Energy

ConocoPhillips hasn’t confirmed a specific cause, but the oil company said it drilled through an area it didn’t expect to contain significant amounts of gas.

A proposed new electric reliability organization could improve coordination between utilities and make it easier for renewables to enter the grid, they say.

The Prince William Sound Regional Citizens’ Advisory Council said in a Monday letter that it has “become aware of serious safety and environmental concerns” related to the effort to remove snow from oil tanks at the Valdez Marine Terminal.

Heavy late winter snows ripped vents off several Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. tanks and caused emissions that state regulators say violated the Clean Air Act. Dozens of respirator-equipped workers are now scrambling to clear the pileup.

After the initial discovery of gas, ConocoPhillips says small amounts of gas have escaped from cracks in the surface and at seven wells at the CD1 drill site.

Caroline Schultz previously worked as an official in Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s Office of Management and Budget.

The company continues reporting no danger to the employees and the neighboring village of Nuiqsut, but the cause of the leak has not been determined.

Oil Search, the company advancing the $3 billion Pikka development, says the project is being held hostage by Conoco’s demand for tens of millions of dollars a year for road access through Conoco’s state leases.

ConocoPhillips has evacuated about 300 non-essential personnel. Over 20 families have also left the nearby village of Nuiqsut, according to its mayor.

The leak was detected early Friday at the drill site CD1, 8 miles north of the village of Nuiqsut.

EPA determined Hilcorp did not promptly repair leaks of methane and volatile organic compounds, failed to inspect for leaks at a new facility and did not accurately report leak inspections and repairs.

The state recently issued a preliminary finding in favor of exploration in a vast area largely west and northwest of Willow. Like before, this new effort is stirring strong emotions in the region.

A faster rebound in global oil demand than many analysts predicted has helped put some producers on equal or better financial footing than they had pre-pandemic.

Brigham McCown left Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. on Monday, the company said. No reason was given for his departure.

The state’s economic development corporation, which holds the suspended oil leases, already has lawyers working on the case. Now Gov. Dunleavy’s administration has hired its own attorneys at more than $500 an hour.

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority said about $24 million in securities issued by banks such as Bank of America can be sold and reinvested elsewhere.

The hearing and subsequent order came nearly five years after the leak because former AOGCC Chair and state Sen. Hollis French had to take the case to the Alaska Supreme Court to get his day in front of the commission.

Concerns about the impact of the omicron variant of the coronavirus have eased, global stockpiles are shrinking and unrest in the Middle East is back on the radar.

The plan approved under Trump made a total of about 18.5 million acres on the western North Slope open to oil and gas development. The plan approved in 2013 under the Obama administration opened just more than 11.7 million acres.

The Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission expressed concerns about the company’s record and behavior, saying in one order that it exhibited a ‘lack of good faith’ in its compliance efforts.