Mining News: Seasoned mine builder joins NovaGold 01/17/2010
Gil Leathley's five decades of experience is expected to be invaluable as the company continues to build world-class mines
NovaGold Resources Inc. tapped a wealth of mining experience recently when it appointed Gil Leathley as senior advisor to the junior's president and CEO, Rick Van Nieuwenhuyse. "Mr. Leathley is one of...

West Alpine on hold 01/17/2010
Without corps permit, ConocoPhillips can't start work in 2010-11 winter season
Work on ConocoPhillips Alaska's Alpine West or CD-5 satellite - the first satellite planned for development in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska - has been delayed by at least a year. The company...

Exxon wins a round 01/17/2010
For second time, judge disallows breakup of Alaska's Point Thomson unit
An Alaska judge on Jan. 11 dealt the state government a blow in its quest to wrest control of the rich Point Thomson oil and gas field from ExxonMobil and other leaseholders. Superior Court Judge Shar...

Savant completes ice road to Badami 01/10/2010
Savant Alaska has completed its 27.5-mile ice road from the eastern end of the North Slope road system to the Badami field, in preparation for the company's winter drilling program at Badami, Savant e...

New Nicolai Creek gas well goes on line 01/10/2010
Aurora Gas has brought no. 11 well into operation and company applies for new PA and unit expansion at west Cook Inlet gas field
Independent gas producer Aurora Gas has brought on line a new well, the Nicolai Creek No. 11, in its Nicolai Creek gas field, at the northern end of Trading Bay, on the western coast of Alaska's Cook...

FERC sets Alaska open season workshop 01/10/2010
Staff of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission will hold an open season pre-filing workshop at the Dena'ina Civic and Convention Center in Anchorage Jan. 12 from 1-5 p.m. FERC said the workshop wi...

Oil Patch Insider: Gazprom CEO: U.S. firms lack knowledge for Arctic projects 01/10/2010
Alaskans need help from Russians with projects in the Arctic, the CEO of Russian energy giant Gazprom, Alexei Miller, has told Russian President Dmitri Medvedev, Gazprom said in a release Dec. 25. Mil...

BP plans new operations center for Northstar 01/03/2010
Project involves fabricating, hauling enormous module by barge to production island in Alaska's Beaufort Sea; cost not specified
BP is applying for state and federal clearance to place a huge new module on its Northstar production island in Alaska's Beaufort Sea. The module would house a new operations center with living quarte...

Eastern slope opens for tundra travel 12/27/2009
The eastern coastal area of the North Slope opened for tundra travel at 8 a.m. Dec. 22. This is the second of the four North Slope areas to open; the western coastal area opened Dec. 17. The upper an...

Plenty of gas 12/27/2009
DNR assessment points to more than a decade of Cook Inlet gas reserves
In the light of widespread concern about the capacity of Alaska's Cook Inlet gas fields to continue to supply sufficient natural gas to meet the needs of local gas and power utilities, the Alaska Depa...

Mining News: Livengood explorer could build mine 12/20/2009
Junior seems reluctant to turn over multimillion-ounce Alaska gold asset to major; vows to assemble operations team in early 2010
International Tower Hill Mines Ltd.'s rapidly expanding Livengood gold project could prove to be the catalyst that transitions the Vancouver B.C.-based junior from explorer to producer. "The Livengoo...

Mining News: We've stepped through the looking glass 12/20/2009
Climate change debate accelerates society's departure from using deductive reasoning, logic; mushrooming litigation fuels trend
As I age up, the world does appear to be, as Alice would say, curiouser and curiouser. I have long been bemused by the obvious observation that logic and reason have little to do with how humanity co...

DNR opens travel in western coastal area 12/20/2009
On Dec. 17 the Alaska Department of Natural Resources opened the western coastal area of state land on the North Slope for off-road tundra travel, for vehicles with off-road travel permits. Conditions...

Cook Inlet Energy's ready 12/20/2009
Tennessee's Miller Energy brings $4.5M to buy, re-start abandoned Alaska assets
Managers for Cook Inlet Energy say they've wrapped up the purchase of a package of formerly abandoned oil and gas properties on the inlet's west side and are moving toward a production re-start. The c...

State lands still closed for tundra travel 12/13/2009
The Dec. 4 Alaska Department of Natural Resources report on the status of off-road travel restrictions on state lands in northern Alaska indicated that all areas remained closed at that time. In coast...

State reverses Holitna license decision 12/13/2009
Overturning a 2006 decision, DNR finds that a gas exploration license in Southwest Alaska is in the best interest of the state
Alaska officials have again decided that an exploration license in the Holitna basin is in the best interests of the state, returning in a 2005 ruling that had previously been overturned. In a decisi...

Info call out for state's spring sales 12/06/2009
The Alaska Department of Natural Resources Division of Oil and Gas is requesting new information on its proposal to offer available state acreage in areawide lease sales for the Alaska Peninsula and C...

ANGDA, agencies, at odds on EIS process 12/06/2009
Corps of Engineers has issues with description of Beluga-to-Fairbanks gas line; BLM doesn't think ANGDA has authority to go north
Federal agencies are butting heads with the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority over its project description for the proposed Beluga-to-Fairbanks or B2F gas line and over its authority to permit...

Logistics key to Point Thomson project 12/06/2009
Last year's ice road only available to move materials for four weeks; barges used in summer; rolligons moved significant amounts
ExxonMobil has been fighting a running battle with the State of Alaska over development of its North Slope Point Thomson field - but it has also been waging a logistics battle to get equipment and sup...

PGS permitting North Fork 3-D seismic 11/29/2009
Hard on the heels of RCA approval of the contract for the supply of North Fork gas to Enstar Natural Gas Co., PGS Onshore is moving ahead with plans to shoot a 3-D seismic survey for Armstrong Cook In...

Mining News: Parnell lauds Alaska permitting process 11/22/2009
"The state will continue to defend our permits that we issue, and our permitting process. That is the least I can do as governor"
Alaska Governor Sean Parnell reflected on Alaska's rich mining history and vowed to defend the state's mining regulatory process and to oppose unjust attacks on the industry during an address to miner...

Mining News: Anti-coal groups descend on Utah to rally against Alaska's Chuitna Coal Project 11/22/2009
Sierra Club Alaska has joined several other environmental and anti-coal groups to hold a Nov. 12 rally in opposition to developing a coal mine at the Chuitna Project in Southcentral Alaska. Richard "...

Mining News: Greens threaten Seward coal dust suit 11/22/2009
Environmental groups' law firm plans to sue Usibelli affiliate and Alaska railroad for alleged clean water violations in Seward
Three environmental groups – Sierra Club Alaska Chapter, Alaska Center for the Environment and Alaska Community Action on Toxics – have threatened to file a lawsuit against Alaska Railroad Corp. and U...

ANGDA advancing propane, gas co-op 11/22/2009
Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority asks for discussion of synergy with FNG, Alaska Gasline Port Authority LNG project
The board of directors of the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority got one meeting it's been asking for - a closed-door session with Gov. Sean Parnell - and asked for another, this one with the Co...

Flint Hills production lags 11/22/2009
Anchorage International air carriers scramble for jet fuel due to spike in demand
A spike in demand for jet fuel at the Anchorage International Airport has led to fuel shortages and caused air carriers to dramatically increase the amount of fuel brought into the state. Fuel demand...