Parnell's elevation request rejected 03/28/2010
Corps of Engineers, Obama administration officials hear from North Slope officials, communities on rejection of permit for CD-5
The district commander for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in Alaska has denied a request from Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell to elevate the Corps' rejection of ConocoPhillips Alaska's CD-5 Alpine satellit...

Alaska village fights gas exploration 03/28/2010
Sleetmute files opposition papers in Anchorage Superior Court; appeal holds up DNR license for Holitna Energy Co.
An Interior Alaska village is challenging a proposed natural gas exploration license for the Holitna basin. A lawyer for the Native Village of Sleetmute, a community of 72 people on the Kuskokwim Rive...

Radar to spot icebergs is working again 03/28/2010
Out of service since last September, the system at infamous Bligh Reef helps with tanker safety in Alaska's Prince William Sound
A radar system for spotting icebergs drifting across the shipping lanes in Prince William Sound is up and running again. The radar had been out of service since September due to "integration problems"...

FERC: RCA has in-state gas jurisdiction 03/28/2010
Staff response says if in-state line only for in-state use, state would regulate; commission would have to decide if gas exported
If Alaska North Slope natural gas was transported in an in-state gas pipeline and sold for use entirely within Alaska, no FERC authorization would be needed for construction and operation of the line,...

Legislature working in-state gas issue 03/28/2010
House, Senate bills alternately set up in-state gas team in governor's office under AFHC, move in-state line to Alaska Railroad
With supplies of natural gas tightening in Southcentral Alaska - and Fairbanks in need of a more reasonably priced fuel than diesel - concern has been growing about how long it is likely to take a maj...

Another Aussie indie enters inlet; Buccaneer acquires Stellar acreage 03/28/2010
An Australian exploration company is picking up a package of Cook Inlet leases. The Sydney-based independent Buccaneer Energy Ltd. announced on March 25 that it was acquiring 57,600 gross onshore and...

Cook Inlet needs $2.8B 03/28/2010
Study assesses investment in new CI wells to maintain adequate Southcentral gas
Anew study into Southcentral Alaska utility natural gas supplies from the gas fields of the Cook Inlet basin has concluded that gas producers will likely have to sink up to $2.8 billion into new gas w...

Gas storage bill passes 03/28/2010
Alaska House votes 38-0 for act to encourage Cook Inlet gas storage, exploration
The Alaska House of Representatives on March 24 passed the Cook Inlet Recovery Act, which provides tax credits for construction of natural gas storage projects plus incentives for gas explorers. The l...

Arctic Directory: Crowley restructuring its Alaska operations 03/21/2010
Crowley Maritime Corp. said Jan. 28 that it has restructured it petroleum distribution and contract services group, consolidating all Alaska operations under Craig Tornga, vice president. Tornga will...

Arctic Directory: American Marine ends another successful season 03/21/2010
American Marine Corp. said Oct. 5 that its vessels, the American Explorer and American Discovery have ended another successful season on the North Slope with no accidents, incidents or injuries. "Than...

Arctic Directory: How much longer for the North Slope? 03/21/2010
Revised DOE report indicates oil production from remaining reserves could last 35 years, but much longer after new developments
The slowly declining meter readings at the trans-Alaska pipeline pump station 1 on the North Slope, as production from America's most northerly oil fields continues to flow south at a slowly dwindling...

Arctic Directory: Beaufort leasing in state's 'best interest' 03/21/2010
Finding supports 10 years of planned sales in nearshore seas extending from Barrow to Canada; Native groups claim slight from state
Alaska oil industry regulators have cleared the way for a series of lease sales over the next decade along a vast swath of coastal waters in the Beaufort Sea. The state's oil and gas director, Kevin B...

Arctic Directory: Alaska's energy resources - a crucial part of the answer to the nation's energy questions 03/21/2010
We Alaskans have a very special relationship to our environment. The land is our back yard. We use it for recreation and subsistence. The land has provided our livelihood, for the people and for the s...

Arctic Directory: State of Alaska's oil and gas director says state is open for business 03/21/2010
At the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Division of Oil and Gas, we take seriously the Alaska Constitution's charge to encourage "the development of its resources by making them available for m...

Arctic Directory: Communications expert NSTI celebrates its 30th 03/21/2010
Meeting challenging projects head-on gives NSTI its edge over the competition
North to Alaska Straight from the beginning North Slope Telecom Inc. was uniquely suited to perform telecommunications design and installation projects in Alaska, as well as other extreme, remote loca...

Arctic Directory: With more than 20 years experience, GESI gets the job done 03/21/2010
GESI uses innovative technology to reduce disposal cost for the oil and gas industry
Q. What do you most want people to know about your company? A. Global Environmental Systems, Inc. is committed to a safety work culture across the company as a whole. Our safety culture combined with...

Oil Patch Bits: Anchorage Chamber recognizes women in business 03/21/2010
Linda Leary, president of Carlile Transportation, Laurie Fagnani, president and owner of MSI Communications, Cindy Curtis, TOTE community relations, Hélène Elizabeth Harding, ConocoPhillips Alaska act...

Senate Finance works decoupling bill 03/21/2010
Committee substitute for bill expected to address cost allocation between oil and gas, tighter title, effective date of decoupling
Dividing costs between oil and gas would be a big consideration if the two were decoupled for production tax purposes, Alaska Commissioner of Revenue Pat Galvin told the Alaska Senate's Finance Commit...

Arctic Directory: TA Structures manufactures NMSand#8200;guard shacks 03/21/2010
TA Structures said Jan. 19 that it has created six units to be used as guard shacks for NANA Management Services on Alaska's North Slope. A division of Twin Anchors Houseboat Manufacturers, TA Structu...

Co-op looking to partner in LNG plant 03/21/2010
Natural Gas Supply Co., cooperative formed by ANGDA, wants to buy Cook Inlet natural gas, keep LNG plant going for peak gas
The Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority is looking at a number of projects that could require bonding, ANGDA CEO Harold Heinze told the Senate Resources Committee March 15. Among those are gas p...

Polar Tankers to pay for Puget spill 03/21/2010
Polar Tankers Inc., a ConocoPhillips subsidiary, has agreed to pay a $588,000 settlement in connection with an October 2004 crude oil spill in Puget Sound near Tacoma, the Washington State Department...

ACES: more bad than good 03/21/2010
House panel hears mostly nays, a few yeas, on results of ACES production tax
When House Resources heard comments from industry March 10 on its proposed changes to Alaska's current production tax it heard a litany of woes about what is wrong with ACES, Alaska's Clear and Equita...

A change of mind 03/21/2010
Stevens opts for in-state gas-line routes from NS to Kenai or Valdez
In a major change of heart since leaving office, former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens now thinks that LNG exports into the Pacific Rim from Alaska present the optimum solution for bringing North Slope gas to...

DEC proposes new village utility permit 03/14/2010
Nuiqsut Power and Light would gain permission for 'unlimited operation' of two gas-fired generators; gas comes from Alpine oil field
The Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation is proposing to issue a new air quality control permit to the North Slope Borough for the power utility in the village of Nuiqsut. The "minor permit...

Bill separates oil, gas in Alaska tax 03/14/2010
Senate Finance Committee begins work on SB 305, result of work on what happens with progressivity when gas is added to tax base
The Alaska Senate's Finance Committee started hearings March 9 on Senate Bill 305, a bill which would separate oil from gas for purposes of calculating the state's oil and gas production tax. The bil...