Category Archives: Immediate Reactions

The University of Alaska – Anchorage’s Institute of Social and Economic Research (ISER) today issued its FY 2014 update on sustainable spending levels.  The conclusion, “[i]n fiscal year 2014, Alaska’s state government can afford to spend about $5.5 billion.”

The comparable number in the Governor’s proposed budget is $6.5 billion, and the Governor has said that he would accept the Legislature raising that number even higher (to $7 billion). Continue reading →

I will be on the Dan Fagan Show this Wednesday — the day after New Year’s — to discuss the Governor’s proposed budget, Alaska fiscal policy and the upcoming legislative session.   Most readers will have seen my initial reaction to the budget on these pages.  If not, they are captured in the following post from earlier this month, “Five takeaways from the Governor’s proposed budget …,” Dec. 18, 2012. Continue reading →

In a longer post earlier this week I expressed serious concerns about the level of spending proposed by the Governor in his recently announced FY 2014 budget.  See “Five takeaways from the Governor’s proposed budget …” (Dec. 18, 2012).

As I have continued to work through the budget, additional reasons are becoming apparent which underscore why it is critical that state spending be reduced now.  One in particular caught my attention yesterday. Continue reading →

Over the weekend I put together a piece that reflects my initial reactions to the Governor’s proposed budget for the coming fiscal year, which he announced Friday.  Entitled “Five takeaways from the Governor’s proposed budget … ,” the piece summarizes my disappointment with the overall size of the proposed budget, and the implications of the budget for current and future Alaskans.  While interested readers can click on the link above for the full article, the headlines follow: Continue reading →

With thanks to my Co-Chair Mark Johnson, the General Counsel of Chugach Electric Association, the Eighth Annual (2012) Energy in Alaska conference closed yesterday as another success.  Yesterday’s panels included Senator Cathy Giessel, Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Dan Sullivan, Department of Environmental Conservation Commissioner Larry Hartig, Alaska Oil & Gas Commission Chair Cathy Foerster, Alaska Energy Authority Deputy Director Gene Therriault, Brent Petrie from the Alaska Village Electric Cooperative and Steve Pratt from Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan’s Energy Task Force, along with a number of lawyers in private practice.

The day before we were privileged to have Rep. Bob Herron, ML&P General Manager Jim Posey, MEA General Manager Joe Griffith, Dave Haugen, Director, Project Management of the Alaska Gasline Development Corp.  Jim Strandberg, also  from the AEA, Dr. Paul Carpenter, Chairman and Principal of the Brattle Group and Damian Bilbao from BP, again along with a number of lawyers in private practice.

As part of the Alaska OCS panel, I gave an update on Continue reading →

Republished from “Observations & Updates” (Nov. 4, 2012).

For a time earlier in my life I lived in Louisiana.  During that period I became fascinated with the Long’s — Huey and his son, Russell, who during part of the time I lived in the state served as Louisiana’s senior United States Senator.

Both Long’s were the source of great quotes during their lifetime.  One of Russell’s returned to me this morning as I was reading an article from yesterday’s Fairbanks News-Miner.

The article — Armstrong Oil and Gas chairman talks future of Alaska oil — reports on recent remarks made by Bill Armstrong, chairman of independent oil producer Armstrong Oil and Gas.  The company is active in trying to develop new fields on the North Slope, and recently also developed a new field on the Kenai Peninsula. Continue reading →

Late last week I put together a piece that attracted some attention.  Entitled “Five things to look for in oil tax reform …,” the piece summarized the important characteristics that I will look for in evaluating various  proposed approaches to oil tax reform this coming legislature.

This week, Casey Reynolds had me on the Casey Reynolds Radio Show for an hour to discuss the piece and go through all five issues, one-by-one.    It is one of the best public discussions on the issue I have been involved with, inside or outside a radio or TV studio. Continue reading →

Mark Johnson, the General Counsel of Chugach Electric Association, Inc., and I are Co-Chairs the week after next (Monday and Tuesday, December 3 and 4) of a two-day conference on Energy in Alaska.  The conference does not focus just on the North Slope, or the Cook Inlet, or the OCS, or oil and gas, or electricity, or the instate energy crisis, or federal, or state issues.

Instead, uniquely among Alaska energy conferences, it covers all of the above, providing a pre-session review of both state and federal issues likely to be of interest in the coming legislative and business years.  I am honored to be serving my third year as Co-Chair of the Conference, the last two with Mark. Continue reading →

The election results from last week have put Alaska Republicans clearly in charge of the Governorship, state House and state Senate for the first time  since 2006, when the Senate coalition was first formed.

As difficult as the election battles may have been, however, the hard work is only now beginning.

Most successful R candidates said during their interviews on local television stations election night that oil tax reform is their highest priority.  The Governor said the same. Continue reading →

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The Fairbanks News Miner editorial page this morning made it official.  The editorial pages of the News Miner, the Anchorage Daily News, the conservative Anchorage Daily Planet (Paul Jenkins and Tom Brennan’s outlet), and Dermot Cole (the News Miner‘s lead columnist), amazingly given their different perspectives, all agree on one thing — Alaskans should Vote NO this coming week on Bonding Proposition A.

The Anchorage Daily Planet actually has doubled down on the issue, editorializing against the bond issue both last week (“Who“) and again today (“We’ll be voting no“). Continue reading →