A Citizen’s Guide

Gov. Frank Murkowski on Friday panned changes the Legislature has made to his oil tax bill, saying amendments the House and Senate have made to his petroleum production tax could hasten the decline in oil production and endanger a deal to build a natural gas pipeline.

Murkowski also, at a Friday news conference, revealed that the proposed gas contract would have a duration of 35 years once the pipeline has been built and that the new oil tax system being debated in Juneau would be locked into that contract for 30 years.

He also said he opposes including a contract provision to allow the agreement to be reopened if conditions change and acknowledged that the Alaska Supreme Court will likely be asked to rule on the question of whether the current Legislature has the authority to bind future legislators. Both issues have raised serious concern among many legislators in each chamber. Read the rest of this entry »

I’ve lived with my family in Fairbanks for 33 years and have been involved with the oil and gas industry for most of that time, mainly as an equipment operator in the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 302. I’m now working on the trans-Alaska oil pipeline at Pump Station 9, near Delta Junction.

I’ve been following the petroleum production tax debate in Juneau, and I’d like to offer a few comments as a longtime Alaskan who plans to remain here for a long time to come. Read the rest of this entry »

Gov. Frank Murkowski has planned a weeklong trip to Europe over the Easter holiday. Oil and gas are among the items on the business agenda, but we’re not sure about whether there’s a vacation aspect to this trip—like maybe a visit to an oil refinery while dressing down into shorts and sandals or something.

Murkowski will meet with oil giant Royal Dutch Shell in Amsterdam for a presentation on a process to convert coal to natural gas or synthetic petroleum. The governor said the technology showed promise for use in Alaska’s large coal deposits. Read the rest of this entry »

Still confused on the ABCs of the PPT?

Lisa Weissler in Anchorage Democratic Rep. Ethan Berkowitz’s office has come up with an easy-to-use primer on the petroleum production tax proposal.

The 12-page document provides a clear explanation of House Bill 488 and Senate Bill 305 and the questions lawmakers have on the proposed changes to the state’s oil tax system. Read the rest of this entry »

The Senate Finance Committee hit a minor snag this morning when it took up the governor’s oil tax legislation.

Kenai Republican Tom Wagoner, chairman of Senate Resources, asked legislative legal to make some changes to his committee’s substitute of the bill before letting it go to Finance. Read the rest of this entry »

The Department of Revenue earlier this week released a comparison of the governor’s oil tax bill and the version rolled out by House Resources earlier this month. It was the department’s second report this week regarding the governor’s tax plan.

The latest report shows only a slight difference between the two versions at $40 a barrel. But the report shows that revenue to the state nearly doubles under the House version when prices hit $60 a barrel. Read the rest of this entry »