POLITICS
Juneau man files suit against state over CARES Act money
KINY Radio, May 13, 2020
A Juneau man is suing revenue commissioner Linda Mahoney in an effort to stop what he calls an illegal distribution of CARES Act money. The state Legislative Budget & Audit Committee voted earlier this week to pay out more than $1 billion to Alaska communities, small businesses, fisheries, and airports. The lawsuit, which was filed by Juneau resident Eric Forrer, alleges that only the full legislature has the right to appropriate and only the governor has the authority to spend, with legislative oversight.
Our Take: We note Scott Kendall’s twitter musing: “This suit is wrong-headed and ego-driven. Alaskans need relief now. Even if you “win” by delaying the funding until the legislature reconvenes, what did you gain…? Only more suffering for Alaskans. Global pandemic + broad leg agreement on this=why have this fight? #akleg”
From the Washington Examiner Daily on Energy:
YOUNG CONSERVATIVES WANT CONGRESS TO BUILD BACK SUSTAINABLY: The American Conservation Coalition is looking to build momentum for clean energy and conservation policies as part of economic recovery legislation, with a call to action campaign that ends Thursday.
“As Congress looks at how to get Americans back to work, we hope that they will prioritize creating economic prosperity and environmental sustainability,” said Quill Robinson, ACC’s vice president of government relations, in a statement. The push follows ACC’s recent release of its overarching climate agenda, which lays out a framework to move toward net-zero greenhouse gas emissions globally by 2050.
OIL
IEA Sees Oil Market Improving Amid Sharp Drop in Production
Grant Smith, Bloomberg, May 14, 2020
The outlook for global oil markets has “improved somewhat,” with demand a little stronger than expected and supply reined in by a brutal price crash, the International Energy Agency said. World oil production is on track for a “historic decline” this month to the lowest level in nine years, the IEA said in a monthly report. OPEC and its partners are slashing output, while others like the U.S. are forced to scale back drilling.
China paying a premium for select crudes illustrates demand’s return
Oil & Gas 360, May 14,2020
For a sneak peek at the return of Chinese oil demand, look no further than the rebound in price of the nation’s favorite grades. In the last few days a Chinese state-owned refiner bought Brazil’s Lula crude for August arrival at a premium of about 50 cents a barrel to Brent on a delivered basis, according to four traders in Asia. That’s a sharp recovery from the middle of April when the same grade traded at a discount of around $6.
GAS
New Hilcorp-Enstar gas deal adds up to rate savings
Elwood Brehmer, Alaska Journal of Commerce, May 13, 2020
Southcentral natural gas customers could collectively save $53.6 million under the latest contract between Enstar Natural Gas Co. and Hilcorp Alaska. According to a letter containing the amended contract terms filed with the Regulatory Commission of Alaska, Enstar customers should save approximately 7 percent in gas costs from June 1 through March 2023, when the utility’s prior contract with the Cook Inlet producer was set to expire. The new terms also extend the agreement through March 2033. According to Enstar’s filing, Hilcorp “reliably delivered” 82 percent of the utility’s gas in 2019 and is expected to cover 80 percent this year.
MINING
Decades before the coronavirus claimed her, she lived the frontier life in remote Alaska
Abigail Curtis, Bangor Daily News, May 14, 2020
She ran sled dogs, spent summers mining for gold and silver in the remote mountain ranges of Alaska and raised a family of boys on the wild edge of civilization.