Cook Inlet

Senate Democrats and Republicans say it's time to let drilling companies access millions of cubic feet of Southcentral natural gas in and around Cook Inlet. Sen. Cathy Giessel (R-Anchorage) says figures from the consulting firm Petrotechnical Resources of Alaska illustrate the extent of the region's demand for natural gas. "The PRA determined 13 to 14 gas wells would need to be drilled every year in order to meet the needs in Southcentral," Giessel said. Giessel chairs the Senate Resources Committee, which took testimony this week from the state Department of Natural Resources estimating there could be 355 million cubic feet of Cook Inlet natural gas in three different fields.

by Ted Land Thursday, April 15, 2010 JUNEAU, Alaska -- Anchorage Mayor Dan Sullivan visited lawmakers in Juneau Thursday and says he is pleased the Legislature is showing support for Anchorage. About $470 million of the proposed capital budget will go to fix up roads, construct buildings and continue work at the Port of Anchorage. But Sullivan points to a few projects he'd still like to see pass. One thing he wants is money for a new crime lab to be built in Anchorage.

A Palmer man missing and presumed dead after his plane disappeared on a flight from Soldotna to Palmer was a student pilot believed to have last been over Cook Inlet before his plane dropped off radar, according to a preliminary National Transportation Safety Board report. The report, released Thursday, sheds more light on the possible fate of Brendan Mattingley, who took off from Soldotna Oct. 13 in his green, red and white Piper PA-18 Super Cub headed for the Wolf Lake airport in Palmer, but never landed there.

Tranquil weather is taking shape for nearly all of mainland Alaska through your Holiday weekend.  An area of low pressure remains stationary over the Gulf of Alaska.  Spiraling around it are showers of snow, some of them heavy.  A few spots have seen up to 10 inches in Southeast, and we'll tack on an additional 4 to 8 inches through tonight.  Much of this activity is broken and convective, adding to the likelihood of heavier burst of snow....

For most, the Turnagain Arm bore tide is an Alaskan phenomenon to watch from a safe distance -- say, a highway pullout on the shoulder of the Seward Highway. But for Scott Dickerson and his friends, Cook Inlet's tidal bore -- one of the world's most extreme -- begs to be surfed. It’s hard to describe what that feels like, says Dickerson, a Homer-based photographer, entrepreneur and pioneer of Alaska’s surfing scene who has surfed the bore tide several times in the past week.

Mayor Sullivan wants your input on developing Ship Creek, an area in between downtown and Government Hill, right next to the Port of Anchorage - a project with a price tag of $4 million. There will be three meetings this week in the evening on April 16, 17, and 18 to discuss a master plan for developing the area . On Monday, Mayor Sullivan announced that KlingStubbins, based out of Cambridge, MA as the head firm to develop the master plan, along with local engineering firm USKH and international development company Boston Global Investors.

Oil executives with several firms operating in Alaska met with Gov. Sean Parnell at the Dena'ina Center in Downtown Anchorage Thursday for a noon luncheon hosted by Exxon Mobil Corp. Chief executives at the high-security, invitation-only event included Exxon Mobil's Rex Tillerson, ConocoPhillips' Jim Mulva and BP Exploration's Bob Dudley. All three were scheduled to speak briefly at the luncheon, as well as Parnell. Though the lunch was closed to the media and the public, Exxon called it purely a social luncheon, a meet-and-greet for lawmakers and producers.

by Channel 2 News staff Wednesday, April 7, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Channel 2 News won three regional Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association for excellence in journalism, the group announced Wednesday. "We're very proud as a news organization to be honored by the Radio Television Digital News Association like this," Channel 2 News Director Steve MacDonald said. "Channel 2 has always been known for its strong storytelling through words and video and these awards help underscore that mission.

Since the day it arrived in Homer, the Endeavor jack-up rig has been the target of controversy and complaints. Deland Anderson and other people who gathered in Homer Wednesday night to protest,  have been waiting for the rig to leave, and he's frustrated by the lack of answers he's getting from Buccaneer Energy: "It's kind of like a pile of lies in a way" said Anderson.  "It ticks me off, I'm kind of that guy, and I get ticked off when you...

Location and Climate Homer is located on the north shore of Kachemak Bay on the southwestern edge of the Kenai Peninsula. The Homer Spit, a 4.5-mile long bar of gravel, extends from the Homer shoreline. It is 227 road miles south of Anchorage, at the southern-most point of the Sterling Highway. The community lies at approximately 59.642500° North Latitude and -151.548330° West Longitude.  (Sec. 19, T006S, R013W, Seward Meridian.)   Homer is located in the Homer Recording District.