Anchorage Republican Sen. Cathy Giessel said, “I believe we have come to an agreement. We’re still working out details, but I feel very optimistic.”
Southcentral
Special session nears end without public progress on oil taxes
Senators want to allow companies to use losses to reduce the taxes they’ll have to pay in the future.
Facing global gas glut, ConocoPhillips to mothball Kenai LNG plant
ConocoPhillips hasn’t found a buyer for its liquefied natural gas plant on the Kenai Peninsula. Now, a company spokesperson said it’s going to save expenses by mothballing the facility this fall.
Far apart politically and geographically, lawmakers talk oil and gas taxes
Most senators met in Juneau for a floor session for the first time since the Legislature passed the budget on June 22. But most House majority members were out of town.
Enstar Natural Gas asks for permission to boost residential rates
Southcentral Alaska’s only gas supplier wants to boost residential bills by 4.6 percent to pay for mostly infrastructure investments.
Murkowski speaks with constituents about health care during Senate recess
Wrangell got some national attention on the Fourth of July, but it wasn’t for its parade.. It was because of a visit from U.S. Senate Lisa Murkowski. She was one of just four of the Senate’s 52 Republicans to make a public appearance during the national holiday. Longtime Alaska journalist Julia O’Malley covered Murkowski’s Wrangell…
New Anchorage power plant improves efficiency and reliability, increases rates
Municipal Light and Power estimates that the efficiency improvements will reduce fuel costs by more than $8 million annually. The Regulatory Commission of Alaska approved an interim rate increase to offset the cost of the new plant.
Alaska mom snaps cellphone pics of Obama carrying her baby
An Alaska mother is cherishing cellphone photos of her wide-eyed 6-month-old baby in the arms of former President Barack Obama. Jolene Jackinsky says she was looking for an airline at Anchorage International Airport on Monday when she ended up in a waiting area for private flights where a man she thought looked like Obama was…
Prescription for orphan walrus calf: touch, massage, cuddle, repeat
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A walrus calf found last month outside Nome, Alaska, is being nursed to health with the help of 24-hour massage therapy. A spokeswoman for the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward says the center’s recuperation plan for the walrus includes touching, massaging and cuddling. Jennifer Gibbins says walrus spend two years with…
Alaska Legislature has nothing to show for two weeks after budget
Gov. Bill Walker asked lawmakers to consider a bill changing oil and gas taxes shortly after the budget vote, but they still decided to leave.