Personal

Point of Personal Privilege.  We mourn the loss and celebrate the life of our friend, mentor and sometimes protégé Frank Reed (NGP Photo).  More coming later today....  -dh

ADN by Flip Todd.  Frank Metcalf Reed, 99, who arrived as a babe-in-arms on the banks of Ship Creek in 1915, died Sunday, Jan. 22, at Providence Hospital after a sudden bout of pneumonia. He had probably lived in Anchorage longer than anyone, even serving his World War II enlistment as a naval liaison officer helping young seamen transiting the town on what is today Elmendorf Air Force Base.

ADN Op-Ed by Representatives Mike Chenault and Mike Hawker (NGP Photos-r).  We applaud Gov. Parnell for recognizing the potential for an Alaska gas pipeline project unlike any we have seen on the table, a hybrid of multiple plans committed Alaskans have worked on for many years. We believe this alignment -- of stakeholders, of goals, of work done to date -- is the elusive answer to Alaska gas.

We also commend the governor for acknowledging the tremendous value AGDC brings to this new, aligned process. Since the Legislature created AGDC almost two years ago, the organization has doggedly advanced an in-state line, delivering high-caliber work and meeting milestones laid out in a transparent, statutory framework. The momentum is strong.

Personal note: The Frontiersman featured a photo-story we provided which included photos.  Enjoy.  -dh
Fairbanks Daily News Miner: Matt Buxton A developing science might be key to extending the trans-Alaska pipeline's life
A fledgling technology that was presented to the Senate Resources Committee in Juneau on Wednesday might be the key that could more than double the commercially developable oil on the North Slope.
 
Tacoma News Tribune: Wesley Loy Alaska Supreme Court to hear Point Thompson case
"Here's a road map to a gas line in Alaska's interest: First, these companies need to agree to resolve the Point Thomson litigation," Parnell said. "If no settlement in the state's interest can be reached with all parties, the state will fight for Alaska's interests at the Alaska Supreme Court hearing on Feb. 8 in Anchorage."
 
NY Daily News: Robert Bryce How fracking lies triumphed
Amid the ongoing battle in New York and elsewhere over hydraulic fracturing, one thing has become clear: The pro-drilling side is losing the public relations fight.
 
Canada Free Press: Duggan Flanakin and Redmond Weissenberger Keystone Kops halt US-Canada pipeline, and target another
“The rationales for rejecting the project are nothing but dissembling, red herrings and hot air,” CFACT policy advisor Paul Driessen commented. “They are as credible as a Keystone Kops movie.”
 
Digital Journal: Kessavan Unnikrishnan Rare Arctic seal spotted lounging on Seattle Dock
White ribbon seal, a seasonally ice-bound species, lives mostly in the northern waters off Alaska and Russia. Biologists say that there has never been a recorded sighting south of the Aleutian Islands except for a ribbon seal found on a beach just 200 miles north of Los Angeles in 1962.  (Comment:  a cold water seal showing up in Seattle is not an indicator of a warming Arctic - AG) 

Personal:  Jack Power's (NGP Photo) family and friends will meet together next week; we encourage his large extended group of family and friends, customers and acquaintances to come:

Monday, visitation, Evergreen Memorial, Downtown, 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Tuesday, service and visitation, 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

Tuesday, Celebration of Jack Powers' life, Tudor Bingo Hall, 4 p.m., POTLUCK, with beverages provided.
Anchorage Daily News: Becky Bohrer Senate should make own tax bill, president says - Senate President Gary Stevens said Tuesday that he would like the Senate to come up with its own bill on oil production taxes, adding a new twist to what was already expected to be one of the biggest legislative debates of this session.
 
Edmonton Journal: Dan Healing Pembina Pipeline-Provident Energy deal to serve growth in natural gas liquids production - The takeover of Provident Energy Ltd. by Pembina Pipeline Corp. creates a company with the "scale and scope" to serve Western Canada's rapid growth in natural gas liquids production, the CEOs said Monday.  
 
Fairbanks Daily News Miner: Jeff Richardson Fairbanks North Star Borough to pursue money for gas distribution network - The Fairbanks North Star Borough hopes to pursue state funding for a local natural gas distribution network in the months ahead, part of a push for infrastructure that officials view as a key step toward lowering energy costs in the Interior.
 
Reuters: Norway says Arctic gas pipeline could open by 2020 - A pipeline extension of 1,000 kilometres (621 miles) to bring natural gas to European markets from Norway's Arctic waters could be built in eight years at a cost of more than $4 billion, pipeline operator Gassco said on Tuesday.
 
Anchorage Daily News: Lisa Demer Petitions for vote on coastal management delivered to state
Leaders of an effort to resurrect a program intended to give the state and local communities a strong voice in coastal development rushed Tuesday to deliver petitions to the state Division of Elections so their initiative can appear on the August statewide ballot.

Calgary Herald by Rebecca Penty.  As the final hours of public hearings on one of North America's largest energy projects were set to begin, Russ Girling was taking in a bird's-eye view of his company's planned megapipeline route through a key battleground - Nebraska.  Having ditched his suit and tie for work boots after meetings in Washington over the $7-billion, 2,700-kilometre cross-border Keystone XL, the TransCanada Corp. CEO tracked the pipeline's right-of-way over the state 30 metres up in a helicopter.

ADN by Sean Cockerham.  A new report from the University of Alaska Anchorage says the transition to a "post-Prudhoe economy" will be the biggest challenge for Alaska over the next decade, a warning that comes as the state's politicians bicker over what to do about oil taxes and a natural gas pipeline.  The report by UAA's Institute of Social and Economic Research (download PDF here) says the dollars coming to the state treasury as a result of high oil prices have masked the long decline in Alaska oil production and given the state a reprieve to find a solution. The report found reason for optimism: Alaska still has great potential in petroleum resources and, if high oil prices hold, the state could collect many billions more in oil revenues "before the conventional reserves on state lands are used up."  ...  "But any number of roadblocks could derail a smooth transition. We all have a natural tendency to avoid decisions that require sacrifice in the near term to achieve a longer term goal," concluded ISER economist Scott Goldsmith (NGP Photo- above-left), who wrote the report.  ...   This comes as the rhetoric among politicians over oil taxes is ratcheting up. Gov. Sean Parnell (NGP Photo-upper right) seems to take every opportunity to push his plan to slash state taxes on oil companies, saying it will make the state more competitive for investment.    ...  Rep. Les Gara (NGP Photo-r) argued the state could be doing more to encourage a natural gas pipeline to the Lower 48, through providing more loan guarantees or becoming a part owner of the pipeline to lower its tariff and make the project more economic. Oil production will also go up if companies are out exploring the North Slope for natural gas, he said.

Personal:  The ADN noted a story about Alaskan Arts Icon Dr. Robert Wilkins (NGP Photo-l) and honored your publisher by first illustrating the piece with his photo, and, second, by including a series of his event photos, here.

Today we take personal privilege to inform readers of a wonderful event tomorrow organized in support of Cancer survivors.  Organizers met last Friday, 9-16 to fine tune the plan. This 'dream team' included Shelley Romer (Alaska Cancer Care Alliance), Christina Anderson (Willow Environmental) and Michael Zoske (Art Services North). James Pepper Henry, of course, provides a career of accomplishment and a wonderful venue at a reasonable price ... and has already captured a place in America's history as one of the best Museum managers anywhere!  Facebook Reference With Photos.

This fashion show features cancer survivors on the catwalk, Anchorage Museum, tomorrow evening.  We have the honor of providing fashion photography services.  Come one come all...here's how!

 ...today we take a break.

We are honored to be providing photographic support and sponsorship to the Clare2Clare fashion show and fundraiser again this year.  There are a very few seats left, for interested, local readers.  Here is the program.

See a few of our photos from last year, here, and some of our attempts to capture the exceptional qualities of a highly accomplished artist, model and professional administrator, Kodiak born Alaska Native, LaRita Laktonen, here.

House Natural Resources Committee Chairman Doc Hastings (NGP Photo) released the following statement after the House passed the Endangered Species Act (ESA) amendment offered by Rep. Norm Dicks to the FY 2012 Interior Appropriations bill:

ADN by Curtis Tate.  Melting Arctic sea ice presents a wealth of new economic opportunities for the United States, but the nation can't take advantage of them until it joins an international treaty that has languished in the Senate, a panel of military and energy experts told a Senate subcommittee Wednesday.