Climate change legal impacts heat up 12/06/2009
U.S. legislation, regulation and litigation will all have far-reaching impacts on the Alaska oil and gas industry in coming years
In one sense it makes no difference who is right and who is wrong in the debate over the effect of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases on the Earth's climate: The legal fallout from a broad view...

Massive OCS feedback 10/25/2009
NOAA, Natives oppose much of 2010-'15 leasing plan; drillers, lawmakers endorse
A key scientific agency is advising the Obama administration against oil and gas leasing in large portions of the nation's Outer Continental Shelf. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration...

Topping up the U.S. strategic reserves 01/25/2009
The U.S. Department of Energy has awarded contracts to Shell Trading and Vitol to replenish the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve in underground salt caverns located along the Gulf Coast of Louisiana a...

Mining News: Women geologists have arrived in Yukon 10/26/2008
More females breaking into the male-dominated mining profession reflects ongoing shortages of skilled workers among other factors
The face of the geology profession is changing and no where is the trend more evident than in the Yukon Territory, where a mini-boom in exploration brought scores of women rock hounds trooping to mini...

Gulf production struggles in hurricane aftermath 10/12/2008
MMS reports 54 platforms destroyed, 35 extensively damaged, 60 moderately damaged; some pipeline systems also crippled
U.S. Gulf of Mexico oil and gas production has been slow to recover from back-to-back hurricanes Ike and Gustav, which swept through the region more than a month ago. Meanwhile, offshore platform and...

MMS, operators take stock after Ike 09/21/2008
Hurricane destroys at least 28 platforms in Gulf of Mexico, others severely damaged; more reports of devastation expected
Reported damage to Gulf of Mexico oil and gas facilities is mounting in the wake of Hurricane Ike, while government authorities try to figure out how long before the region's production can be restore...

Ike, Gustav take big bite out of production 09/14/2008
Hurricanes take out big part of Gulf of Mexico production as operators, refiners shut down; MMS says shut-ins began late August
Back-to-back hurricanes Gustav and now Ike, as it churns through the Gulf of Mexico, have taken the lion's share of U.S. Gulf oil and natural gas production out of circulation, causing a major supply...

Storm danger looms in Gulf 08/31/2008
Platforms, drilling rigs evacuated as Gustav bears down; 80% of Gulf production could be shut down
Companies began evacuating workers and shutting down oil and gas production platforms and drilling rigs ahead of Gustav, which was expected to strengthen from a tropical storm into a full-blown hurric...

Two lines to Southcentral 06/22/2008
Enstar, ANGDA argue the merits of small pipelines projects for in state gas
On the natural gas fight card this year, the main event is clearly the big pipeline: Denali, created by BP and ConocoPhillips, squaring off against TransCanada, backed by the state and looking for leg...

Odum to replace Hofmeister at Shell 03/23/2008
John Hofmeister, who guided Shell Oil Co. through the aftermath of hurricanes Katrina and Rita only months after becoming president in 2005, will retire June 1, the company said March 17. Hofmeister,...

In for the long haul 02/24/2008
John Hofmeister presents the big picture of Shell's strategy in Alaska
Audible gasps are still circulating around the oil industry in response to the magnitude of Shell's bidding in the Feb. 6 Chukchi Sea lease sale. "Internally we use words like 'well thought-through' t...

30 STRONG: A tale of two leaks 10/14/2007
Emergency response quicker, more effective in 23 years between oil spills at Alyeska
In 30 years, Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. has only had to respond to oil spill emergencies caused by acts of sabotage against the trans-Alaska oil pipeline. The first incident occurred in the Steele C...

FTC finds no 2006 gasoline price fixing 09/09/2007
Market forces, not price gouging, caused the cost of gasoline to rise during the spring and summer of 2006, according to a report sent to President Bush Aug. 30 by federal antitrust regulators. The re...

A plague that makes no one sick 07/08/2007
This rather bleak novel is a thought-provoking account of 55 days of incipient anarchy and chaos. It takes place at the present time in the Washington, D.C., area and on the eastern seaboard of the Un...

Canadian bank hit with trading losses 06/03/2007
Bank of Montreal, Canada's fourth largest bank, has been hit with natural gas trading losses of C$680 million, 50 percent more than its initial projection, forcing it to probe "potential trading irreg...

Alaska revenue outlook offers mixed bag 05/06/2007
State spring forecast calls for slow decline in oil prices, short-term increase in production and temporarily higher unrestricted revenue
Adhering to its trademark caution, the Alaska Department of Revenue has projected a drop in Alaska North Slope oil prices and a modest jump in ANS crude production for the coming year. In a semi-annua...

One tricky step to go 05/06/2007
Virginia makes Bush administration's proposed 2007-2012 offshore leasing program
For the first time in years, the U.S. government is proposing an offshore oil and gas lease sale in federal waters outside Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico. The distinction goes to the state of Virginia,...

Cook Inlet gas market in transition for Enstar 04/29/2007
Gas deliverability challenges require close management of load balancing and a new look at gas supply contracts and arrangements
Although the escalating price of natural gas in Southcentral Alaska is providing gas consumers with some obvious evidence of gas supply constraints in the region, the hour-by-hour, behind the scenes j...

PETROLEUM DIRECTORY: Trinity Inspection Services, LLC, to establish Anchorage, Alaska, office 04/08/2007
With a dedicated team of NACE and AWS-CWI inspectors, Trinity offers quality visual inspection services that provide value long after projects are completed
Q. When was the company founded, who founded it, and what was its original name? ? A. Trinity was founded in 1999 as Trinity Consulting and Inspection Services by Joe Gibbs and two other partners. In 2...

Shell wins NOIA 2007 Safety in Seas Award 04/01/2007
Shell Exploration and Production Co. was awarded the 2006 National Ocean Industries Association Safety in Seas Award on March 29, recognizing the company's "outstanding contribution to the safety of lif...

Shifting boundary line for Gulf sales 01/07/2007
Minerals Management Service to include former some or all of 2 million acres of Eastern Gulf of Mexico tracts in fall lease sale
The U.S. Minerals Management Service has carved out the first 2 million acres of 8.3 million acres that Congress set aside for future oil and gas lease sales in the Eastern and Central Gulf of Mexico....

Oil firms try to 'speed up' recruiting 12/24/2006
On your mark! Get set! ... "Have you ever searched for oil under the ocean floor, or helped create products to improve fuels and lubricants? Hurry now, the clock's ticking." Not your typical job inte...

GOM energy act passes 12/17/2006
8.3M exploration acres opened in eastern Gulf of Mexico; industry reaction mixed
The Republican-led Congress, before turning over the reins to the Democrats, passed 11th hour legislation opening an additional 8.3 million acres in the eastern Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas explorati...

Central Gulf Lease Sale 201 canceled 10/29/2006
Department of Interior halts all offshore oil and gas lease sales to assess hurricane damage, industry impacts on Louisiana's coast
There will be no more oil and gas lease sales in federal waters of the Gulf of Mexico until an Environmental Impact Statement is prepared that takes into account the effects of hurricanes Katrina and...

Oil prices offset production decline; gas prices 25% higher than in early July 08/06/2006
Oil prices climbed in early August as energy traders kept an eye on supply threats ranging from a tropical storm in the Caribbean to fighting in the Middle East. Natural gas futures gave up more than...