AlaskaJournal.com | Statewide Business News for the Last Frontier

Electric utilities plan to spend $1B on new power plants

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:09:59 AKST

[ Electric utilities have nearly $1 billion worth of new power plant projects planned for Southcentral Alaska.

Alyeska cuts jobs, spending as oil production keeps declining

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:10:01 AKST

[ Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. is delaying a major pump station reconfiguration project and eliminating 60 company and contractor positions, a company spokeswoman said Nov. 4.

Petro Star restarts Valdez refinery after rebuilding

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:10:03 AKST

[ Petro Star Inc. has reopened a small refinery in Valdez after reconstruction following a fire last Dec. 18, the company announced Nov. 2.

Pebble opponents target financial groups to chill investment

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:10:05 AKST

[ A report released Oct. 29 by opponents to the proposed Pebble copper/gold project in Southwest Alaska and aimed at financial investment groups claims significant legal and political risks would jeopardize the project.

RDC's 30th Annual Conference Agenda

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:10:12 AKST

[Alaska Resources 2010

RDC speaker bios

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:10:14 AKST

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Weatherization, rebate programs stimulate state economy

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:10:22 AKST

[ A statewide weatherization program with the potential of reducing energy costs in thousands of Alaskan residences will improve some 1,740 homes in 2009 alone, and Alaska Housing Finance Corp. expects to more than quadruple that number by 2011.

Parnell says he's open to talks on AGIA law

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:10:25 AKST

[Gov. Sean Parnell says he's willing to discuss changes in the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act, or AGIA, a controversial state law setting out Alaska requirements for a gas pipeline, if changes are justified and needed to advance the pipeline.

Pharmacists campaign for greater transparency in actual drug costs

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:10:27 AKST

[ In a small family-owned pharmacy in Ketchikan, pharmacist Barry Christianson carefully grinds up capsules for an adult medication for influenza, adding a suspension and cherry flavoring to concoct a pediatric counterpart for a client.

Anchorage economy in a 'flat but good' situation

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:10:32 AKST

[ Anchorage's economy is muddling along and that's just fine, says Bill Popp, president of Anchorage Economic Development Corp.

Conservation groups may sue over Seward coal dust issue

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:10:34 AKST

[ Tons of coal from Alaska's Interior are exported annually from the Port of Seward, bringing substantial profits to the state's only operating coal mine and to the Alaska Railroad Corp., which is owned by the state of Alaska.

Steiner seen as major advocate for marine environment

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:10:36 AKST

[ Wherever oil spills pose danger to marine life, whether in Alaska or other far-flung parts on Earth, chances are good Rick Steiner will be called in to help.

Air traffic controllers seek new hires to fill staffing gap

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 11:10:19 AKST

[ For months now, the shortage of air traffic controllers has forced Fairbanks International Airport to shut down its tower for several hours at night and rely on controllers in Anchorage to coordinate air traffic to and from the Interior city.

U.S. House passes Coast Guard bill with key Alaska provisions

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:34:10 AKST

[ The federal Coast Guard Authorization bill, H.R. 3619, has passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives. Several provisions championed by Rep. Don Young, including the Arctic Marine Shipping Assessment Implementation bill, have been included in the authorization measure.

Alaska's 2010 Top Forty Under 40 named

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:35:56 AKST

[ The Anchorage Chamber of Commerce and the Alaska Journal of Commerce announce the following "Alaska's Top Forty Under 40" award recipients.

US reps worry ocean policy will block development

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:01:45 AKST

[Dozens of U.S. representatives sent a letter Oct. 26 to the head of the President's Interagency Ocean Policy Task Force with concerns that the policy will block offshore energy development and cost jobs.

More than 200,000 miles proposed for polar bear habitat

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:36:06 AKST

[ Obama administration officials have proposed designating more than 200,000 square miles, mostly off the coast of Alaska, as critical habitat for polar bears, a move than could restrict future offshore exploration for oil and gas in the Arctic.

Alaskans await progress on Palin's gas pipeline plan

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:59:36 AKST

[ Sarah Palin hit the vice presidential campaign trail last year and touted what Alaska could provide for the rest of America a natural gas pipeline to help lead the country to energy independence.

Alaska's credit unions grow markets despite recession

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:00:33 AKST

[ Alaska's credit unions are growing their business, even forging into new territory, despite a cautious economy still reeling from a recession during the past year.

Allen sentenced

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 11:01:45 AKST

[Bill Allen, former chief executive of Veco Corp. leaves federal court Oct. 28 in Anchorage after he was sentenced to three years in prison and fined $750,000 for bribery and conspiracy.

Jobless rate in Alaska seems stable

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:24:49 AKST

[ Alaska is in much better shape in terms of employment and unemployment than many other states, the state Department of Labor and Workforce Development says.

Judge clears way for lawsuit disputing mining aspects in Bristol Bay land use plan

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:24:33 AKST

[ A Dillingham judge has denied state motions to dismiss seven of eight arguments challenging a land use plan that would allow for development of the Pebble mine in Southwest Alaska.

ATCO, builder of 1970s pipeline camps, back in Alaska

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:24:30 AKST

[A Canadian company that made its mark in Alaska during the oil pipeline construction days with its utilitarian, sturdy camp structures, has opened an office in Anchorage, an effort by ATCO Structures and Logistics to re-establish its marketing presence in the state.

Business owners struggle with insurance needs, costs

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:37:29 AKST

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Downtown Anchorage pub owner Daniel Zivanich is quick to acknowledge that he pays more than $10,000 a month for health insurance for his 16 employees, and that's the way he thinks it should be.

Alaska seeds included in Kew Gardens Millennium Seed Bank

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:41:41 AKST

[Alaska's wild plant seeds, collected by federal employees and the Alaska Natural Heritage Program, are among the growing number of seed samples now included in the Kew Garden Millennium Seed Bank Program, southwest of London, England.

Teck expects EPA to approve new mining at Red Dog

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 12:02:28 AKST

[ Teck Alaska Inc. says it expects approvals from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Nov. 9 to develop a new mining area at the company's Red Dog Mine in Northwest Alaska.

2009 Best places to work in Alaska

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 13:05:15 AKST

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Businesses hit with major hike in health plan costs

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:58:37 AKST

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Health insurance rates in Alaska just keep on climbing, and so, for that matter, do the number of uninsured Alaskans.

Federal agency gives Shell OK to drill in Beaufort Sea

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 11:24:59 AKST

[ The U.S. Minerals Management Service on Oct. 19 gave conditional approval to plans by Shell Offshore Inc. to drill two exploration wells in 2010 on two outer continental shelf leases in Alaska's Beaufort Sea.