BRADNERS' ALASKA LEGISLATIVE DIGEST

Pebble EIS now mid-February The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers said the release date of the Draft Environmental Impact Statement for the big Pebble copper/gold/molybdenum mine was pushed back from late January to mid-February. The DEIS is an important federal regulatory step for Pebble. Meanwhile, Pebble Partnership, the development company, has set out its best estimates for the number and types of operations jobs if Pebble is developed: Estimated direct and contract jobs Mine 290 Process plant 240 Support operations…

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New co-gen, wind for Fairbanks? Golden Valley Electric Association, Interior Alaska’s power utility, is looking at a proposal from Eco Green Generation of Monument, CO, an independent power producer, to generate 55 megawatts of power for GVEA. EGG proposes to add 11 cogeneration units in the Fairbanks area, each unit producing five megawatts using liquefied natural gas or propane. The units would be near large commercial buildings to allow waste heat to be used by the buildings. The proposal includes…

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Prudhoe output dips 10,000 b/d Prudhoe Bay field production dipped in 2018 but overall North Slope production held generally stable, state officials told legislators in briefings. Total slope production averaged 501,569 barrels per day for the July-through-November period down slightly from 502,8995 barrels/day that had been forecast. For the previous 12 months of Fiscal Year 2018, production averaged 520,037 b/d, down from 527,912 b/d for the previous 12-month period of Fiscal Year 2017. Prudhoe Bay experienced a 10,000 barrels/day reduction…

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Anchorage feels sticker shock with new $2 billion port repair cost Anchorage officials are feeling sticker shock over the estimated doubling of repair costs at the Port of Alaska, from about $1 billion to $2 billion. The new figure is an extrapolation of a revised, more detailed, estimate of a phase one of the project, which increased from $124 million to $223 million. Phase one is a new petroleum and cement terminal. Higher phase one costs, when analyzed, were then…

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The state Legislature convened on Jan. 15 on schedule but the body is only partly functional because the state House is mired in a 20-20 stalemate between Republicans and 16 Democrats aligned with two Republicans and an independent, and one Republican refusing so far to join either faction. Without one group or the other having 21 votes, or ideally more to assure a margin of control, the House cannot elect a Speaker and do ordinary legislative business. The Senate is…

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Gov. Mike Dunleavy has initiated a “full project review” of Alaska LNG, the state-led major gas project, a spokesman for the Alaska Gasline Development Corp. told us. “We will complete the Alaska LNG project permitting process with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC), continue commercial negotiations with potential customers, and seek private sector partners to help advance the project and share in the risk,” AGDC said in an email. Meanwhile, sources reported that talks are underway between the state administration…

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Money to complete Nenana bridge The U.S. Department of Transportation approved a $9.1 million grant to the Nenana Native Association to complete a partly-built bridge across the Nenana River. This is strategic infrastructure because it opens up access to potential agricultural lands and areas with oil and gas potential west of the river. Nenana is 60 miles southwest of Fairbanks on the Parks Highway. The grant is through the 2018 federal Better Utilizing Investments to Leverage Development program, which works…

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New Arctic port, route study The U.S. Coast Guard will do a route and port ac- cess study along the Arctic coast, from the Canada border to the Seward Peninsula. This would be the first detailed assessment of potential vessel traffic and port needs to support navigation. The study was announced in the Federal Register on Dec. 21. It will take four years to complete. Bypass mail test program is off Postal officials cancelled a one-year pilot program that would…

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If Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s plan to “fully-fund” Permanent Fund dividends and to pay three years “underfunded”dividends is approved by the Legislature, the amount of dividends paid each year would total at least $2.4 billion yearly for three years. That compares to the roughly $1 billion to $1.2 billion paid out over the last three years. The future estimate assumes 600,000 Alaskans apply for and qualify percent, would be paid to the federal government in tax, and how much of the…

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Companies commit to new work, $322 million bond Donlin Gold has been given approval by its board to proceed with new geotechnical drilling to support a dam safety permit from the state of Alaska. The work involves 85 new drill holes to be done over several months. The authorization, which involves several million dollars, is important because it is a sign of confidence in the project by owners Barrick Gold and NovaGold Resources, who are 50-50 partners. In a related…

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