Lawmakers hear Alaska LNG faces “significant economic headwinds”
As natural gas prices following oil in an extended plunge, lawmakers heard a series of updates on the Alaska LNG project -- and tension between the Walker administration and the state's three oil company partners once again spilled into the open. Download Audio
Railbelt utility overhaul could mean more renewables, cheaper power
Utilities from Homer to Fairbanks are in discussions to overhaul the way electricity is generated and transported across the region. The goal is cheaper electricity -- and more renewable power.
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Alaska governor lays out expectations for gas line progress
Gov. Bill Walker says he wants the state and the North Slope's major producers to reach agreement on key contracts and issues related to a major gas project before the end of the current legislative session
Buccaneer asks creditors for money back
The City of Homer and local businesses were shocked last summer when the trustee of a bankrupt oil and gas exploration company’s assets demanded they give back money they were paid over a year ago. There are a lot of regrets over contracting with Buccaneer Energy. But a city official says he would do it again.
More flood protection planned for Dalton Highway
The Alaska Department of Transportation is taking additional steps to protect the northern section of the highway that leads to North Slope oil fields.
Alaska job forecast holds steady despite plunging oil prices
As oil prices have dropped to levels that were unthinkable just a year ago, many Alaskans are wondering whether the state is facing economic calamity. The short answer is: not yet. We spoke with state labor economist Neal Fried, to ask how it's possible that at $30 dollars a barrel, Alaska is still doing pretty well.
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Senate to take up energy modernization bill
The big snow storm that struck the East Coast over the weekend has delayed the start of Congress’s work week. But when the Senate returns, it will take up one of Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s biggest priorities: an energy modernization bill. Murkowski says the energy world has changed a lot since 2007, when the last such bill passed Congress.
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BlueCrest’s construction phase nearing completion
BlueCrest Energy is continuing preparations to drill for oil in the Cosmopolitan Unit at its 37.5-acre site on the Cook Inlet bluff about 5.5 miles north of Anchor Point.
On methane, Alaska tells feds to clean up their act first
The Interior Department has proposed new rules aimed at reducing methane emissions from the oil and gas industry.
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Walker comfortable with Exxon statements on gas availability
Gov. Bill Walker says he's comfortable with statements made by Exxon Mobil Corp. that gas would be made available to a pipeline project the state is pursuing if the company was no longer involved in it.
Alaska, Inc: The roots of the Permanent Fund dividend
As lawmakers consider changes to the Permanent Fund and dividend, we look back at how, and why, these two very Alaskan institutions were created.
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Gov’s plan aims to reshape state’s relationship with oil
Governor Bill Walker says the state must change how it does business: he argues it's time for Alaska to tap its enormous savings accounts.
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Gov hopes nonpartisan politics will help cross party lines
Gov. Bill Walker is in Juneau preparing for tomorrow's start to the legislative session. Regardless of other considerations, the big challenge will be finding common ground with lawmakers over how to fix the state's large and growing budget deficit.
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Oil spill response barge breaks loose in Unalaska
The 200-foot-long oil spill response barge Ibis, anchored in Iliuliuk Bay for the past several months, came off its mooring Saturday afternoon in rough seas and drifted onto Front Beach, requiring a coordinated response effort.
Exxon Valdez litigation ends, but spill’s legacy may be indefinite
Nearly three decades after the disastrous Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989, the litigation for the remaining cash the state and federal governments could pursue from Exxon is at an end. But one biologist says the spill's after-effects may linger for centuries.
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BP announces lay-offs in wake of low oil prices
BP is cutting some 4,000 jobs in exploration and production over the next two years amid sharp drops in the price of crude. The company says some of those job losses will be in Alaska, but didn't give specifics.
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‘The Blob’… on winter vacation or gone for good?
Is 'The Blob' taking a winter breather? Or, is it fizzling out? After over two years, is The Blob finally dead? The giant, persistent mass of warm ocean water seems to have cooled over the last few months, possibly because of another warm ocean phenomenon that is now dominating the Pacific.
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North Slope crude hits 3rd-lowest mark since 2009
Crude prices continue to fall across the United States -- with Brent Crude Oil setting an 11-year low, dipping below $33 per barrel Thursday morning. Alaska North Slope crude is following a similar track, coming in at $34.82 per barrel on Jan. 5 - the most recently-reported price.
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S&P warns further downgrades may be on horizon
Standard & Poor's downgraded Alaska's credit rating Tuesday after months of warnings to shore up the state budget. With plunging oil prices wreaking havoc on the state's budget, the agency knocked the state down a notch from the top AAA rating it has held for the last four years.
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S&P downgrades Alaska’s credit rating, citing oil prices
Alaska’s credit rating dropped a notch Tuesday from AAA to AA+. During a press conference, Gov. Bill Walker says that isn’t likely have a short-term impact on the state using bonds to fund capital projects or other state spending in the future.