Alaska Journal of Commerce by Tim Bradner.  Just as things seemed to be going reasonably well for the large Alaska LNG Project, the $45 billion to $65 billion gas pipeline and liquefied natural gas initiative in which the state is a partner, Gov. Bill Walker may be throwing a wrench into the works.  More….

Houston Chronicle by Jennifer Dlouhy.  The Obama administration will decide soon whether to sign off on Shell's request for extra time to hunt for oil in Arctic waters, Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said Wednesday.

Without action, Shell's oil and gas leases in the Beaufort Sea will begin expiring in 2017, followed by its drilling rights in the nearby Chukchi Sea two years later.

The same fate awaits Chukchi Sea leases sold in 2008 to Statoil and ConocoPhillips, which have made similar appeals for more time, citing regulatory uncertainty and other obstacles.

"We are actively working with Shell and other leaseholders up there on their request for suspensions," Jewell said during a Senate Appropriations subcommittee hearing. "We will be resolving that relatively soon."  (Read more….)