oil and gas

BP has operated in Alaska for over half a century and has long had a hand in running the state’s biggest oilfield, Prudhoe Bay. The oil company’s plans to exit the state has left hundreds of workers like McFarland in limbo.

If you don't work for an oil company, you might be wondering: Why should I care? And why does this matter? We asked and answered some of the big questions.

Listen Now:On this week's Alaska Edition we discuss energy in Alaska, where bush residents have not seen prices drop for gasoline or diesel fuel, even though gas is a little more than $2 a gallon in Anchorage.

Federal regulators are recommending that Shell’s disputed oil leases in the Chukchi Sea be left intact. That’s the conclusion of a new assessment of Lease Sale 193 – the 2008 auction where Shell picked more than $2 billion worth of Arctic drilling prospects.Download Audio

Soon after Alaska became a state, nearly 50 years ago, Exxon Mobil began buying leases at Pt. Thomson on the eastern side of the North Slope. Now, after a seven year legal battle with the state, they are starting to develop the area.

00000192-9ca3-dda9-a1f3-defb12720000There are over 10,000 registered lobbyists in Washington, DC. By contrast, Juneau barely breaks the hundred mark. But even though they're a small tribe, they still wield plenty of influence in the state capitol.Download Audio

The speaker of the State House does not have encouraging news on prospects for an Alaska gas pipeline.