Congratulations, Conoco.
ConocoPhillips Alaska profits outpace Lower 48, Canada, Latin America, and Europe – Combined Senator Bill Wielechowski (D – Anchorage) applauded ConocoPhillips on another quarter in which profits from Alaska operations exceeded a half of a billion dollars. “After spending three months in Juneau listening to complaints about the competitive disadvantage of doing business in Alaska, public records once again indicate near record profits from Alaska operations,” said Senator Wielechowski. ConocoPhillips financial statements released today indicate 1st quarter profits in Alaska of $543 million. Adjusted earnings in Alaska exceeded those in the Lower 48, Canada, Latin America, and Europe combined….
Palin Denied Lemonade Lawsuit Fees
Some of you are about to have a flashback. What will cause this flashback? Three words: Piper’s lemonade stand. I realize that most of you are still here, but some of you were just transported back to the post-election days of 2009. I’m not doing this just to have fun yanking you around (although that was kind of fun). This is actually relevant to a little piece of news that developed yesterday. A federal judge on Wednesday ruled against Sarah Palin, denying her request to be compensated for more than $22,000 in attorney fees she spent in a case against…
Repealing SB21 – The Fight Begins
Alaska Founding Father Vic Fischer, former Anchorage Assemblywoman Jane Angvik and Jack Roderick, author of the oil history book “Crude Dreams,” appeared in the shadow of the building that holds the Lt. Governor’s office – the Robert Atwood Building to call for the repeal of the controversial Senat Bill 21. The countdown for the referendum has already started. Over 30,000 signatures (10% of the votes cast in 2012) are needed within 90 days after the bill left the Senate, which was last Sunday, the 14th. Vic Fischer called the bill unconstitutional, and said that the founders looked to statehood, “to get…
Alaska Eyes 2014
The legislative session in Juneau has ended, and our elected officials have flown away from the carnage they either created, or endured. The stalwart among us, the political junkies who don’t need to take time off to lick wounds, yell at clouds, or throw chairs, will begin to think of… 2014. The courts have ruled that the redistricted map used for 2012 is not Constitutional. We literally go back to the drawing board to rework legislative boundaries. And the insanity will begin all over again. But wait, that’s not all! U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES We’ve also got our one…
The Legislative Session – A Review
The good news is that it’s over. We knew it would be bad, and it was worse. Now it just needs to be hauled out behind the shed, and put out of its misery. There is no candy coating a big pile of bear scat, so all we must do is march on. We’ve been told that THIS session just dealt with financial issues. So, now that we’re screwed in that department, next session we’re free to tackle the social issues. And if we all survive that, there’s a big fat election in 2014 that could wipe the slate clean…
The View from Juneau
An old saying goes something like this, “We hate in others what we hate in ourselves.” I don’t think I’ve seen a better example of that than this 28th legislative session. I flew to Juneau to watch the last days of the session for myself. Home in Anchorage, I spend a remarkable amount of time watching Gavel to Gavel – I even Tivo it. But the cameras don’t show what’s really going on in the Capitol, restaurants and bars; they don’t show the lobbyists following lawmakers into the bathroom or to the smoking porch. (I have to wonder whether the…
CT ‘Overreacted’ with ‘Draconian’ Gun Laws Says AK Lawmaker
On Sunday night, 60 Minutes featured an unforgettable interview with some of the family members of those killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, CT. It’s been nearly four months since the unspeakable tragedy that left the nation in shock and mourning. This month, Connecticut passed a gun control law that expands background checks, and limits the number of rounds in ammunition magazines to 10. The families are now urging changes of a similar nature in Washington. This transcript begins at 4:57 in the clip. When asked what changes they would like to see, the following…
ACLU Investigates Censorship in Juneau
Last week, on two consecutive days, an assortment of government vans from at least two different entities, parked in front of the Capitol building in Juneau, blocking protesters who had come with signs to demonstrate. The protesters had been clearly visible from certain offices in the Capitol. Joe Miller’s blog describes the situation as reported by en eyewitness: “The trucks were parked across the street from the capital building, in the “active loading and unloading zone” and in the road congesting traffic, obviously in answer to a command to block the protesters. There were witnesses at the protest who heard…
Rep. Could Cash in from Bridge
A legislative audit recently revealed that Alaskans could be on the hook for up to $1.4 billion dollars as a result of insufficient projected toll revenue from the Knik Arm Bridge (aka KABATA, aka The Bridge from Hell). Not only that, but a land ownership analysis found that at least one state Representative in Juneau could stand to cash in from road construction to the area. The family of Representative Lynn Gattis (R-Wasilla) just happens to own land adjacent to the Knik Arm Bridge approach in the Mat-Su Borough, and would see her land become much more valuable as a result of the…