Although the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation has seen its staff levels shrink from more than 20 to less than ten over the past month, AGDC President Joe Dubler is encouraged with the progress being made on the project. During testimony to the Alaska State House Resources Committee on July 19th, Dubler stated, “I think we’re closer now than we’ve ever been.” The project seeks to someday monetize the known 35 trillion cubic feet of natural gas by transporting it via an 800-mile pipeline from the North Slope to Nikiski, where it would be processed and shipped internationally. Progress has been…

An under-the-radar decision by the Trump Administration could have huge implications for residents of the Western United States. The Department of the Interior announced on July 16th that it was moving 296 employees – including many top officials – out of the Washington, D.C. swamp and to a mixture of existing and new state offices throughout the western US.  A total of 27 of those employees – including the director and deputy director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will be housed in a new national headquarters in Grand Junction, Colorado. In announcing the move, Assistant Secretary of Interior,…

The former Flint Hills Refinery site in North Pole has been sold to Houston, TX-based Marathon Petroleum Corporation, in what spokesman Casey Sullivan said in an article in the Alaska Journal of Commerce was a “natural extension” of its Alaskan operations. Purchasing the site, Sullivan added, “…will enhance our ability to efficiently and reliably serve customers in the Interior and strengthen the integration from our Nikiski refinery to our customers.” Marathon owns and operates Alaska’s largest refinery in Nikiski and has previously leased the North Pole site for storage of fuels.  It also owns large-scale fuel terminals at the Ted…

Power The Future reported on Wednesday that The North Face’s 2019 advocacy campaign was focused on engaging 13-17 year olds to sign their name to form letters that will be delivered to Congress, the Trump Administration and oil and gas companies who may be involved in drilling in the coastal plain of Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).  We noted the reasons why we found the campaign incredulous:  13-17 year olds’ political stances should be shaped by their parents, not corporate America.  Most Congressional members will completely overlook a form letter from a non-constituent (let alone a person of non-voting…

First, there was REI, then Patagonia.  They were followed by Cabela’s, Bass Pro and Orvis. These are just some of the companies who have decided that politicians should hurt Alaska’s future by stopping drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) or mining in southwest Alaska. As of Tuesday, you can add The North Face to the list. In an article announcing its 2019 advocacy campaign, The North Face noted that it hopes to engage 13-17 year olds in signing their names to letters.  It states: “The (Trump) Administration is mobilizing to hold oil and gas lease sales by the…

Today, the Alaska Legislature enters its fifth day of a second, 30-day special session, with little progress being made. 38 of the 60-members of the combined House and Senate are in Juneau, where legislative leadership say they are compelled to meet by the Alaska Constitution. 22 of the 60 are in Wasilla, which is where Governor Mike Dunleavy called for the session to be held. The additional time was needed to find consensus and conclusion on how to distribute this year’s Permanent Fund Dividend – with the legislators and the Governor at odds over the amount and formula for this…

With Tuesday’s announcement that San Francisco-based hedge fund founder – and multi-billionaire – Tom Steyer has thrown his hat into the Presidential race, I started thinking about the damage this man would do to Alaska if he won. Let’s start with his hatred for fossil fuels – and the millions of dollars he’s put behind candidates who share his extremist beliefs.  That should have every Alaskan who is directly or indirectly benefiting from our state’s responsible resource development rejecting a Steyer presidential run. Along those same lines, Steyer’s hypocrisy regarding fossil fuels is laughable, because it was his investment in…

On Friday, June 29th, Congressman Don Young (R) filed for re-election in Anchorage. The Congressman has served the State since 1973, and has been in the forefront of some of Alaska’s greatest moments.  His record on responsible resource development is unmatched, and in late 2017, he – along with Senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan – worked their collective magic and turned the dream of ANWR being open for oil and gas development into reality. The Congressman’s words upon filing for re-election were poignant: “Next week, our nation pauses on the Fourth of July to recognize and honor the founding…