Rashah McChesney, Alaska's Energy Desk - Juneau
Rashah McChesney is a photojournalist turned radio journalist who has been telling stories in Alaska since 2012. Before joining Alaska's Energy Desk , she worked at Kenai's Peninsula Clarion and the Juneau bureau of the Associated Press. She is a graduate of Iowa State University's Greenlee Journalism School and has worked in public television, newspapers and now radio, all in the quest to become the Swiss Army knife of storytellers.
Alaska’s budget, easier to swallow with ice cream and beer
The Alaska legislature has a lot on its plate trying to fix the state’s multi-billion dollar budget deficit, and a couple of budget experts are adding to the menu. They’re inviting the public to weigh-in over ice cream and beer. Listen now
North Slope oil companies ask lawmakers for stable tax laws
A state House committee heard testimony Wednesday afternoon from the big three North Slope oil producers. ConocoPhillips, ExxonMobil, and BP representatives gave several members of the House Resources Committee their perspectives on how the state’s oil tax structure is working. Listen now
From the bush to Congress, Willie Hensley straddles rural and urban divide in Alaska
One afternoon in the mid-1970s, journalist John McPhee and an influential Alaska Native politician Willie Hensley took off from Anchorage in a de Havilland Otter and flew deep into the Alaska range, looking for a new state capitol. Later, in his book “Coming into the Country,” McPhee introduced the rest of the nation to one of the most prominent, young Alaska Native leaders in the state. Hensley was instrumental in forcing the state and the federal government to settle land claims with its 60,000 Alaska Native residents.Listen now
State gasline corporation quietly opens office in Tokyo
The state gasline corporation has opened a satellite office in Tokyo. Listen now
Writer John McPhee was at ease in a canoe, Brad Snow was at ease with him
Brad Snow was 26 years old when he left Anchorage to start a life with his girlfriend, Lilly Allen, near the Yukon River. The couple is featured in John McPhee’s book “Coming into the Country,” published 40 years ago. Listen now
Job losses in nearly every sector expected for 2017
Thousands of Alaskans lost their jobs in 2016, and in the forecast for 2017, it doesn’t look like the economy is going to stop shrinking anytime soon. Listen now
State monitoring spill at Tesoro pipeline facility near Cook Inlet
Workers at a Tesoro facility on the Kenai Peninsula are cleaning up contaminated soil and snow after more than 120 gallons of oily water spilled out of a pipeline near Cook Inlet. The company notified the state of the spill at its Kenai Pipeline Facility on Dec. 18. Listen Now
Former tax division director weighs in on Prudhoe Bay oil tax case
Last week, Alaska’s Supreme Court issued an opinion on a Prudhoe Bay tax law case that has been open for 10 years. Alaska’s Energy Desk reporter Rashah McChesney spoke with the former Department of Revenue tax division head Dan Dickinson.Listen Now
Timeline extended for state takeover of Alaska LNG project
The Alaska Gasline Development Corporation is still trying to broker a deal to take over the Alaska LNG project, but it will not happen by its self-imposed end-of-the-year deadline. Listen Now
Revenue department forecasts jump in oil prices, drop in production
When it comes to the state’s bottom line, the tax division’s revenue sources book predicts a patchwork of good and bad news for the state. The good? Oil prices are forecast to go up. The bad? The money coming in from oil revenue is nowhere near enough to close the state’s budget gap and production on the North Slope is forecast to go down. Listen Now
Lawmakers call for audit of the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation
The state corporation charged with taking over the massive Alaska LNG project is going to have its finances scrutinized. The legislators who called for the investigation say they want to know what the corporation has done with the $600 million given to it by the state over the last several years. Listen Now
State moves to update its petroleum spill guidelines
Alaska’s petroleum-based economy means there are many opportunities for toxic petroleum-based spills. At least 80 percent of the contaminated sites that the state’s Department of Environmental Conservation deals with have petroleum products in them. Now, the Department is making moves to update the decades-old protocols it uses when petrochemicals leak into the soil and water. Listen Now
State unemployment data shows the bleak reality of an oil crash
As oil prices dropped, Alaska’s jobs have dwindled. The state’s oil and gas industry shed nearly 2,400 jobs in the first half of the year. That’s according to new data from the state’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development. Listen Now
BlueCrest gets a break from the state on $30 million loan
A state corporation has agreed to change the terms of a multi-million dollar loan to a Cook Inlet oil company. Texas-based BlueCrest asked for the loan modification to help the company deal with construction delays and the loss of oil tax credit payments from the state. Earlier this year, Gov. Bill Walker vetoed $430 million in oil tax credits, delaying payments to companies, including BlueCrest. Listen Now
New legislative leaders aim to take on gas and oil issues
A radical reshuffling in the state House has shifted control and the ruling philosophy for the upcoming session, but key questions on state energy policy remain the same. Listen Now
ConocoPhillips puts historic Kenai LNG plant up for sale
ConocoPhillips is looking to leave the natural gas business in Cook Inlet The Houston-based company said Thursday its putting its Kenai LNG plant up for sale. Listen Now
Longtime private-sector engineer to head state’s oil and gas division
A private sector petroleum engineer and consultant will lead the state’s oil and gas division. Listen Now
Blood lines: Sealaska studies Alaska Native descendant dilemma
What makes a person Alaska Native? In some places, a regulatory definition--known as blood quantum-- has superseded cultural ones. And a new study by the Sealaska Heritage Institute in Juneau tackles how that regulatory definition applies to marine mammal hunters.
In Alaska, energy policy is key issue for some voters
Alaska’s energy future and its economic one are inseparably linked. But which presidential candidate can best help the state navigate that future? That depends on who you ask.Listen Now
Anchorage fuel company settles with EPA for Clean Air Act violations
The Environmental Protection Agency has fined two Alaska fuel terminals for violating federal clean air rules. Listen Now