Thoughts on Alaska Oil & Gas

From time to time I use a second blog — Observations and Updates:  A Companion to Thoughts on Alaska Oil & Gas — for posts.  Normally, posts on that blog are more about upcoming talk radio and other appearances, but sometimes, especially when I have a post on this blog that I want to keep at the top for a few days, I will post more substantive pieces.

Readers of this blog are able to follow the posts on the second by paging down the right hand side of this blog to the box headed “The Last Five from Observations & Updates.”  Readers also are able to follow posts made to that blog by subscribing via email or RSS feed (both available down the right side of the front page of that blog). Continue reading →

Today (February 26) is Johnny Cash’s birthday.  He would have been 81.  My first concert, lifetime.

Of many pieces over a long, long career, among his last and perhaps his most powerful is available by clicking on the picture.

The Senate Resources Committee on Friday (February 22) took up the first Committee Substitute (CS) for SB 21.  The working draft the Committee reviewed is available here.  A webcast of the hearing is available here.  The slide decks used by the consultants in analyzing the proposed change in tax rates are in the hearing folder, available here.

The CS proposes modifications of the Governor’s original bill primarily in five areas .  Those areas are: Continue reading →

British Columbia Premier Christy Clark, from BC’s Liberal Party, announced Tuesday that BC will impose a tax on LNG sales, taking part of the revenue that producers anticipate receiving in exporting BC gas to the Pacific Rim.

According to an article yesterday in the Vancouver Sun, “[t]he new tax is expected to play an essential role in building Clark’s promised Prosperity Fund …. Clark has said the fund, which is also financed from natural gas royalties and corporate tax income from the LNG industry, could amass more than $100 billion over 30 years.” Continue reading →

Casey Reynolds asked me to join him on his talk radio show this morning to discuss yesterday’s analysis by the Legislative Finance Division of the Governor’s proposed FY 2014 budget and the fiscal issues that face the state this coming legislative session.  

While preparing to join the show earlier this morning , I wrote briefly about the Leg Finance report .  My summary: Continue reading →