Hoffman says no end in sight; Horrible headline from Herz and Harball

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Sen. Hoffman Predicts A Long Legislative Session Since No House Speaker Elected
Anna Rose MacArthur, KYUK, February 7, 2019

The Alaska State House has set a record for the most days into a legislative session with no House Speaker elected. Thursday marks the 24th day without a speaker. With the House unable to formally deliberate bills or form committees until a leader is elected, Democratic Sen. Lyman Hoffman of Bethel is predicting another long session ahead.

Our Take: The house minority (16 democrats and 1 independent) is having a tough time letting go of their power. This is an excellent case for why the legislative session should be held on the road system.   If more Alaskan residents were present to witness the blatant quests for power instead of getting down to business…

Alaska GOP Gov. Dunleavy seeks to oust Democratic chair of oil and gas watchdog agency
Nathaniel Herz and Elizabeth Harball, Alaska’s Energy Desk, February 7, 2019

Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy is seeking to oust former Democratic state senator Hollis French from his position at the top of a state agency that regulates the oil and gas industry. A two-page letter from Dunleavy last month charges French with “neglect of duty and misconduct,” and levies five charges to justify the governor’s bid to remove French from chairmanship of the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission. Dunleavy accuses French of typically working no more than four hours a day and pursuing “non-work-related interests” while in the office, among other charges. But the letter includes no supporting documentation or evidence.

Our Take: Long before this action was taken, word on the street was Mr. French had an attendance problem at work. If that is true, he shouldn’t be a Commissioner. Lots of qualified folks would be happy to earn $140,000 annually and work full time. Too bad the writers of this piece chose to make it Republican vs. Democrat before doing more research.

A road to somewhere: Why the Ambler Road makes sense
David Prum, Anchorage Daily News, February 8, 2019

As we move forward toward a carbon-free energy economy, there will be some tough environmental choices to be made. Expanding zero-carbon energy sources will require massive new sources of certain materials that can only be mined from the earth with a certain amount of local environmental disruption. Copper is one of those essential materials. All the new technologies powering any new revolution in green energy require copper as a conductive material. Solar panels, electric vehicles, wind turbines, new efficient batteries and the smart electrical grid to connect them all require copper. The investments in these necessary technologies will require massive new sources of copper.

From the Washington Examiner Daily on Energy:

HOUSE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE PASSES NOPEC BILL: The House Judiciary Committee on Thursday passed a bill allowing the Justice Department to sue OPEC under antitrust laws for price fixing and production cuts.

The bill, No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act (NOPEC), looks to protect U.S. shale producers from price swings created by OPEC.

It passed in a unanimous voice vote but is unlikely to move in the House with oil prices relatively low.