Business in brief

Glacier Bay National Park recently awarded 10-year concession contracts to four cruise ship companies that will cover bay cruises from 2010 to 2019. Up to 153 cruises will be allowed in the bay during the peak season, with no more than two per day. An additional 92 ships will be allowed to enter the bay in May and September.

The Park Service said Princess Cruises submitted the best proposal of the six companies that competed for contracts and will receive 58 trips. The company proposed using turbine engines, low-sulfur fuel, zero water pollution discharges in the bay, a whale-strike avoidance program, an improved passenger education program and an increased franchise fee. The remaining contracts were awarded to Holland America Line, Cruise West and Norwegian Cruise Line. Disney Cruise Line submitted a proposal but later withdrew from the competition, park officials said.

Unocal seeks 57 percent rate increase

Unocal Pipeline Co. is asking state regulators to approve a 57 percent increase to the rate it charges for shipping oil down the trans-Alaska oil pipeline to markets within the state, according to Petroleum News. The request comes after Unocal withdrew an initial request to double the rate for sending oil to Alaska refineries.

Unocal wants the new rate to start on Feb. 1. It would raise the cost to ship a barrel of oil from the North Slope to North Pole to $1.97 from the current rate of $1.25. The rate to Valdez would jump to about $3.04 from $1.96. Higher rates lower state revenue because this transportation cost is subtracted from the market cost of oil before calculating state taxes and royalty payments.

The Regulatory Commission of Alaska set the current intrastate rates in a 2002 decision that also set out a new formula for calculating rates, replacing one in use since 1986. Since that decision, the companies that own the pipeline have typically requested new rates every year using the old formula and have been rejected by the RCA every year.

This year marks the first time the owners have used the 2002 formula to calculate rates. Three of the other five pipeline owners also have requested a 57 percent hike. Unocal holds a 1.5 percent interest in the pipeline, the smallest share. The rate increase is worth $3 million extra to Unocal.

Tax refund possible for some Alaska workers

Alaska workers may be eligible for an unemployment tax refund if they worked for more than one employer during 2008, according to the state Department of Labor. Workers who paid more than $156.50 in unemployment taxes last year because they had jobs with more than one employer can apply for a refund for anything over that amount, said Click Bishop, state labor commissioner.

Refund request forms along with proof of earnings must be submitted by Dec. 31. Unemployment Insurance taxes paid by workers should be listed on workers' W-2 forms or on pay stubs. Workers can also contact their employers for the information.

The refund form is online at labor.state.ak.us/estax/forms/eerefund.pdf or can be obtained from the Juneau Tax Office at 1-907-465-2757 or 1-888-448-3527.

Extension of unemployment benefits possible

Up to 13 weeks of extended unemployment benefits are available to eligible workers, the state Labor Department said. The benefits extension was triggered by the unemployment rate topping 6.5 percent and, over the last three months, the rate being at least 10 percent higher than during the same period of last year or 2007, said Tom Nelson, state director of the Employment Security Division. Potentially eligible workers may file a claim online at https://myalaska.state.ak.us/home/app. The state also plans to notify potentially eligible workers by mail, Nelson said.

Craig firm wins 5-year contract with Navy

The Prince of Wales Tribal Enterprise Consortium has won a five-year-option prime contract under the Navy's SeaPort Enhanced program, the company said. SeaPort-e supports all commands within the Navy, and the contract could also involve limited support to other Defense Department agencies, said Greg Gould, POWTEC division manager for environmental and planning in Anchorage. "The kind of work is very broad but it encompasses items like environmental services, staff support, research and analysis, basically all different functional areas to support the Navy's mission," he said. The value of the contract will depend on the jobs done, and it likely will be in the millions over the life of the contract, he said.

POWTEC's team of subcontractors include Alion Science and Technology, Echota Technologies and DataLOGIC.

POWTEC is headquartered in Craig. It is owned by two federally recognized tribes: the Organized Village of Kasaan and the Craig Community Association. It provides technology, environmental and specialized services for commercial and government clients. The company also has offices in Anchorage, Juneau and Bremerton, Wash.