Oil & Gas

Alyeska wants the pipeline on state land until 2064

Alyeska asked the state to renew the pipeline lease through 2064, eight years early. Its own letter argues the commissioner is required to approve it.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Follows: The pipeline's owners want another 30 years, seven years before they have to ask

A plan to let Alaskans invest in the gas pipeline has stalled

A plan to let ordinary Alaskans buy a stake in the state's gas pipeline has stalled for want of $2.5 million, even as the pipeline itself keeps moving ahead.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min readFrom Sep 3

The pipeline right-of-way comment window got another week

The public has until Sept. 17 to comment on whether the trans-Alaska pipeline keeps its federal right-of-way for 30 more years, after the Bureau of Land Management extended the deadline by a week.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom Aug 26

Hilcorp wants a North Slope gravel mine with no wetland payback

Hilcorp wants to mine gravel across about 95 acres of North Slope tundra near Deadhorse with no wetland compensation, arguing Arctic wetlands can't be replaced.

by Maggie AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

BLM rule would let NPR-A operators waive subsistence conditions without public notice

A new BLM rule lets oil and gas operators in Alaska's National Petroleum Reserve waive mitigation conditions, including four protections for subsistence hunting, without public notice.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read

ConocoPhillips drilled in the NPR-A this winter and has not said what it found

ConocoPhillips drilled multiple wells in the NPR-A this winter and added $104 million to costs it has not resolved. It has not said what it found.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min readFrom Aug 31

A proposed rule would cut years of NPR-A oil review down to 60 days

Building an oil site in the NPR-A takes years of review. A proposed rule makes it 60 days for anything within 25 miles of existing infrastructure.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago4 min read

Kaktovik leaders back 1002 Area development and press AIDEA to weigh local knowledge

Kaktovik leaders told AIDEA board members that oil and gas decisions in the Arctic refuge's 1002 Area must include local residents and traditional knowledge, not just outside voices.

by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read

Cordova wary as pipeline operator seeks a fast-tracked 30-year renewal

Alyeska seeks early renewal of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline permit with a faster review. Cordova wants a shorter term and money set aside to decommission aging infrastructure.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

HEX plans to triple its gas deliveries, enough to cover a tenth of demand

HEX plans to triple its contracted gas to ENSTAR by 2027. Even so, it would cover roughly a tenth of Southcentral demand as Cook Inlet keeps declining.

by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago2 min read

Hilcorp wants to plug five Cook Inlet wells for good

Hilcorp asked the state to dissolve a Cook Inlet unit and permanently plug five of nine wells at an offshore platform, as the basin runs short of gas.

by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read

Matanuska Electric's next CEO inherits a gas contract that expires in 2029 and years of rising bills

Clay Koplin takes over as Matanuska Electric CEO on Jan. 7, 2027, as the cooperative braces for rising natural gas costs that could push member bills up 5% yearly for three years.

by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read

A fight over whether North Slope oil money stays local or goes to the whole state

Alaska's bigger cut of North Slope oil revenue has set off a fight over whether it stays with the communities nearest the drilling or goes to the whole state.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago7 min readFrom Aug 27

Tom Begich withdraws his campaign and endorses Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins

Tom announced he's withdrawing from the race for Governor and endorses JKT.

by Cale Green2mo ago3 min read

Alaska Supreme Court upholds rule requiring rent on expired oil leases during appeals

The Alaska Supreme Court upheld a rule requiring oil companies to keep paying rent on expired leases while appealing, ending five North Slope leases.

by Alaska News2mo ago2 min read

Hilcorp wants to fill 95 acres of Arctic wetlands for a gravel mine — comment by Sept. 4

Hilcorp wants to fill about 95 acres of Arctic tundra wetlands near Prudhoe Bay for a gravel mine, with no offset for the loss. Comment is open until Sept. 4.

by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

Wright and Dunleavy insist the Alaska LNG project is alive

At an Anchorage conference, the U.S. energy secretary and Gov. Dunleavy insisted the stalled Alaska LNG project is alive, pointing at different obstacles.

by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read

Sullivan and Peltola clash in a combative first forum, previewing a bitter Senate race

Sullivan and Peltola clashed sharply in their first post-primary forum, trading shots over Willow, their records and who's really on Alaska's side.

by Bill AlaskaNews2mo ago4 min read

The pipeline's owners want another 30 years, seven years before they have to ask

The trans-Alaska pipeline's owners want another 30 years on federal land, seven years before they need to ask. Scoping comment closes Sept. 10.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Hilcorp wants to dig a 95-acre gravel pit near the Putuligayuk River

Hilcorp wants to dig a 95-acre gravel pit near the Putuligayuk River on the North Slope. Two-thirds of it would be permanent. Comment closes Sept. 4.

by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read

Enstar tells legislators it's 18 days short of gas for winter

Enstar told legislators it's 18 days, about 3 Bcf, short of gas for a normal winter after two supplies fell through, with deals underway still leaving a gap.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago3 min read

Alaska's development authority again takes ANWR and Ambler to closed session

Alaska's development authority will again discuss two divisive projects — ANWR oil drilling and the Ambler mining road — in closed session this week.

by Melinda Communities.News2mo ago2 min read

Three Cook Inlet gas storage plans pending for winter demand

Cook Inlet's gas problem isn't only supply, it's winter. Alaska is weighing three plans to bank gas underground and draw it down in the cold months.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Alaska tells BlueCrest to produce Cook Inlet gas by 2027 or give up the lease

Alaska ordered BlueCrest Energy to begin producing gas from its Cook Inlet lease by March 2027 or forfeit it, as the region's gas supply shrinks and the company has sat idle for years.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Record cold pushed Anchorage's gas demand to an all-time high, just as the supply is running out

Record cold drove Anchorage-area gas demand to a record as Cook Inlet supply shrinks, and the utility projects a 3 billion cubic foot shortfall next winter.

by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago2 min read

The town of Whittier has had no gas for weeks, and it's only manageable because it's summer

The whole town of Whittier has had no natural gas since Aug. 16 and won't get it back until Sept. 5, and it's manageable mainly because it's still warm out.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

ENSTAR seeks a Southcentral gas rate hike as two landlords move to dismiss the case

ENSTAR wants to raise Southcentral gas bills by about $9 a month, and two landlords are moving to get the rate case thrown out before its September hearing.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Alaska takes a first step toward new air permits for Hilcorp's Nikaitchuq oil field

Alaska took a first step toward new air permits for Hilcorp's Nikaitchuq oil field, as North Slope officials push for air monitoring in nearby villages.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min readFrom Aug 9

Dunleavy says he is ending gas line special session, blames legislative leaders

Gov. Dunleavy signaled an end to his gas line special session, blaming legislative leaders, as Southcentral faces a projected winter gas shortfall.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read

Dunleavy's LNG bill would swap a graduated S corp tax topping 9.4% for a flat 2%

Dunleavy cut the disputed oil-and-gas tax to a flat 2% in a revised LNG bill, trying to revive a stalled pipeline deal. The Legislature takes it up Aug. 20.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read

Senate majority to regulators: reconsider the rejected gas storage project, and make BlueCrest produce

Senate majority members want a rejected gas storage project revisited and an idle Cook Inlet lease produced — amid a fight over who fixes the gas crunch.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read

Alaska Senate Majority says gasline tax break waits on Glenfarne financial numbers

Alaska's Senate majority won't lock in the gasline tax break without firm cost numbers — now on Glenfarne and Dunleavy, as estimates range from $45B to $70B.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago4 min read

Alaska lacks the skilled workers for the LNG project, a report says

A state analysis says Alaska can't train enough workers for the LNG project — even as the state that funds much of that training warned of the gap in 2018.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Alaska Senate Majority sets Anchorage press availability on stalled gas session

Alaska's fourth special session on the gas pipeline tax has gone two weeks without a vote, as a looming Cook Inlet supply cliff raises the stakes.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Cook Inlet's oil and gas discharge rules expired in 2021, and EPA is finally rewriting them

The rules for what oil and gas exploration can discharge into federal Cook Inlet waters expired in 2021 and have run on an extension. EPA is rewriting them.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Peltola's energy platform draws fire from both sides in the race

Mary Peltola rolled out an energy platform in her Senate race against Dan Sullivan, drawing rebuttals from his campaign and from Alaska environmental groups.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Hilcorp says opposing the tax isn't opposing the gas line

Hilcorp told the gas-line caucus that opposing a targeted tax on the company isn't opposing the pipeline, even as that tax deadlocks the bill in Juneau.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read

Enstar tells Alaska Gas Line Caucus it could be 18 days short of gas this winter

Enstar told lawmakers it could run 18 days short of gas this winter if Cook Inlet supply stays low, but the Alaska LNG pipeline pitched to fix the problem won't arrive in time to help.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read

A Hilcorp gravel-mine permit reflects the North Slope's expanding oil footprint

Hilcorp wants a new North Slope gravel mine — one small permit amid a gravel-demand surge as Arctic oil development expands and converts wetlands, one project at a time.

by Maggie AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Legislators to hear the case for a gas line as the effort stalls

A minority caucus will host an Anchorage gasline listening session with only supporters, as the effort sits stalled in a third special session with no bill.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read