THE EXPLORERS 2007: Statoil Hydro enters Alaska; Ken Boyd 'man on the ground' for mega-major 11/18/2007
In mid-2007, Norsk Hydro USA hired Ken Boyd as a consultant in Alaska. Jim Meek, manager of business development for the Houston-based affiliate of Norway's Hydro which merged in October 2007 with Nor...

THE EXPLORERS 2007: Shell never really left Alaska 11/18/2007
2007 Beaufort drilling plans on hold due to a court order, Odom says will continue to listen, learn, work with local people
When Shell re-entered Alaska in October 2001 with the $2.4 million acquisition of 56,000 acres on the North Slope, Alaskans watched to see what the U.S. EandP arm of Royal Dutch Shell would do next. Fo...

Alaska oil tax forum set for Oct. 11 10/07/2007
On Oct. 11 in Anchorage, leaders from the private and government sectors will gather for a panel on proposed changes to the State of Alaska's production profits tax, better known as PPT (see related s...

Administration releases ACES draft 10/07/2007
Revenue Commissioner Galvin says no unexpected difficulties encountered - bill reflects principles governor outlined in September
Information and auditors, along with an increased tax rate, are key aspects of the draft bill for a new production tax - "Alaska's clear and equitable share" or ACES - introduced by the administration...

Renaissance stakes 10 Umiat wells 09/09/2007
At the end of August, Renaissance Umiat LLC staked 10 wells on two of its leases in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska's Umiat oil field, which straddles the eastern border of NPR-A on the northern...

Oil taxes revisited 09/09/2007
Hybrid net-gross tax would raise more than PPT actual, less than PPT proposed
Gov. Sarah Palin wants the Alaska Legislature to change the state's oil tax system from a tax on oil company profits - a net tax - to a hybrid tax, part net and part gross. The goal is to increase rev...

Oil Patch Insider 08/26/2007
Boyd joins Norsk Hydro in Alaska; Arctic Energy Summit extends early bird deadline to Sept. 7
Norsk Hydro USA has hired Ken Boyd as a consultant in Alaska. Jim Meek, manager of business development for the Houston-based affiliate of Norway's mega-major Hydro, said Boyd would be the company's "...

Wastewater permit sparks legal debate 07/01/2007
EPA, industry say new Cook Inlet general permit meets strict clean water requirements; operators voluntarily moving to zero discharge
On June 15 an environmental group, two fishing associations and two Native village corporations filed an administrative appeal to block renewal of a federal wastewater discharge permit for oil and gas...

Judy Brady gets the magic wand at her final AOGA-chamber luncheon 07/01/2007
The oil and gas luncheon hosted annually by the Alaska Oil and Gas Association and the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce was several magic wands short this year. Traditionally, AOGA Executive Director Jud...

Ruling lifts cloud over state authority 07/01/2007
U.S. Supreme Court upholds federal approach to transferring permit-granting power to DEC over wastewater discharge permits
A U.S. Supreme Court ruling June 25 lifted a cloud of uncertainty from a federal plan to convey to the State of Alaska powers under the Clean Water Act governing oversight of wastewater discharge perm...

FWS wants incidental take regs for Chukchi 06/10/2007
New regulations from U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service anticipate offshore, onshore seismic surveys and drilling operations in area
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently published in the Federal Register a proposal to introduce new regulations for authorizing the incidental take of walrus and polar bears during oil and gas e...

Bristol Bay leasing may be in jeopardy 06/10/2007
Alliance, CEA join forces to lobby Congress for continued access to OCS energy exploration and development opportunity
Six months ago, the U.S. government lifted a moratorium on oil and gas leasing in Bristol Bay, bringing new hope for exploration and development activity in that largely unexplored region of Alaska. ...

Beluga ESA listing prompts debate 04/29/2007
Resource groups challenge National Marine Fisheries Service's data, proposal; question value of endangered species classification
The sparks are flying following the National Marine Fisheries Service's announcement that the agency proposes listing the Cook Inlet beluga whales as an endangered species. (See initial story in the A...

Update bill for AOGCC moves in Legislature 04/22/2007
House version passed by Oil and Gas, goes to Resources; Senate version receives Resources Committee, Senate floor approval, passes 19-0
Bills to update the statutory authority of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Act, dating from the territorial Legislature more than 50 years ago, are moving in both houses of the Alaska Legislature....

Oil Patch Insider 04/22/2007
AOGA's Brady to retire; AEWC and Maggie Ahmaogak part ways; Persily heads to D.C.
Judy Brady, executive director of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, plans to retire at the end of June after 14 years with the Anchorage-based group. AOGA's deputy director Marilyn Crockett will tak...

Huge response on polar bear listing 04/15/2007
Comment was sought on science; decision on 'threatened' listing will be made by Fish and Wildlife service by next January
More than 500,000 people have commented on a proposal to list polar bears as "threatened" under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. April 9 was the deadline for the public to weigh in on whether America'...

House begins considering PPT change 03/04/2007
Regulations not yet written for this portion of new tax law; BP concerned that changes create further ambiguities in what's deductible
The Alaska Legislature continues to discuss changing allowable deductions in the PPT, the Petroleum Profits Tax passed last year. House Bill 128, the companion to Senate Bill 80 (see story in Feb. 25...

Legislature revisits PPT deductions 02/25/2007
Senate begins hearing bill which would exclude costs of repair or replacement of improperly maintained facilities
Both the Alaska House and Senate are considering bills to amend the credit allowance for the Petroleum Profits Tax passed last year so that companies cannot deduct costs of repair or replacement for i...

MEET ALASKA 2007: Meet Alaska 2007 speakers 01/21/2007
Richard F. Guerrant Richard F. Guerrant, vice president-Americas for ExxonMobil Gas and Power Marketing Co., is located in Houston, Texas, and is responsible for the marketing of ExxonMobil's natural g...

Bush lifts moratorium 01/14/2007
Bristol Bay will probably be part of MMS 2007-2012 lease sale schedule
In a not entirely unexpected move on Jan. 9 President Bush lifted the moratorium on oil and gas leasing in the North Aleutian planning area, an area that includes the outer continental shelf of Alaska...

Moving on or starting over? 09/24/2006
Members of Commonwealth North, including gas contract study group members, aren't in agreement on what should happen next
Commonwealth North discussed its study report on the proposed gas fiscal contract at a meeting Sept. 8 (see story in Sept. 17 issue of Petroleum News). The discussion didn't cover all of the points i...

ConocoPhillips withdraws from AOGA 09/10/2006
Celebrating its 40th anniversary, trade association representing oil and gas companies operating in Alaska loses founding member
ConocoPhillips is withdrawing from membership in the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, the trade association that represents oil and gas companies operating in the Alaska. "ConocoPhillips has its own d...

With PPT oil tax passed, what's next? 08/20/2006
Administration needs to satisfy Alaska Legislature to move gas contract; industry concerned about tax rate, contract, regulations
The Alaska Legislature passed - and Gov. Frank Murkowski was scheduled to sign Aug. 19 - a major revision of the state's oil and gas production tax. The bill passed Aug. 10 was higher than the 20 perc...

Chevron evaluating gas line ownership 06/11/2006
John Zager, Chevron's general manager in Alaska, said June 5 that Chevron "plans to be part of" a gas pipeline project that BP, ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil are currently trying to put together to se...

Oil Patch Insider 06/11/2006
Kerr-McGee 'deep' in North Slope JV talks; Oil sands junior plays risk-reward game in Iraq
Kerr-McGee's director of international relations said June 5 that the company is "deep into" discussions for a North Slope exploration joint venture. Keith Jantz, speaking at the annual Alaska Oil an...