NEWS OF THE DAY:
State seeks Alaska Supreme Court review in ballot lawsuit
AP, September 17, 2020
A judge on Thursday ordered the state of Alaska to stop printing general election ballots after a Democratic-nominated independent candidate sued to block a new ballot design ahead of the November election. Alaska Superior Court Judge Jennifer Henderson ordered the Alaska Division of Elections to stop printing the ballots, and set another hearing in the case Friday, the Anchorage Daily News reported. The state has instead asked the Alaska Supreme Court for an immediate review. Henderson ordered both the state and attorneys for Alyse Galvin, a candidate for the U.S. House, to submit additional written arguments by Thursday afternoon. The judge could issue additional orders after Friday’s hearing, if the Supreme Court doesn’t take up the case.
OIL
RCA will delay decision on BP-Hilcorp deal; DNR finalizing work
Kay Cashman, Petroleum News, September 18, 2020
The Regulatory Commission of Alaska had set a Sept. 28 date for its decision on the midstream portion of Hilcorp’s acquisition of BP’s Alaska assets, but said Sept. 15 that it couldn’t make its decision without a decision from the commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources on transfer of state pipeline right-of-way leases associated with the pipeline transfers. “The issues before us are very similar to those DNR is considering as to the right-of-way leases. Though we often consider and act on pipeline transfers before DNR acts on the underlying right-of-way leases, the scale of this acquisition makes it different from those more routine transfers.”
GAS
Trump, Biden clash on fracking as DOE touts’ natural gas
Lesley Clark and Carlos Anchondo, E & E News, September 18, 2020
Trump White House economic adviser Larry Kudlow used a Department of Energy summit yesterday to lambaste what he called the “other team” for “bizarre plans” he said would do “great harm” to the U.S. energy industry. Kudlow never used Democratic presidential challenger Joe Biden’s name, but his comments seven weeks from the Nov. 3 election came as he noted Trump has put a “premium” on achieving energy independence. “I don’t want to politicize this, but the other team has some bizarre plans that would do great harm to energy and the economy,” Kudlow charged, insisting President Trump, by contrast, “if he’s given the opportunity for a second term,” would continue to pursue low taxes and deregulatory policies.
MINING
Kinross Gold pays first dividend in 7 years with metal rallying
Bloomberg News, September 18, 2020
Canadian miner Kinross Gold Corp. is boosting output and paying its first dividend in seven years after gold prices surged to a record. The Toronto-based company will give shareholders 3 cents a common share, and resume quarterly dividends of the same amount, taking the total distribution to 12 cents a year, according to a statement Thursday. Production is expected to increase 20% by 2023. The move comes after investors flocked to the yellow metal as a safe haven, with the pandemic threatening to derail global economic growth. Spot gold climbed to a record $2,075.47 an ounce in August and while prices have declined since then, they are still up 28% this year, making it the second-best performer in the Bloomberg Commodity Index of 22 raw materials.
POLITICS
From the Washington Examiner, Daily on Energy:
CHENEY SEEKS DOJ PROBE OF ENVIRONMENTAL GROUPS: Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney is calling on the Justice Department to investigate whether major environmental groups such as the Sierra Club and the Natural Resources Defense Council are subject to any foreign interference or targeting.
Cheney, in a letter to Attorney General William Barr made public this week, suggested the environmental groups are “low-hanging fruit for Russian influence or support efforts” because their “anti-fracking agendas align with the Kremlin’s.” She also raised questions about NRDC’s work in China, which she said makes the group a “high-value target.”