Category Archives: Guest Columns

Publisher’s Note:  This is the second in a continuing series of guest columns by various state-level candidates who are focusing in this election cycle on the issues relevant to this blog — Alaska oil, gas and fiscal policy.  The first was by Alaska Constitution Party candidate for Governor J.R. Myers, and is available here.  The following is from the Alaska Libertarian Party candidate for Governor, Care Clift (website, Facebook).  The reason for publishing these pieces is explained in greater detail in the preamble to the previous piece from J.R. Myers. Continue reading →

Publisher’s Note:  In a 2010 editorial the Wall St. Journal had this to say looking back at the 2006 loss by Republicans of the U.S. House of Representatives:  “It isn’t easy to spend so much money so egregiously that even Nancy Pelosi could campaign as a relative fiscal conservative, but the Tom DeLay Republicans managed the feat in 2006.”  Daniel Hamm writes below about seeing the same in this year’s Alaska legislative races. Continue reading →

Publisher’s Note:  From time to time as we approach the coming election I intend to offer various candidates who are focusing on the issues relevant to this blog — Alaska oil, gas and fiscal policy — the opportunity to post guest columns on these pages.

The first of those is below, from J.R. Myers, The Alaska Constitution Party candidate for Governor.  Surprisingly given the importance of each to Alaska’s future, Myers is one of only two candidates for Governor that is currently supporting both the retention of SB 21 and the adoption of sustainable budgets (the other is Libertarian Party candidate Carolyn “Care” Clift). Continue reading →

By Deborah Cranswick

(With this column we begin a periodic series of notes on issues affecting the Alaska oil and gas industry arising under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA).  Recently retired from the federal government following a 33 year career, the author was directly involved in the application of NEPA to oil and gas exploration, development and production decisions within the Pacific, Gulf of Mexico and Alaska regions of the Bureau of Ocean Management and its predecessor agency.)

The National Environmental Policy Act or NEPA requires federal agencies to provide opportunities for public input in the environmental analysis and decisions processes.  State and local governments, industry and businesses, environmental and advocacy groups, and federally recognized tribes are stakeholders that participate in the NEPA process.  But more fundamentally, the public is you.  How can you as an individual participate effectively? Continue reading →

With this piece by Brian Hove, we kick off our Guest Column series.  Periodically, we will publish pieces written by others which provide additional insights into matters affecting Alaska oil & gas policy.  As Brian notes, this article further develops one of the points made in a piece published earlier this month in Oil & Gas Finance Journal by former Department of Revenue oil economist and current consultant Roger Marks.

Brad Keithley’s September 19^th blog entry poses the question “What is Alaska’s fiscal plan…” for which he offers a good working definition: “an outline of the government’s long term revenue and expense projections, designed to achieve balance.” Continue reading →