Oil

TIM BRADNER

Coming months crucial for state's oil, gas industries

Alaskans are apprehensive about getting a natural gas pipeline built from the North Slope.

Thursday's oil, gas, gold and zinc prices

North Slope oil: $75.46, down $2.12

Shell denies asking for delay in drilling plan

The president of Shell Oil Co. says the company did not ask a federal agency to delay a decision on the company's request to drill for oil and gas in Alaska's Chukchi Sea.

Oil companies curtail work on North Slope

Oil and gas companies on Wednesday gave a mixed forecast on their plans for work in Alaska next year.

Icy oil spill easier to clean, scientists say

Scientists funded by Shell and six other oil companies say that cleaning up oil spills in Arctic ice is in many respects easier than cleaning it from open water.

Polar bears vs. oil exploration, with Alaska in the balance

Gov. Sean Parnell says he has the best interest of polar bears at heart, but he doesn't intend to let the federal government's expanded protection for them get in the way of the state's continued prosperity.

Alaska again seeks delisting of polar bears as threatened

More polar bear news

Alyeska saves millions with revisions

As production from aging North Slope oil fields such as Prudhoe Bay and Kuparuk continues to decline, the reduced flow through the trans-Alaska oil pipeline creates a continuous challenge for pipeline operator Alyeska Pipeline Service Co.

Companies release reports on pipeline projects

Nine days after state officials published an update on TransCanada Corp.'s North Slope gas pipeline project, the team behind BP and Conoco Phillip's competing Denali gas-line project issued its own update Thursday.

Natives visit D.C. to seek restrictions on drilling

Anti-drilling activists visited federal officials this week to lobby against drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and on offshore sites in Alaska.

Today's oil, gas, gold, zinc prices

North Slope oil: $77.23, up $0.18 U.S. natural gas (Henry Hub): $3.59 per million BTU, down $0.15

Oil industry employment stays near record levels

Employment in Alaska's oil patch is softening, but only very slightly as the industry continues to support near record payrolls.

INSIDE ALASKA BUSINESS

Slope lease sale lands $8.5 million for state

The state received 93 bids for 80 tracts at its recent areawide North Slope oil and gas lease sale. The state received $8.5 million in apparent high bids, compared with $6.5 million in the areawide sale last year, according to Petroleum News.

DAVID REAUME

Pipeline's worth varies with who's counting

The ongoing valuation dispute between the owners of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System (TAPS), on the one hand, and state and local governments, on the other, is a classic case of trying to make real-world sense out of vague legislative directives.

Facing environmental lawsuits, Shell debates Arctic drilling

Shell, the giant oil company that hopes to open a new petroleum frontier for Alaska, says it will decide within months whether to risk sending a large fleet of vessels to drill for oil and gas in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas next summer.

Chevron to lay off an estimated 25 workers in Cook Inlet region

Chevron announced Wednesday it plans to cut an estimated 25 jobs in the Cook Inlet region because of decreased activity at the oil fields and tough economic times.

State still optimistic natural gas pipeline will be built

State officials say in a report released today that they continue to be optimistic about the chances for a large-diameter natural gas pipeline from the North Slope to Lower 48 markets.

Backers of competing gas line projects prepare pitches

Energy industry giants are winding up their pitches for a North Slope gas pipeline next year, but the state and its critics remain at war over whether any of the hundreds of millions being spent now will result in a successful project.

State investigates Slope accident that crushed worker

The state Department of Labor is investigating a North Slope work accident that left a man in critical care with a crushed chest.

Number of active gas, oil rigs in US up by 21

The number of rigs actively exploring for oil and natural gas in the U.S. this week rose by 21 this week to 1,069.

Kenai gas field shows age but keeps producing

The Kenai gas field started out as an oddball no one quite knew what to do with, but became an essential component of daily life and industry in Southcentral Alaska.

Shell's Chukchi drill plan ruled 'complete' by MMS

The federal Minerals Management Service this week deemed Shell Oil's application to drill exploration wells in the Chukchi Sea next year to be complete.