Commonwealth North is proud to welcome U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski to give us an update on the latest news from Washington, D.C., and an analysis of the implications of the November elections for Alaska.
Senator Murkowski is the Chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee and also serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee, where she is the Chairman of the Interior and Environment Subcommittee. Senator Murkowski is a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee – the first Alaskan to serve on that panel – and also is a senior member of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee.
November 2nd Morris Communications 301 Arctic Slope Avenue 8am-9am
We will continue our discussion of the Permanent Fund and potential report recommendations. We will be joined by Craig Richards, Chairman of the Alaska Permanent Fund Board of Trustees, and former Alaska Attorney General.
If you have not yet done so, I recommend reviewing the following links that have been the subject of our recent meetings.
Co-chair Eric Wohlforth and study group member Brian Hove previously circulated memos to the group exploring several discussion points regarding the Permanent Fund. We will discuss them in detail at tomorrow’s meeting. We will also discuss potential recommendations for a study group report and additional guest speakers the group may want to hear from.
Commonwealth North is proud to once again host the internationally award winning University of Alaska Anchorage Seawolf Debate Team. In past years, the Seawolf debate team has performed engaging and upbeat debates before the Commonwealth North membership and we are pleased to welcome the team back again this year to address another important public policy topic.
This year the team will debate both sides of the motion, “The State of Alaska should always prioritize renewable resources over non-renewable resources.” The debate will include controversial topics such as the Stand for Salmon ballot initiative, Pebble Mine, and others. In the traditional debate style, the audience will be invited to join in with the energy of the debate by cheering for the arguments that are particularly clever and effective. We will also poll the audience before and after the debate to gauge how the team’s arguments can sway public opinion. Join Commonwealth North and the UAA debate team for a rousing and fun afternoon of discussion and well-reasoned arguments.
Commonwealth north has long been an advocate of debate and public dialogue to address the vital public policy issues facing our state. Regularly hosting the University of Alaska Anchorage debate team is one way we encourage public policy discussions and also showcase the talent of some of Alaska’s future leaders.
Thank you to our program sponsor!
Table sponsorships available.
Contact the CWN office at (907) 276-9524 for details.
Also, at our last meeting, Ed King of King Economics met with us to discuss the Permanent Fund. He writes about meeting with CWN in his recent blog post below.
Fabian Wirnkar will give us an update on BP Alaska’s North Slope operations and plans to unlock 40 more years of oil and gas. He will also discuss BP Alaska’s major 2019 seismic plans and give us the latest on advancing Alaska’s LNG.
We will be ordering a variety of sandwich wraps and salad from PitaPit.
Alaska’s North Slope has seen a substantial uptick in investment in new oil and gas projects, and producers have announced several major new oil discoveries – one of which has the potential to be the second largest find in North America. ConocoPhillips, for example, has invested significantly in the North Slope calling 2018 the biggest drilling season in 15 years. According to a recent study by the London based analytics firm, IHS Markit, the North Slope’s crude output could increase by as much as a whopping 40 percent in the next eight years. This new activity would mean a substantial increase in oil moving into the Trans Alaska Pipeline, more jobs, and more revenue to the State in future years.
On Wednesday Commonwealth North will host a forum to discuss these new investments and discoveries on the North Slope and their potential impact on Alaska. The panel will include ConocoPhillips Alaska Vice President, Scott Jepsen, and Department of Commerce Commissioner, Mike Navarre.
Ed King, Principal of King Economics Group, will present his views on the Permanent Fund, the recent POMV legislation, and forecasting methodology. This program is a continuation of our series of study group meetings to understand the Permanent Fund in detail and consider making policy recommendations.
Co-chair Eric Wohlforth and study group member Brian Hove recently issued memos to the group exploring several discussion points regarding the Permanent Fund. I recommend reviewing them for Friday’s meeting.
Valerie Mertz, Chief Financial Officer at the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation, will join us from Juneau to present the Fund’s latest Financial History and Projections report, and help us understand how to interpret it. This program is a continuation of our series of study group meetings to understand the Permanent Fund in detail and consider making policy recommendations.
Angela Rodell will join us to discuss the Fund’s management, present the latest financial report, and answer our questions. This meeting is a continuation of our series of study group meetings to understand the Permanent Fund, and consider making policy recommendations.
