Oil

by The Associated Press Sunday, May 2, 2010 JUNEAU, Alaska -- Dive crews have removed more than 10,000 gallons of bunker oil from a shipwreck near Juneau, and the work is continuing. Work began nearly a week ago to pump oil from the Princess Kathleen shipwreck near Juneau. In addition to bunker oil, divers also have recovered nearly 1,000 gallons of oil that was free-floating within the wreck. The Princess Kathleen ran aground on Point Lena in 1952, and has periodically released small amounts of unrecoverable oil in the years since.

by Channel 2 News staff Friday, February 26, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- In a poll conducted by Channel 2 News, respondents were asked if Alaska should tax oil and gas revenue separately. Here is the official question and results of the 226 people who voted. Should Alaska tax oil and gas revenue separately? Yes 83 % No 17 %  

by The Associated Press Saturday, April 17, 2010 JUNEAU, Alaska -- Specialized divers have begun removing oil from the Princess Kathleen shipwreck near Juneau after its tanks leaked and oil became trapped within the aging vessel. The Coast Guard said divers have been assessing the wreck since February. They have identified between 14,000 and 34,000 gallons of heavy bunker oil in 10 of the ship's tanks. Four tanks remain to be surveyed. Containment boom and response equipment has been moved close to the site as a precaution.

by Channel 2 News staff Thursday, May 13, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- In a poll conducted by Channel 2 News, respondents were asked if there should be limits on liability for oil spills. Here is the official question and results of the 275 people who voted. Should there be limits on liability for oil spills? Yes 22.5 % No 77.5 % All polls conducted by Channel 2 News and KTUU.com are unscientific.

This Tuesday, students from Central Middle School learned all about the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend and the energy that fuels it. As part of the Energy Einstein Program, students from the school got a chance to drill for oil using layered cakes as oil fields and straws to take core samples. State Economist Neil Fried explained to students how the PFD is generated, the importance of oil and how it affects Alaska's economy. “I think I’ll definitely remember some of this stuff because it’s a lot easier to comprehend when you're teaching it in a fun way like putting a straw in cake,” said student Aubrey Evans.

by The Associated Press Saturday, April 10, 2010 JUNEAU, Alaska -- The Department of Revenue is projecting the state will have $900 million more than expected for the current and upcoming budget years because of higher-than-expected oil prices. Oil is a major driver of Alaska's economy -- and a major contributor to state coffers. The department said it expects new or continued development this calendar year but it also noted a continued decline in North Slope oil production -- down another 4.8 percent, to about 619,000 barrels a day, for the fiscal year beginning July 1. The department said Friday it's projecting the state will collect $5.6 billion in unrestricted general fund revenue for the current spending year, and $5.3 billion for the next year.

Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. says oil has begun flowing through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline again, after it was shut down due to a leak at Pump Station 1 on Jan. 8, and while a bypass line was installed over the weekend. The 157-foot bypass line was constructed in Fairbanks and installed over the weekend. The line was initially re-started on Tuesday to keep ice from forming in the pipe, and shut down again Saturday for the bypass line's installation. A release from the company says flow started up again at around 10:20 a.m. Monday.

by The Associated Press Monday, June 14, 2010 JUNEAU, Alaska -- The Coast Guard says the cost to recover 110,000 gallons of bunker oil from a passenger ship that sank near Juneau in 1952 has surpassed $10 million. The agency says the final cost for recovering oil from the Princess Kathleen likely will be more than $12 million. Federal funding to pay for the oil removal project will come from the Oil Spill Liability Trust Fund. The last oil was removed this month.

by Channel 2 News staff Tuesday, June 01, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- The Coast Guard says divers have completed their task of removing oil and fuel from the Princess Kathleen, a shipwrecked passenger ship. Since February, divers have removed an estimated 110,000 gallons of bunker oil and other oils from the vessel. The ship ran aground on Lena Point near Juneau in 1952, and has since released small amounts of unrecoverable oil. Crews were able to remove the oil by utilizing boom, barge and diving platforms at the site.

by Mary Pemberton The Associated Press Sunday, January 17, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - An engineering professor has figured out why oil remains trapped along miles of gravel beaches more than 20 years after the Exxon Valdez tanker disaster in Prince William Sound. An estimated 20,000 gallons of crude remain in Prince William Sound. The oil remaining after the nearly 11-million-gallon spill had been expected to biodegrade and wash away within a few years. The problem: The gravelly beaches are trapping the oil between two layers of rocks.

A new group is launching a campaign against the petition to repeal Senate Bill 21, which passed with the idea that it would increase oil production in Alaska. We Are Alaska is an independent expenditure group from the Alaska Support Industry Alliance. The group says its goal is to educate Alaskans about the consequences of signing a petition to reverse SB21. We Are Alaska believes the oil tax law is essential to revive the state's robust oil economy and that the bill will boost investment and production.

Even as some lawmakers have barely had time to unpack their bags after returning from Juneau, a group of Alaskans are trying to repeal a piece of legislation passed on the final day of the 90 day session. "If Senate Bill 21 survives, this state may go bankrupt in a few years,” said repeal organizer Ray Metcalfe.  “If Senate Bill 21 survives, it's very soon going to be goodbye dividends, hello income taxes. " Senate Bill 21 repeals Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share, the tax system that has been in place since the Palin Administration.

Lt. Gov. Mead Treadwell has certified a referendum seeking to repeal the oil tax reform bill passed by the Legislature this year, leaving supporters with less than three months to gather enough signatures to put it on the state's 2014 primary ballot. Members of the group Vote Yes, Repeal The Giveaway, which includes elder Alaska statesman Vic Fischer and former Alaska First Lady Bella Hammond, submitted their referendum to stop Senate Bill 21 one week ago to Treadwell's office in Downtown Anchorage's Atwood Building.

A group of Alaskans want to repeal Gov. Sean Parnell's new oil tax legislation, calling it a massive giveaway of Alaska's resources. The move continues a debate on what should be done to improve the state's oil and gas industry. Parnell says the new tax regulations approved by the state Legislature make Alaska much more competitive when it comes to oil development -- but a group called Vote Yes, Repeal The Giveaway says they're bad business and will actually hurt Alaskans. “If we let Senate Bill 21 stand, it will lead to the biggest crash in this state's economy we've ever seen -- it will make (the oil price crash in)

What could drilling do to the Arctic Ocean?  That's what an expanded environmental impact statement is looking into. In March, the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) released a second draft study of oil and gas activities in the arctic and is now seeking public comment.  The 1,500-page study explores the effects of offshore oil and gas activities in the Arctic Ocean, including exploratory drilling and geological geophysical surveys in the Chuchki and Beaufort seas.   “It looks at multiple activities over multiple years and evaluates their effects on marine mammals, on subsistence uses of those marine mammals and looks at different levels of activity,” said Jolie Harrison of the NMFS.

With just five days remaining in the session, the House Finance Committee spent much of Tuesday evening debating Senate Bill 21, Governor Sean Parnell's plan to overhaul oil taxes.  Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share (ACES) was enacted in 2007, under the Palin Administration.  But in the years since, some say ACES has done little to increase oil production in Alaska. "This slowdown is not good for an industry recognized as Alaska's lifeblood,” said Ben Mohr of Eagle River.

With less than two weeks left until the end of the legislative session, the House Resources Committee proposed more changes to Governor Sean Parnell's oil tax reform bill.  The 35 percent base tax rate will remain in place, but a provision for a competitive review board has been changed. “The original senate version had a report generated by that review board every year, and we extended the periodicity of that report to every 4 years,” said Representative Eric Feige, R-Chickaloon.

Dan Carpenter is a Multi-Media Journalist at Channel 2 News. His stories feature his own work both in front of and behind the camera, as well as in the video editing room and through his skill as a writer.    Dan was born and raised in Bethel, Alaska where his interest in photography and recording began at the age of seven using his grandfather's video camera. His grandfather, a dentist, and his grandmother, a teacher, raised their children on a homestead in Stony River.

The battle lines are set in a potential Senate showdown over oil taxes.  On Tuesday, lawmakers hashed out what version of Governor Sean Parnell's oil tax plan they will vote on. Last week, the Senate Finance made a few changes to the bill, including a competitive review board proposed by Sen. Lesil McGuire, R-Anchorage, to assess Alaska's tax structure. "My hope is that the group isn't simply going to focus on taxes, but rather look at things like access to infrastructure, how to get into the Trans-Alaska Pipeline,” said Sen. McGuire, R-Anchorage.

On Friday, the Senate Finance Committee continued to put the finishing touches on Governor Sean Parnell's oil tax reform bill or SB21 as it is known in the legislature. "There is a dark cloud moving from the Senate Finance Committee to the floor of the Senate," said Minority Leader Johnny Ellis, D-Anchorage.  Ellis said Democrats will spend the weekend making several amendments to the bill. It was scheduled for a floor vote Friday, however that vote was postponed until next week.