The United States just held its most successful Alaska oil and gas lease sale in more than a decade. This is just the most recent example of how valuable Alaska’s land is thanks to the oil and natural gas industry. In this case, the bids were over the National Petroleum Reserve of Alaska. Reuters reports: The 23 million-acre National Petroleum Reserve is considered a hotbed for new oil discoveries as development spreads west on the North Slope. There were more than $11 million in total high bids for about one million acres of the land. That is about 25% of…

The natural gas and oil industry continues to produce for Alaska. The trans-Alaska pipeline, which carries Alaska’s oil from Prudhoe Bay to a port on the opposite coast of the state, has now reached a milestone of 18 billion barrels pumped. Sadly, JWN Energy News reports that this progress may be at risk. “New fields offer tremendous potential to increase production later in the 2020s but these developments are still contingent on final investment decisions and commitment of billions of dollars of new investments on the part of oil and gas producers,” Acting Revenue Commissioner Michael Barnhill wrote to Republican…

As the 2020 presidential campaign begins to ramp up, so does the rhetoric of so many Democratic candidates regarding the energy industry. Whether this means vowing to ban fracking and eliminate fossil fuels or praising the radical Green New Deal, there is an increasing amount of misinformation and disinformation surrounding the industry. Fortunately, there are also voices amplifying what actually matters to everyday Americans. Most recently, President Trump’s senior advisor to his 2020 campaign made sure that Alaskans know the real value of energy development in the Anchorage Daily News. Every Alaskan knows the importance of energy security — thousands…

As Alaskans join the rest of America in “Black Friday” shopping frenzies, let’s not forget about the source of many of the most-desired products on our shopping lists. Phones, tablets and computers are comprised of dozens of mined materials, and the cases that protect them are nearly all petroleum-based. TVs, game systems and virtual-reality components require not only gold, copper and other mined materials, but also plastics and other poly-based materials that only come from responsible resource development. Toys, sporting goods, vacuums, pots and pans, microwaves and other appliances, and home improvement tools all exist because someone used extracted components…

I’ve been lucky enough to spend the majority of my life in Alaska, and every Thanksgiving I’m sure to appreciate the kind of home it has always been to me. But, as I reflect on the past year, I find myself feeling particularly thankful. It’s been nearly a year since Power The Future launched its Alaska efforts, and this is the first Thanksgiving since we began our mission of fighting for energy workers and their industry. As we have made progress in that mission, I’ve come to find a deeper appreciation for the kind of life that Alaska’s land allows…

When Power The Future’s Alaska State Director, Rick Whitbeck, was penning his monthly op-ed for the Anchorage Daily News, he thought about the recent Twitter back-and-forth between Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy and Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (AOC).  AOC had taken the Governor to task over his thoughts on how Alaska would be impacted by poorly-thought-out policies such as the Green New Deal, noting that jobs in the oil and gas industry would suffer, and revenues to the state from fossil fuel development would drop. Rick’s answer to that online dialogue was published on November 1st, and it sure has triggered some…

Everyone who lives in the Great Land knows Alaska’s economy is driven by responsible resource development.  Oil and gas exploration, mining, timber, fisheries and tourism are the main employers in Alaska, and the vast majority of the state’s general fund revenues are driven by these same industries. The Resource Development Council is a statewide organization dedicated to advocating for these key business sectors.  After their 40th annual conference this week, attendees should have left with optimism for the sustainability and expansion of Alaskan jobs, revenues and opportunities to continue to live, work and play in the 49th State. Each of…

November 2nd marked a milestone for Alaska oil and gas.  Brooks Range Petroleum became the first independent to take oil from discovery to production, when oil was delivered from its Mustang field to the Trans-Alaska pipeline (TAPS). Mustang, owned by Thyssen Petroleum and run by Brooks Range, had its first exploratory well drilled in January 2012. It is exciting to have another operating field on the Slope.  Given the number of new fields in the permitting and exploration processes, Brooks Range’s landmark day will begin a new era in Alaskan oil and gas. Aside from Brooks Range and the majors…