In a presentation to Alaska State Legislators and staff, Donna Logan, vice president of the McDowell Group, highlighted an economic impact study on behalf of the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, which commissions the study every few years.
Governor Mike Dunleavy introduced four pieces of legislation supporting his initiative of making Alaska open for business by removing barriers to business and employment, as well as promoting responsible resource development. The bills sent to the Alaska Senate address a range of issues from unemployment insurance to geothermal energy development.
The USGS estimates there are 3.6 billion barrels of oil and 8.9 trillion cubic feet of natural gas conventional resources in the Central North Slope. This assessment does not include discoveries made by industry between 2013 and 2017. Although the USGS assessed this region in 2005, increases in geologic knowledge and understanding of the rocks and resource potential allowed the USGS to focus more specifically on six assessment units included in this estimate.
Snowmachining in Alaska is huge. Nowhere is this love of the sport more obvious than during the Iron Dog, when seventy-two riders set off across the state in one of the longest and most challenging snowmachine races in the world. In addition to the main event, the race has also spawned trade and safety expos, ceremonial starts, halfway and final banquets, and other events that attract even more people to spend time and money on the sport.
Job loss can be an immediate surprise, but often it comes with some warning. In some cases job loss comes with severance income, other times you’re forced to adapt and react without any assistance. If you do find yourself anticipating, or experiencing, a job loss, there are a few key things you can do to effectively deal with the transition.
Cutting edge technology and fishermen’s expertise are helping scientists track Aleutian Islands Pacific cod for the first time. Last winter scientists and fishermen partnered to launch a pilot study to develop methods for tagging cod on working commercial fishing vessels. Satellite tags had never been used on Pacific cod, nor has anyone recorded seasonal movements of the valuable fish.