Consumer Energy Alliance (CEA) has extended invitations to the Republican Presidential candidates and to President Obama to be available via teleconference to speak directly with Alaskans.  CEA announced this morning that the first candidate to accept the invitation is Newt Gingrich.  Below are directions for calling in this morning!

 

 

Please join
Consumer Energy Alliance – Alaska
for  an
Alaska Tele-Townhall
on Energy & Natural Resource Development
with GOP Presidential Candidate
Former Speaker Newt Gingrich
TODAY, Wednesday, February 29th 9am AK/1pm ET
To participate, please call-in at 855-275-6398
No RSVP is required.

 
Comment:  Today, we had the opportunity to ask Speaker Gingrich for his view as to how federal oil and gas leases, once executed, could have a more certain outcome.  He replied that he wished to have advisory groups recommend solutions to such problems.   The speaker was online for about 30 minutes and addressed a number of questions from issues ranging from mining litigation to the Healy clean coal plant to the proper role of agencies like the EPA.   We hope to have an audio recording for you in tomorrow’s posting.  -dh

Juneau Empire by Pat Forgey.  If the Alaska Senate passes an oil tax reduction, as Gov. Sean Parnell has asked, it may have difficulty getting through the House of Representatives, House Democrats said Tuesday.

ADN/AP by Becky Bohrer.  Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell said the Senate’s work-in-progress proposal to cut oil taxes offers "no hope" for more investment and does nothing to stop the decline in oil production.

 Comment: Senate Resources Committee members continue a hearing begun last night to accept public testimony for Senate Bill 192, relating to oil and gas production tax values today and tomorrow.  The Alaska State Chamber of Commerce has provided all the details here.  See our comment, yesterday.  We watched much of the testimony last night ranging from NGP readers with actual knowledge of the business environment to several of the usual, provential, "It’s My Oil" citizens who, because they worked one time for an oil or gas related company, union or utility, believe they completely understand the economics of Alaska’s current challenges.  More tonight.  Please go to your local Legislative Information office by 6 p.m. to testify.  Here’s an interesting chart.  -dh
 

Greenwire: With full pipeline route in limbo, TransCanada set to build Okla.-to-Gulf link (pub: 2/27/12) **CEA is mentioned in article**
The company behind the controversial Keystone XL pipeline project announced this morning that it will break ground on the first leg of the project, a link between an oil storage hub in Oklahoma and Houston-area refineries. TransCanada Corp. said it will proceed with the southernmost stretch of the project, a pipeline that will connect the enormous crude oil storage hub of Cushing, Okla., to storage and refining centers along the Houston Ship Channel.
 
The Washington Post: A welcome move forward on Keystone XL project -THE PROPOSED KEYSTONE XL oil pipeline, which would cross the U.S.-Canada border and thus requires presidential approval, has been on hold since President Obama rejected it in January. But TransCanada, the pipeline’s would-be builder, announced Monday that it will build a segment, from Oklahoma to the Gulf of Mexico, that does not need presidential approval. The company also said it will reapply for permission to complete the rest of the line.
 
Reuters: Keystone XL: Obama’s Critics May Be Muffled By Pipeline Construction – A Canadian company’s decision on Monday to proceed with part of a U.S. pipeline might end up muffling one of the Republicans’ loudest arguments in this election year: that President Barack Obama has pursued failed energy policies. TransCanada Corp announced it intended to begin work on the southern leg of the $7 billion Keystone XL project, from Oklahoma to Texas, leaving for later another run at the more controversial, and complicated, northern segment.
 
The Atlantic: The Most Important Leg of Keystone XL Is Getting Built – From the perspective of the oil industry, the most important portion of the Keystone XL pipeline is about to get built. Yesterday, TransCanada Corp. announced that it would begin construction on the controversial pipeline’s 435-mile southern leg, which will move crude oil from the storage hub of Cushing, Oklahoma to refineries on the Gulf Coast. Unlike the northern portion of the pipeline, the lower section won’t require approval from the State Department, since it doesn’t cross any international borders.
 
UPI: Keystone XL lacks wetland review – There hasn’t been a study on the effects that part of the Keystone XL oil pipeline would have on southern wetland ecosystems, an advocacy group said. Canadian pipeline company TransCanada has announced an intention to build a section of its Keystone XL from Cushing, Okla., to the southern Texas coast.
 
The Street: Gas Prices? Under Obama, U.S. Is in Decline –  President Obama is worried about the effect that high gas prices will have on his re-election. It’s the old problem of pain at the pump having a knock-on effect at the ballot box. If American voters are keeping close tabs on what’s been going on in America, Obama won’t have to worry about collateral damage from high gas prices, because his re-election possibilities will be as promising as Jimmy Carter’s and for the same reason. The nation has been steadily declining on his watch.
 
CNN: What’s behind the gas price spike? – A combination of trouble with Iran, a recovering global economy, investor interest and a potential problem at refineries are all responsible for the recent spike in gasoline prices, experts say. The biggest reason gasoline prices are rising is because the cost of oil is rising — and oil accounts for 70% of the cost of a gallon of gasoline
 
The Hill: Gas prices to cost Obama (Op-ed) – I hate to quote the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, but the chickens have come home to roost for President Obama as higher oil and gasoline prices swamp his reelection bid. Count the chickens: Obama refused, until two months ago, to impose tough sanctions on Iran, increasing the likelihood of an Israeli attack. Already, speculation that such a strike might be in the offing is driving up oil prices.
 
The Houston Chronicle: Clinton wants tough SEC oil, gas disclosure rules – Secretary of State Hillary Clinton on Tuesday called on the Securities and Exchange Commission to “go as far as possible” with rules requiring certain oil, gas and mining companies to disclose payments to host nations. The rules, which were supposed to be made final in April 2011 but are still under consideration, would require oil, gas and mining companies listed with the SEC to disclose payments to host nations where they extract resources for commercial purposes.