaska Dispatch piece by Dermot Cole pretty well summarizes the​ difficult budget issues and political pressures faced by North America's most economically dependent oil & gas producing state. ​by Dave Harbour [...]

By |2016-12-22T22:28:39-09:00January 2nd, 2015|Alaska Taxes, Commentary|0 Comments
Read More

12-30-14 Oil Price Results: Alaska Governor Walker and Alberta Premier Prentice Plan Spending Cuts

Our Commentary: "Enlightened Self Interest vs. the Public Interest: Is Global Warming and Ocean Acidification Science Reliable" is being rescheduled. -dh Juneau Empire Editorial: Thumbs up to fulfilling promises. On Friday, Gov. Bill Walker (NGP Photo) issued an administrative order to halt work on six of Alaska’s biggest construction projects. During his campaign for governor, Walker promised to cut “unnecessary” studies as a way to reduce the state’s expenses. As most of those six projects are still in the study phase, we shouldn’t be surprised that Walker is considering them for the [...]

By |2016-12-22T22:28:39-09:00December 30th, 2014|Commentary, Enviro-Industrial-Governmental Cabal, Global Warming|0 Comments
Read More

12-8-14 Commentary: What Do Ecuador And Alaska Have In Common Besides Incredible Beauty?

What U.S. state is as hooked on oil revenues as Venezuela, Iran, or Russia? Commentary: What Do Ecuador (Left) and Alaska Have In Common Besides Incredible Beauty? API's Gerard urges Obama to approve Keystone XL pipeline The transition for new Gov. Bill Walker is ... unknown to most Alaskans, and what skills he brings in grappling with serious problems we face is equally unknown.  Reader Steve Borell writes: "The video clips at the site below (and above) document the lies and fabrications of a group that attacked Chevron/Texaco in Ecuador. The [...]

By |2016-12-22T22:28:49-09:00December 8th, 2014|Commentary, Enviro-Industrial-Governmental Cabal, Interstate Gas|0 Comments
Read More

11/27/14 Canadian and American Leaders Make Pipelines A Political Issue

Alaska Dispatch by Alex DeMarban.  Gov.-elect Bill Walker (NGP Photo) on Monday began the thorny task of meeting with officials from the Alaska Gasline Development Corp., an entity he targeted during his campaign as ripe for cuts, with its high salaries and the state's dueling gas pipeline projects. Commentary.  We have long respected the objective reporting and wise commentary that the Calgary Herald provides its fortunate readers.  Today, Editorial Board writer, David Marsden , provides a concise, common sense, pipeline perspective.  In it, he reveals the harmful and illogical pipeline agendas embraced by [...]

By |2016-12-22T22:28:50-09:00November 27th, 2014|AGDC, AGIA, Commentary, Interstate Gas, Intrastate Gas|0 Comments
Read More

11-18-14 TransCanada’s Energy East Pipeline: “The Medium Is The Message”, But All Is Not Lost….

Personal note: en route today from Cuenca, Ecuador to Anchorage.... Globe & Mail.  In Alberta, where the Conservatives are Progressive, Premier Jim Prentice (NGP Photo) accurately described his province’s biggest challenge in a weekend speech to his party. Alberta, he said, has to find new markets in Asia for its oil, and the only way it can do that is by redefining the province “as an environmental leader.” CBC.  TransCanada is launching an aggressive campaign to get public support and recruit "advocates" for its Energy East pipeline.  Documents obtained by Greenpeace and shared [...]

By |2016-12-22T22:28:50-09:00November 18th, 2014|Commentary, Enviro-Industrial-Governmental Cabal, Keystone XL, Notes From the Road, You Read It Here First|0 Comments
Read More

11-14-14 Can Alaska Avoid A Perfect Economic Storm?

12:15 p.m. EST.  A few minutes ago the Keystone XL approval bill passed the U.S. House of Representatives.  It should be interesting to see what the outgoing Senate leader does with that bill.  See relevant story below.  -dh CBC alerted us that the U.S. House of Representatives is scheduled to vote on the Keystone XL Pipeline today.  (Note: Watch Senator-elect Dan Sullivan's interview with Greta Van Susteren (NGP Photo) last night and, in particular, his remarks about Keystone and other energy issues. -dh) Katie Bender, publisher of Alaskanomics.com, reports today that, [...]

By |2016-12-22T22:28:51-09:00November 14th, 2014|Alaska Taxes, Commentary|0 Comments
Read More

Post Election Day Highs and Lows

  Brief Post-election Comment: We believe our opinion piece yesterday regarding the struggle between socialism and constitutionalism remains valid.   In Alaska there is a twist. Voters chose to have an all-Republican Congressional Delegation.  This helps create a Republican led Congress that has the potential but not the guarantee of reversing much if not all of the effort to 'fundamentally transform America' into a socialized society. But on the Alaska scene the tension between socialists (Democrats) and constitutionalists (many but not all Republicans) continues. The Republican governor is in danger of [...]

By |2016-12-22T22:28:51-09:00November 5th, 2014|Commentary|0 Comments
Read More

11-4-14 Election Day USA: Socialism vs. The U.S. Constitution

AltaGas Plans Expansion: Good Omen For Alaska Gas Commercialization Or More Competition? Today's Relevant Consumer Energy Alliance Energy Links Election Day USA: Socialism vs. The U.S. Constitution Yes, it is that simple and that obvious! by Dave Harbour Today, November 4, 2014, is Election Day USA.  The way we see it, a voter has three choices:   HOW WE VOTED AND WHY For the reasons articulated herein, we voted early and we voted a straight Republican ticket.  We believe the handwriting is on the wall: the country will fall if its path toward socialist dictatorship remains unchanged.  The [...]

By |2016-12-22T22:28:51-09:00November 4th, 2014|Commentary, Federal Obstruction|0 Comments
Read More
Go to Top