Elizabeth Harball, Alaska's Energy Desk - Anchorage
Elizabeth Harball is a reporter with Alaska's Energy Desk, covering Alaska’s oil and gas industry and environmental policy. She is a contributor to the Energy Desk’s Midnight Oil podcast series. Before moving to Alaska in 2016, Harball worked at E&E News in Washington, D.C., where she covered federal and state climate change policy. Originally from Kalispell, Montana, Harball is a graduate of Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
Alaska’s congressional leaders renew push to allow ANWR drilling
U.S. senators Lisa Murkowski and Dan Sullivan introduced a bill Thursday to open up a portion of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas drilling. Listen now
TAPS kicks off 40th year with a little more oil than expected
For the first time in over a decade, the operator of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System announced a year-over-year increase in the amount of oil moving through the pipeline. Listen now
Freezing temps mean it’s time to clean the legacy wells on the North Slope
As the cold winter months hit the North Slope, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is heading back out to plug four old wells in the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska. The agency hopes the process goes more smoothly this time around. Listen Now
Oil industry prepares to fight to keep tax credits alive in 2017
When Governor Bill Walker released his state budget last week, the phrase “oil and gas tax credits” was notably absent from the announcement. But that doesn’t mean it won’t be a hot topic this year.Lawmakers in the new House majority coalition say the current oil and gas tax credit structure is unsustainable, and they're working on a bill to change it. Listen Now
Fracking in Alaska: Who should weigh in?
The state agency that oversees oil and gas drilling held a hearing Thursday, Dec. 15 on whether more public input is needed when a company wants to start hydraulic fracturing in Alaska. Environmental groups say this would allow more transparency, while the industry argues there are already enough rules to make sure hydraulic fracturing is safe. It’s up to the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission (AOGCC) to decide who is right.
Oil and gas companies snap up North Slope leases on state and federal lands
State and federal oil and gas lease sales held Dec. 14 in Anchorage saw an unexpected surge of interest in the North Slope. Listen Now
Washington congresswoman will likely lead Trump’s Interior Department
Multiple national news outlets are reporting President-elect Donald Trump is set to pick Cathy McMorris Rodgers, a Republican congresswoman from Washington state to lead the Department of Interior. She’s seen as friendly to industry, drawing criticism from some environmentalists. But others think she’s a relatively moderate pick. Listen Now
How much oil is really in ANWR?
The coastal plain of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ranks as one of the most controversial chunks of land in Alaska. Since Congress set it aside for more study in 1980, environmental groups, politicians and the industry have battled over whether to explore for oil there or to protect the wilderness forever. Listen Now
Alaska leaders seek to avoid fight over oil taxes
Alaska’s leaders are getting ready for tough negotiations over how the state will deal with its multi-billion-dollar budget hole. How much the oil and gas industry should help fill that hole will be an especially controversial question for the legislature this session. Listen Now
Armstrong Oil and Gas has high hopes for another North Slope find this winter
As the amount of oil flowing through the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System declines, big new finds on the North Slope are kindling a lot of excitement in Alaska. Speaking at a recent conference in Anchorage, Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Andy Mack called out one find in particular. Listen Now
One Alaskan’s quest to transform how we clean up oil spills
Cleaning up after a major oil spill is a huge challenge. For example, after the BP Deepwater Horizon disaster, the federal government estimates responders recovered only about a quarter of the nearly 5 billion barrels of oil released. Listen Now
ConocoPhillips puts historic Kenai LNG plant up for sale
ConocoPhillips is looking to leave the natural gas business in Cook Inlet The Houston-based company said Thursday its putting its Kenai LNG plant up for sale. Listen Now
Alaska Native corporation acquires oil and gas leases in Arctic waters
The Alaska Native corporation representing the North Slope has bought two federal leases in the Beaufort sea formerly owned by Shell. That gives the Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, or ASRC, the right to explore for oil and gas in the Arctic Ocean, which has historically been controversial in the region. Listen Now
Dakota Access pipeline protesters march in Anchorage
Alaskans joined protesters around the country Tuesday staging demonstrations against the Dakota Access pipeline project, including two in Anchorage. Listen Now
About 120 to leave gas line team as state takes charge of project
At a meeting of the state Gasline Development Corporation board today, corporation Vice President Frank Richards said staff are winding up the project’s first phase, which includes early design and engineering work — called preliminary front-end engineering and design, or pre-FEED. Listen Now
Could a Trump presidency impact Alaska resource development?
Now that Donald Trump is set to take over the White House, big changes could be coming for Alaska's oil and gas industry. But even though Trump will see Alaska through a very different lens than Obama, a 180-degree policy shift isn't likely to happen soon.
Alaska’s top oil companies adjusting to low prices
The big three oil majors that operate in Alaska — BP, ConocoPhillips and Exxon Mobil Corp. — all released third quarter earnings results in the past week. Listen Now
Anchorage Senate race pits labor leader against staunch industry supporter
The Anchorage race between Republican Cathy Giessel and Independent Vince Beltrami could help determine the balance of power in the state Senate — and how Alaska takes on its fiscal crisis. Listen Now
For Caelus CEO, North Slope ‘big find’ wouldn’t be the first
In a shallow bay off Alaska’s North Slope, Caelus Energy may have made the biggest oil discovery the world has seen since 2010. If developed, the field could have a major impact on Alaska’s economy and the global oil market. But that’s a big “if” — there are plenty of obstacles to overcome. Listen Now
AGDC board asks president tough questions about gasline’s future
The Alaska Gasline Development Corporation met today in Kenai for an update on the state’s progress taking over the gas line project. AGDC president Keith Meyer said the transition should wrap up by the end of the year. Listen Now