Oil Patch Insider

ANGDA expands management team; Lisa Murkowski, Pebble’s Hodgson to speak at Pac Com

The Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority has expanded its management team and begun business enterprise development for in-state use of North Slope natural gas and potential international trade.

ANGDA is a public corporation of the State of Alaska.

Harold Heinze, ANGDA’s chief executive officer, said Feb. 16 that ANGDA is “gearing up for business” to assure gas is available in the state.

Heinze said Joe Griffith has joined ANGDA’s management team as business enterprise coordinator. Griffith, who was CEO and CFO of Chugach Electric for 16 years, is leading the effort to develop a complete business plan encompassing ANGDA’s spur line project.

Steve Pratt will continue to represent ANGDA on in-state regulatory issues, including work with the Regulatory Commission of Alaska and the Legislature to assure regulatory certainty for Alaska’s in-state open season process to secure gas supplies.

OD Odsather continues as spur line project coordinator, overseeing work related to public review of the conditional right-of-way lease from the Department of Natural Resources.

Corrie Young is the ANGDA administrative officer, working on the right-of-way application, public outreach and all other organizational and administrative management for the authority.

Heinze, hired as ANGDA CEO in 2003, is past president of ARCO Alaska (now ConocoPhillips) and a former commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources.

The ANGDA board of directors is appointed by the governor. Andy Warwick is chair and Scott Heyworth is vice chair; members are David Cuddy, Bob Favretto, John Kelsey, Bob Stinson and Dan Sullivan.

Murkowski to speak at Pac Com this week; Pebble’s Hodgson will address logistics

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, has confirmed she will be speaking at Pac Com 2006 — the Pacific Construction, Oil and Mining Exposition – held in Anchorage at the Sullivan Arena every February.

Murkowski will be speaking at 2 p.m. on Feb. 23, the day most of the oil and gas speeches will be made.

Mining speakers are scheduled for Feb. 22. That mining session includes Stephen Hodgson, vice president of engineering for Northern Dynasty Mines. His topic, “Developing the Pebble Mine” with an emphasis on logistics.

Curt Freeman, president of Avalon Development, will talk about Alaska’s mining industry and the economics driving it. The heat is on in 2006, Freeman says.

Pac Com planners stole a page from The Alliance’s Meet Alaska conference in January by setting up a “Meet the Press — in reverse” session which includes Dorothy Kosich, Mineweb; Larry Campbell, Associated Press; and Steve Sutherlin, Mining News. They will be on hand starting at 4 p.m. on Feb. 22 to answer questions from Steve Borell about press coverage of Alaska’s mining industry.

Borell is serving as Master of Ceremonies on the 22nd for the mining session. He will also give a speech titled, “Where we’ve been, where we are today, how do we change that.”

Lorna Shaw, community affairs director for Fairbanks Gold Mining at Interior Alaska’s Fort Knox mine will make a presentation titled, “In support of Fort Knox: Meeting the needs of Alaska’s largest operating gold mine.”

Steve Denton, vice president of business development for Usibelli Coal Mine, will give an update on the mine and other projects.

Also on Feb. 22 are two other sessions — New Technology and Ships, Trains and Planes.

Among others, these session speakers include Clare Jaeger, quality management representative, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, talking about upcoming Corps of Engineers workload and contracting opportunities in Alaska for the next few years; Jim Lamson, capital projects coordinator, for the Municipality of Anchorage, who will talk about city government transportation construction in 2006; Kam Shah, project manager for the Middle East and North Africa Business Information Center with the U.S. Department of Commerce in Washington, D.C., who will talk about business opportunities in the Middle East; Bernard Coakley with the Geophysical Institute University of Alaska Fairbanks is making a presentation about the geology of the Arctic Ocean; a to-be-announced speaker from the Anchorage School District about 2006 capital improvement projects; John Johansen, director of engineering, planning and development, talking about Anchorage International Airport’s construction program; Don Maupin from Engineered Fire Systems, who will give a presentation titled “Safety Integrity Level (SIL) For Fire & Gas Detection Systems”; and many other speakers.

To learn more about Pac Com’s conference schedule and trade expo go to www.sourdough.net or call (907) 277-7469 in Anchorage.