ADN by Nathaniel Herz.  A state-owned corporation voted unanimously Thursday afternoon to advance the proposed Alaska LNG gas line project for another year, though board members didn't say if Alaska had received long-sought guarantees from three oil company partners to make their gas available if they dropped out of the project. (See AGDC Release)


Marc Langland, retirement, Northrim Bank, Joe Beedle, Joe Schierhorn, Photo by Dave HarbourFriends, family and associates will join Marc Langland (NGP Photo) tonight to celebrate his over 25 years of service to Alaska as co-founder and Chairman of Northrim Bank.

Here is a wonderfully written story by DJ Summers of the Alaska Journal of Commerce:

We add our personal comment, taken from a note sent to a mutual friend today:

"In particular, I can remember visiting my friend, Jim Yarmon, who shared a small office with Marc nearly 30 years ago.  
 
Marc was carefully orchestrating the Herculean task, of organizing and receiving appropriate regulatory approvals for a new bank.  He was preparing for the post-recession economy beginning with the decade of the 90s.  
 
I can remember Marc's/Northrim's many important economic conferences. 
 
I can remember working with Marc's talented and dedicated leadership team over the years as past Chairman of the Alaska Council on Economic Education, Chairman of the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce and an active member of the Alaska Association of Energy Economists, Resource Development Council for Alaska, The United Way, The Alliance and the State Chamber.
 
There are not many Alaskans who have given so much as has Marc Langland.
 
He truly deserves induction into the ranks of "Alaska Pioneers" alongside the distinguished but exclusive list of other exceptional Alaskans.
 
Please pass on my best wishes to Marc and his trusted team for a grand, historical evening.  -dh

"Northrim BanCorp founder, chairman, and former president Marc Langland has announced his retirement at 74 years old, leaving a trail of pluck and forethought in the state’s darker moments that established the second largest Alaska-based bank with $1.5 billion in assets and reputation for service.

"Northrim BanCorp President and CEO Joe Beedle will take over as chairman of the board for both and Northrim BanCorp and Northrim Bank. Chief Operating Officer and Northrim Bank President Joe Schierhorn will fill Langland’s seat on both the Bancorp and Northrim Bank’s boards and take over as CEO of Northrim Bank….  Read more here.


Lisa Murkowski, Federal Government breaks Alaska statehood promises, Photo by Dave HarbourYesterday, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (NGP Photo), called for the federal government to live up to the promises made in the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA), legislation that was signed into law 35 years ago that has helped protect many of Alaska’s most treasured lands. (Video below)


“The 35th anniversary of ANILCA is an opportunity to examine how the law has – and has not – worked for Alaskans and all Americans. This is also a perfect moment to reassert that the law must be implemented as it was written, not as federal agencies wish it were written. And that means the federal government must honor rural preference, protect subsistence rights, provide Alaskans with access to our lands, and allow us to responsibly develop our resources,” said Murkowski, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee.

See our other resource links to the federal government's broken promises to Alaska!  -dh

ANILCA protected over 100 million acres of federal lands in Alaska, doubling the size of the country’s national park and refuge system, and tripling the amount of land designated as wilderness. Overall, the act designated roughly 57 million acres of Alaska as formal wilderness.

In exchange for withdrawing so much of Alaska, ANILCA included a lot of promises with respect to Alaska’s rights, to allow residents access to inholdings, and to provide continued use of federal lands for recreation, hunting, and the pursuit of economic prosperity. Unfortunately, Murkowski said, those promises have not been kept.  See the rest of the story and view other videos of Alaska leaders like Governor Bill Walker and Senator John Coghill….    


 

AGDC Release:

Late yesterday, the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation (AGDC) board of directors authorized its management team to vote to approve the 2016 Work Program and Budget for the Alaska LNG Project. AGDC holds the State of Alaska’s equity interest in the integrated liquefied natural gas export project following the state’s $64.6 million acquisition of TransCanada’s midstream interests in the project last month.

Today’s resolution directs AGDC to commit the state to its share of 2016 funding to continue preliminary front-end engineering and design on the $45-$65 billion project to commercialize Alaska’s North Slope natural gas resources. The world class project includes a liquefaction facility in Nikiski on the Kenai Peninsula, an 800-mile pipeline, in-state gas delivery points and a gas treatment plant on Alaska’s North Slope. The project will source gas from the existing Prudhoe Bay and Point Thomson fields.

“This is a monumental occasion for Alaska. Today’s vote is a clear indication of our commitment to get this project built”, said acting board Chairman Dave Cruz. “I want to thank the Governor, his administration, the Legislature, the AGDC team, and our amazing project partners for their hard work in getting us to this point.”

AGDC owns approximately 25% of the Alaska LNG project with partners BP, ConocoPhillips and ExxonMobil. The venture partners are expected to meet this afternoon to consider the project’s 2016 work program and budget. A unanimous vote of all participants is required to continue preliminary front-end engineering and design for the 2016 calendar year.