NEWS: Real-Time Giveaway Counter Posted

Democratic Legislators Post Oil Wealth Giveaway Cost to Alaskans in Real Time

JUNEAU – Today, the House Democratic Caucus published a real-time counter on its website (akdemocrats.org/our-oil-bill/giveaway/) to show Alaskans up-to-the-minute losses from the governor’s oil wealth giveaway, SB21. While the Governor’s giveaway is extremely generous to corporations in London and Houston, the giveaway will adversely impact individual Alaskans.

NEWS: Democrats Introduce Oil Tax Alternative

Reduction for Production: Bill Targets New Oil in the Pipe and Protects Alaska

JUNEAU – House and Senate Democratic legislators introduced legislation today to grant tax concessions to oil producers who put new oil into the pipeline. The bill (SB50, HB 111) targets tax incentives to new fields and to new development in existing fields, and it offers other incentives outside the tax code to spark new development.

NEWS: Kawasaki introduces legislation to lower energy costs with state royalty oil and gas

Bill would prioritize the sale of royalty oil to be used in state

JUNEAU – Representative Scott Kawasaki (D-Fairbanks) pre-filed legislation (HB 38) to help lower in-state energy costs by giving priority to the sale of Alaska royalty oil and gas to be used for in-state energy production.

NEWS: Democrats Question New Revenue Projections

Enormous implications mean new assumptions need more scrutiny

JUNEAU – Today, House Democrats raised concerns about the methodology and timing of the Parnell Administration’s new revenue projection model and asked Department of Revenue Commissioner Bryan Butcher to release to the public more details about its latest income projections. House Democratic Leader Beth Kerttula (D-Juneau) met with Commissioner Butcher and his staff this week to discuss the new report, but she was not satisfied with the explanations she received.

NEWS: House Democrats Call for Firm Timelines on Pt. Thomson Development

Without work schedules, continued delay likely

JUNEAU – Today, nine members of the House Democratic Caucus called on the Department of Natural Resources to require firm timelines and work schedules before approving Exxon’s most recent Plan of Development for Pt. Thomson. In their official comments submitted today, the lawmakers said that without a timeline for Exxon to complete the work, this Plan of Development is likely to result in the same delay and inaction that has kept the resource undeveloped for over thirty years.

Democrats to Gov: Stop Touting Existing Oil Industry Commitments as New

Official reports show I-Pad, other promised investment already underway under ACES

JUNEAU – Today Representative Scott Kawasaki (D-Fairbanks) and Representative Les Gara (D-Anchorage) called on the governor to stop touting existing oil industry commitments as new when he pitches his multi-billion dollar oil tax giveaway.

“For the last four to five years, the oil industry has reported to the state that these projects are already in their plans, so how can the governor keep repeating that they are new commitments?” asked Rep. Kawasaki, a member of the House Resources Committee.

Rep. Doogan in Juneau: SPECIAL RAGING AGAINST THE MACHINE EDITION

To Tell the Truth

We had big fun in the House of Representatives Wednesday.

First, we listened to a speech by the chief justice of the Alaska Supreme Court. I have lots and lots respect for the chief justice – especially since a guy never knows when he might get hauled in front of the court – but I have to say that the hour-long speech might have been just a skosh longer than my attention span. But then I’ve never been accused of having the longest attention span anyway.

Berta’s Briefings from Rep. Gardner: A Pipeline to Poverty?

I think we all want to find a way to harness our state’s natural gas to help Alaskans with high energy costs as well to take our natural resources to market. Unfortunately, a bill which just passed the House Resources Committee – with the stated goals of bringing gas to Alaskans as quickly as possible and as cheaply as possible – has identified the right problems and found a very expensive and wrong solution, which is likely to do the opposite of what it intends.

House Bill 9 puts the Alaska Gasline Development Agency (AGDC) in charge of building a small gas pipeline to bring gas from the North Slope to the Railbelt, including Anchorage, of course.

Rep. Miller’s District 7 Interior Update: Oil Taxes Back in the Forefront

Hello from Juneau, and Happy Leap Day! The 2012 Legislative Session is in full swing, and here is a brief rundown of some of the things I’ve been working on.

The Oil Tax Debate

Just like last year, the debate over oil taxes has gripped the Alaska Legislature. Governor Parnell continues to push for support of his House Bill 110, which would give oil companies a $2 billion dollar tax break, with the hopes it will spur more investment. I voted against this giveaway last year, and I am glad the Senate has taken a stand against it this session.

Rep. Doogan in Juneau: SPECIAL READ SOME OTHER WRITER EDITION

What, oil companies might not be telling the truth?

Dermot Cole, the columnist for the Fairbanks News-Miner, has been doing a bang-up job writing about how poorly the state is doing in extracting information from the oil companies and releasing it to the public.

If that sounds like a discussion that would put you to sleep so fast you’d get a concussion when your head hit the table, here are a couple of things to consider.