Alaska vs. Outside Corporations, the Choice is Ours
By Sen. Hollis French Two recent news items out of Norway caught my attention. The first happened April 30 when Gov. Parnell went there to discuss tax policy. The second was the announcement on May 6 that Norway had decided to make a change to its oil tax laws. Now, I don’t know whether the governor was responsible for the May 6 tax change. But I like to imagine that the Norwegians listened very carefully to the governor’s reasons for lowering taxes here. Being the sober and meticulous people they are, they ran a complex cost-benefit economic analysis on his…
Parnell – Dug in Like a Tick
Well, I’m surprised. Gov. Sean Parnell announced Friday that he will run for governor again. “Fantastic! I get to vote for Sean Parnell as governor again!” said no one within earshot of me ever. The anticipation of his announcement, and the speculation around it, was fierce. Would he give Mark Begich a run for his money for the U.S. Senate? Would he figure his work was done, having succeeded in passing a bill to give billions to oil companies for no guarantees, and just start picking out wallpaper for a K Street office? He’s dug in like a tick. I…
SB21 Repeal Referendum Certified!
After taking the maximum allowable time under the law (go figure), Lt. Governor Mead Treadwell certified the application for a referendum petition filed last week by Vote Yes – Repeal the Giveaway, a grassroots Alaskan group formed to challenge the controversial new law known as Senate Bill 21. The certification allows a signature drive to move forward to put this oil wealth giveaway to a vote of the people in 2014. The group is now waiting for petition booklets from the state. SB 21 dramatically lowers Alaskans’ oil income, transferring billions of dollars from resource owners to multinational oil companies. It…
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….
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…
Alaska’s Founding Father on Big Oil
On Thursday, rallies were held across the state to protest the legislature’s impending giveaway of billions of dollars from Alaska’s coffers to the wealthiest corporations in history with no strings attached. Speeches were given by many people, but perhaps the most important was that of Vic Fischer, one of Alaska’s original Constitutional delegates. Having Vic Fischer here is like being able to ask Thomas Jefferson or John Adams about the Constitution. He addressed a large crowd in the chill of downtown Anchorage, in front of the Legislative Information Office. He was asked if he was freezing to death in the…
“Stop the Giveaway!” Backbone Rally Photos
This just in from Juneau: Last night, under the cover of darkness, the House Resources Committee made the Governor’s oil wealth giveaway an even BIGGER giveaway. Just after 2:00a.m. the House Resources Committee amended the bill, reducing the tax rate from 35 to 33 percent, giving away an additional $300-$400 million dollars a year. This rate applies to all oil, whether it is already in production or not. Today, hundreds of Alaskans all across the state showed up for a “day of resistance” to stop the oil wealth giveaway.There were rallies in Juneau, Fairbanks, Sitka, Homer, Dillingham, Soldotna, Sterling and Anchorage. Today,…
4/4 Statewide Backbone Rallies
Backbone calls on Alaskans to show their support for getting a fair return for Alaska’s oil resources, owned in common by all Alaskans, by attending rallies on Thursday, April 4th at noon all across Alaska. When: Thursday, April 4, at noon Where: Juneau: On the Capitol Steps Anchorage: At the Anchorage LIO – 716 W 4th Ave Fairbanks: Veterans’ Memorial Park – 700 Cushman St.
Repeat after me. “North Dakota!”
Alaska Robotics created a couple minutes of awesome when they interviewed Governor Sean Parnell about his oil tax plan. Who’s that shadowy figure behind Flat Sean, and what the heck happened to his jaw?