Attorney General Sullivan to head DNR 11/21/2010
Gov. Parnell picks Sullivan as commissioner of Natural Resources, replacing Irwin; no new AG named; Hartig stays at DEC
Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell announced the first of his cabinet picks Nov. 18 at the Resource Development Council for Alaska's annual conference. Parnell took over in mid-2009 after Gov. Sarah Palin resig...

AGIA coordinator takes UAF post 09/12/2010
Mark Myers, a former head of the U.S. Geological Survey, is joining the University of Alaska Fairbanks as vice chancellor of research. Myers currently leads the state's effort, under the Alaska Gaslin...

Possible FERC legal conflict for ANGDA 09/12/2010
Participation on Alaska Gasline Development Corp. team questioned because of proposed role as shipper on interstate, bullet lines
Because the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority is bidding for pipeline capacity in interstate gas pipeline open seasons this year, and has expressed an intention to bid for capacity on a propose...

Ulmer named to Gulf oil spill commission 06/20/2010
Alaska has been given a seat at the national table in preventing and mitigating offshore oil spills. Fran Ulmer, chancellor of the University of Alaska Anchorage and former lieutenant governor, has...

Budget funds road studies 06/13/2010
Roads to Resources program gets $13 million to prepare impact statements for 2 roads, to Umiat and Nome, and to make geologic models of the Foothills
After several years of activity in the foothills of the Brooks Range, the past six months have been rather quiet for exploration, but somewhat active for promoting infrastructure. The fiscal year 2011...

Coastal bill dies but task force passes 04/25/2010
Legislature sets up Alaska Northern Waters Task Force to ensure input on state-federal commission responsible for northern waters
If the oil and gas tax decoupling bill which passed the Alaska Legislature April 18 was one of the biggest wins of the session for proponents, an attempt to revise the state's coastal management progr...

ConocoPhillips Alaska's Jim Bowles dies 02/21/2010
Company president leaves legacy of community involvement; Bowles, Alan Gage of Conoco killed in avalanche while snowmachining
Jim Bowles, 57, president of ConocoPhillips Alaska, died Feb. 13 in an avalanche. Also killed was Alan Gage, 40, a member of the company's capital projects organization. The men were part of a group...

Supreme help sought 02/07/2010
Staggered by Point Thomson loss, Alaska officials go for high court review
Fresh off a significant setback in its tilt with ExxonMobil for control of the rich Point Thomson oil and gas field, lawyers for the state are now asking for a break in the action while they seek an A...

Exxon: Gas looks good 01/31/2010
First Point Thomson well drilled to depth, Kruger tells Alaska contractors
A top ExxonMobil executive drew a generally upbeat picture of coming global oil and gas demand and also broke a bit of Alaska news in a Jan. 22 speech in Anchorage. "There is consensus that oil and na...

Parnell budgets Umiat road permitting 12/13/2009
Proposes $8 million line item in FY 2011 budget for permitting an all-season road; claims lack of infrastructure holding up development
Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell is planning to include $8 million in his fiscal year 2011 budget for the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities to permit a road to Umiat. A road to Umiat, a stag...

Risk analysis gets low marks from NAS 10/25/2009
National peer review recommends Alaska take a top-down look at oil and gas failures costliest to state, get industry cooperation
An oil and gas infrastructure risk assessment methodology developed by a contractor for the State of Alaska has received failing marks in a review by the National Academy of Sciences. After Prudhoe B...

Changing of the guard 07/12/2009
Parnell's experience debated as Alaska's lieutenant governor becomes governor
Alaska lawmakers and industry observers are hopeful that Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell's diverse experience, including a stint as an oil company lobbyist, will give him the perspective needed to make progress...