Houston Chronicle.  ConocoPhillips completed its first full year as an independent producer with a 74 percent hike in fourth-quarter earnings, driven largely by sales of overseas assets as the company turns its focus to North American shale.

(Here is the 2013 fourth quarter Alaska earnings review. “The fourth quarter of 2013 is similar to what we have seen historically under ACES where we pay about twice as much in taxes as we keep,” said Bob Heinrich, vice president finance, ConocoPhillips Alaska.  “The recent oil tax reform passed by the Legislature, which took full effect January 1, 2014, improves the business climate in Alaska.")

Journal of Commerce by Elwood Brehmer.  The agreement Dan Fauske, AGDC, Alaska Gasline Development Authority, LNG, Agrium, Photo by Dave HarbourGov. Sean Parnell’s administration signed for a large commercial liquefied natural gas project could have a major impact on the state’s separate push to develop a smaller gas project, Alaska Gasline Development Corp. President Dan Fauske (NGP Photo) said during a Jan. 24 presentation.

Senate Bill 138, which Parnell’s office introduced to the Legislature the same day, not only outlines the state’s share of an LNG export project with the “big three” North Slope producers and TransCanada, but would also terminate the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act license the state has had with TransCanada since 2009. Ending AGIA would lift the 500 million cubic feet per day transport limit on Alaska Stand Alone Pipeline that AGDC is working on, Fauske said.