Alaskanomics

Video Clip: Marc Langland Urges Business Leaders to Take Action

In Part 6 of Marc Langland’s speech to the NFIB, Marc calls for change in our state policies and urges business leaders to learn about the issues and get involved.

Video Clip: Marc Langland on ACES Progressivity

In Part 5 of Marc Langland’s speech to the NFIB, Marc compares ACES progressivity to the federal personal income tax brackets, and shows that ACES makes Alaska one of the least attractive places in the world for the oil industry to invest.

Video Clip: Marc Langland on ACES, a “Crippling” State Tax

In Part 4 of Marc Langland’s speech to the NFIB, Marc outlines a number of serious concerns with ACES, Alaska’s new petroleum tax scheme, which Marc believes is designed to harvest as much money as possible for state government in the short term without regard for the long term harm it does to the economy.

Video Clip: Marc Langland on Out of Control State Budgets

In Part 3 of Marc Langland’s speech to the NFIB, Marc notes that Alaska’s state budget increased 96% from FY 2005 to FY 2012, the ever-higher oil prices required to balance that budget, and the critical need for a fiscal plan for Alaska.

Video Clip: Marc Langland on State Government’s Reliance on a Single Source of Revenue

In Part 2 of Marc Langland’s speech to the NFIB, Marc talks about Alaska’s flawed government policies; first, the State’s reliance on petroleum revenue to fund 90% of the State’s general fund budget.

Video Clip: Marc Langland on Petroleum’s Impact on Alaska’s Economy

Northrim Bank Chairman and CEO Marc Langland spoke to the Alaska Chapter of the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) on January 11, 2011. In Part 1 of this video series, Marc talks about the importance of the petroleum industry to Alaska’s economy and the critical need to increase oil production.

Anchorage Building Permits Continue to Decline in 2010; New Projects Slated for 2011

In a presentation to the Anchorage Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) on January 7, 2011, Brian Meissner of ECI/Hyer reviewed construction results for 2010. Total building permit values in Anchorage continued to decline from a peak of $800 million in 2006 to $386 million in 2010. Residential permit values grew 8% from 2009 to 2010, while commercial permit values were down 22%. Meissner identified a number of high-dollar private and public projects planned for 2011 and beyond, however, including more than $600 million in military projects and other health care, university, library and school projects throughout Alaska. Click here for Brian's presentation.

Sullivan: State's Number One Issue is Production Decline

In a presentation to Commonwealth North today, recently appointed Commissioner of Alaska's Department of Natural Resources, Dan Sullivan, said that the "number one issue" facing the State is the throughput decline in the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Sullivan stressed the importance of partnerships in resource development - with industry, communities, state and local governments and other stakeholders - but expressed frustration with federal government agencies that stand in the way.

Sullivan's other focus areas include providing more regulatory certainty and timely decisions, addressing the high cost of energy for many Alaskans, and reviewing concerns with access to state lands.

Sullivan asked DNR staff to assess Alaska's resources and found that in nearly every mineral and resource in the world, if Alaska were a country we would be in the top 10 for reserves. "The key is how we responsibly develop those resources," said Sullivan, who served under President George W. Bush as the U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy and Business Affairs. In that position, he worked on large scale global energy projects, and said that the Alaska gasline project "looks like a piece of cake" compared to some of those.

Sullivan summed up his remarks with words of optimism - "Fundamentally, Alaska's economic opportunities far and away outweigh the challenges; we are in an enviable position relative to other states and countries."