3-21-17 Economist Roger Marks Fact Checks Lawyer’s “Fair Share” Cliché (UPDATE)

Calgary Herald by Javier Blax.   Exxon Mobil Corp., Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Chevron Corp., are jumping into American shale with gusto, planning to spend a combined $10 billion this year, up from next to nothing only a few years ago.  (Many Alaskan and Alberta elected officials -- obviously -- have no concept of the principle of worldwide competition for attracting natural resource investment dollars.  -dh) Critical Thinking The end of the Alaska Legislature's 2017, third trimester approaches.  The socialist-leaning House majority has cut off debate on their [...]

3-12-17 Making Sure Our Readers Caught This Late Thursday Piece

If you missed it, please find our LATE Thursday piece on Crony Capitalism in Alaska and Washington right here.... We continue to ask to a non-responding bureaucracy: “Who in his right mind could think a $45 billion gas pipeline/LNG project could go well if it were owned by a non-accountable government of temporarily elected and appointed officials?” Big spending politicians, crony capitalists and related special interests seem to be in control of Alaska’s fate as we close out this week.  

3-10-17 Crony Capitalists Exert Unwarranted Influence

Please scroll down for today's crony capitalist commentary Today, our Aussie Oil & Gas energy analyst friend observes that, "Overnight Repsol announced an onshore discovery of 1.3 B bbls - the largest in the US for 30 years.  This follows on from similar sized discoveries in the State last year in the immediate offshore.  Unfortunately prices will likely need to solidly hold above US$50 before these will be developed in this high cost (and high tax) location."   We refer readers to the view of some that taxes do not [...]

2-1-17 Valdez (i.e. Governor Bill’s home town) still fights for Valdez LNG terminal…

...and, we wonder how the good folks on the Kenai Peninsula are reacting to that!  (Here's the filing .pdf) UNITED STATES OF AMERICA FEDERAL ENERGY REGULATORY COMMISSION Alaska Gasline Development Corporation Docket No. PF14-21-000 BP Alaska LNG, LLC Conoco Phillips Alaska LNG Company ExxonMobil Alaska LNG, LLC TransCanada Alaska Midstream, LP COMMENTS REGARDING ALTERNATIVE ROUTE AND SITE ANALYSIS FOR THE AKLNG PROJECT THE CITY OF VALDEZ, ALASKA THE MAYOR OF THE FAIRBANKS NORTH STAR BOROUGH, ALASKA THE MAYOR OF THE CITY OF FAIRBANKS, ALASKA THE MAYOR OF THE CITY [...]

By |2018-01-12T18:08:02-09:00February 1st, 2017|AGDC, Alaska Governor Bill Walker, Government Waste, LNG|0 Comments

1-30-17 The most important, least appreciated Alaska legislation of 2017?

Proposed Amendment To Improve Alaska's Constitutional Spending Limit Last Friday, Alaska state senator Mike Dunleavy filed a proposed amendment to the state's spending limit.  Below is the news release explaining the amendment.  Here is a link to the actual language of the amendment.  -dh Amendment Proposed to Strengthen Constitutional Spending Limit Alaska State Senator Mike Dunleavy. Northern Gas Pipelines file photo by Dave Harbour JUNEAU, January 28, 2017 – An amendment to Alaska’s Constitution was introduced today that would – if approved by a majority of Alaska [...]

11-9-16 With A New President We Look Again At Intergenerational Inequity

  Intergenerational Inequity by Dave Harbour We have elected a new president and couldn't be more delighted.  We supported the man throughout the campaign and when circumstances were darkest, urged our friends and colleagues (i.e. and America's elected leaders) to "keep your powder dry".  We also believe our successor generations will look back, remember and thank our Creator for the miracle of events that produced the result of a government designed to, "Make America Great Again!"  While the platforms of both candidates largely appealed to the hopes, dreams and [...]

11-4-16 Alaska Headlamp, Craig Medred, & Must Read Blogs Also Shed Light On Energy Issues

Stark warning for Canada - TransCanada sells U.S. assets to pay for Columbia Pipeline - A transition ahead for US Arctic - Progress slow for IEP - When it comes to Alaska LNG project, the big elephant in the room is cost - Inter Pipeline expects decision on petrochemical plants   Medrid Today: It’s hard to make multi-million dollar business decisions in an unstable economic environment, and there is no doubt that Alaska’s constantly shifting tax structure – particularly its desire to squeeze another dollar out of the golden goose of oil any time a budget problem arises – makes [...]

10-7-16 Governor Gives A Day’s Notice For Another International Trip

Governor Bill Walker today sent a letter to Secretary of Interior Sally Jewell nominating the Beaufort and Chukchi seas and Cook Inlet for inclusion in the 2017-2022 proposed Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) lease sale  More here. With Some Highly Astute Audiences, One Has But One Chance To Make A Successful Pitch by Dave Harbour* Bill Walker, Governor of Alaska. NGP file photo by Dave Harbour. The release below, received today, indicates Governor Bill Walker will be in Korea tomorrow for a speech to the new but influential Yeosijae [...]

9-15-16 Kish Returns To Capitol Hill

We are delighted to note that one of Washington's most knowledgeable energy analysts is joining the office of House Speaker Paul Ryan.  We think our Alaskan, Canadian and Lower 48 readers will be grateful that such an advisor will be in such a position to improve energy decision and policy making in Washington.  -dh GOP Energy Veteran Kish To Ryan's Office: As Playbook readers found out this morning, Institute for Energy Research Senior Vice President Dan Kish is headed to Speaker Paul Ryan 's office as a new policy adviser for energy, environment, [...]

6-28-16 ALASKA’S GOVERNOR: Clouds Of Suspicion Descend On Him As His True Motives Begin To Emerge

Is this the question everyone would like to ask? Alaska Governor Bill Walker. NGP Stock Photo by Dave Harbour. If Alaska's Governor Bill Walker were not conniving to convert Alaska into a sick, modern version of Hugo Chavez' socialist  utopia, why would he be overspending, demonizing the state's biggest investors and seeming to move toward a takeover of various oil & gas leases and transportation and distribution systems?   -dh     Anchorage Daily Planet Editorial: Disaster in the making? Added by Editor on June 27, [...]

5-26-16 Oil Prices Have Been Inching Up: Should Alaska & Alberta Rejoice?

Read today's Ak-Headlamp for the latest on Alaska Gasline Development Corporation management waste; no fiscal crisis solution as legislative spending continues; and, a promising Alaska North Slope shale discovery  -dh Crude Oil Price Commentary by Dave Harbour Our Mid Atlantic energy analyst today points out to us that -- in just comparing crude oil prices to U.S. stock prices -- black gold could be headed a third or more higher.  (Scroll down for his analysis) Rejoice!  Maybe lawmakers won't have to cut government spending programs after all! "On the other hand", as my old, [...]

Alaska Is Making Critical Decisions That Affect Its Long Term Investment Climate

Alaska is making critical budget decisions that will affect its investment climate for a generation! With its unsustainable spending we have long recommended that Alaska decision makers not increase taxes or impose new taxes until significant cuts are made in entitlement programs and employee costs. As the current legislative session nears an end, we see pressure mounting for new taxes.  We see no decisive movement toward containing employee CPI and step wage increases or negotiating more prudent state employee contracts.  And, we see no significant effort to cut entitlement programs [...]

ISER Research Announcements 6:59 PM (20 hours ago) to iser_publicati. ​ISER Research Matters is our effort to quickly let Alaskans know about research findings from the Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER), at the University of Alaska Anchorage. We post these periodically on our website and also distribute them by e-mail. If you’d like to be removed from or added to our e-mail list, visit http://matrix.uaa.alaska.edu/mailman/listinfo/iser_publications, or send us a message at ResearchMatters@uaa.alaska.edu. Research Matters No. 99: Short-Run Economic Impacts of Alaska Fiscal Options March 31, 2016 A report analyzing the potential short-run economic effects of eleven options for reducing Alaska’s huge budget deficit is now complete. The authors are ISER economists Gunnar Knapp, Matthew Berman, and Mouhcine Guettabi. They looked at potential effects of several kinds of state spending cuts, new taxes, saving less of Permanent Fund earnings, and reducing the Permanent Fund dividend. They emphasize that they don’t advocate or oppose any option, but rather intend to help Alaskans understand and compare the potential short-run effects on income and jobs of different ways of reducing the deficit. In the big picture, they found: • Different ways of collecting money from Alaskans affect those with higher and lower incomes in significantly different ways. • Anything the state does to reduce the deficit will cost the economy money and jobs. But spending some of the Permanent Fund earnings the state currently saves would not have any short-run economic effects. In the longer run, saving less would slow growth of the Permanent Fund and reduce earnings. • Because the deficit is so big, the overall economic effects of closing the deficit will also be big. To see their detailed findings, download the report, Short-Run Economic Impacts of Alaska Fiscal Options​ (PDF, 4.3MB). If you have questions, get in touch with the authors: Gunnar.Knapp@uaa.alaska.edu, Matthew.Berman@uaa.alaska.edu, and mguettabi@alaska.edu.

Since Alaska's Fiscal Crisis Involves Oil & Gas Industry Investment Security (i.e. will government seek a higher take from the private sector in order to preserve public sector spending), we provide the economic report, below, from Gunnar Knapp (NGP Photo) of the University of Alaska-Anchorage's Institute of Social and Economic Research.  -dh http://matrix.uaa.alaska.edu/mailman/listinfo/iser_publications, or send us a message at ResearchMatters@uaa.alaska.edu. Research Matters No. 99: Short-Run Economic Impacts of Alaska Fiscal Options March 31, 2016 A report analyzing the potential short-run economic effects of eleven options for reducing Alaska’s huge [...]

Energy East Pipeline Injunction – Our Readers Comment

TransCanada (TRP +0.9%) will now have to face just one injunction request related to its Energy East pipeline. After a Quebec court rules an injunction sought by an environmental group can be folded into a similar court action that has been launched by the Quebec government. Quebec wants TRP to provide a more detailed account of its Energy East proposal, which would result in a more complete environmental review process than the one currently taking place. While the judge noted the environmental law group’s application for an injunction came before the [...]

11-5-15: A Review of the November 2015 Special Session of the Alaska State Legislature

One Observer's View of the November 2015 Special Session of the Alaska State Legislature (Revised following receipt of reader comment)   Offered on this, the last day of the Special Session, November 5, 2015   Special Session Audio & Video Archives   by   Dave Harbour     As the special session called by Governor Bill Walker ended this week, we did not oppose the Legislature's decision to approve certain appropriations.  The appropriations allowed the governor to reimburse TransCanada (TC) for its expenses to date, plus interest, to "buy out" its participation in the [...]

Go to Top