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Fairbanks gets ready for military population influx North Pole, near Fairbanks, is seeing a sharp increase in local residential and commercial construction in anticipation of new military personnel arriving at nearby Eielson Air Force Base supporting two F-35 interceptor squadrons to be based there. North Pole city officials have issued 30 residential building permits this year, twice the normal number. One new local subdivision, Eagle Estates, will add 39 new units bringing it up to a total of 65 homes….

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Alaska’s Permanent Fund gained 10.74 percent in Fiscal Year 2018, which ended June 30. Assets totalled $64.894 billion in value as of that date. The gain exceeded the Fund Trustees’objectives of 7.87 percent and a benchmark of 8.2 percent gain by a peer group of endowment-type funds.

Anchorage’s housing starts will drop to 440 in 2018, down from 532 in 2017. Building permit values in Anchorage are down,  too, which mainly reflects the slowdown in public, mainly state-funded, construction, an effect of lean state capital budgets. AEDC’s estimate for 2018 is $380 million in permit values, down from $422 million in 2017 and $549 million in 2015, the year oil prices dropped, and the recession began. Residential permit values are holding steady, however, and there are number…

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A deeper dig into the consumer index, however, shows there is still caution, with a 52.3 percent score for confidence in the present Anchorage economy and 54.2 per-cent in expectations that things will improve. The trend in expectation for the future is important, Popp said. “Last year at this time it was at 38,” he said. What drives up the overall score, which is a composite, is that consumers’ sense of their own finances was at 68.1, “the best it…

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Survey shows an uptick in consumer confidence The recession is still dragging employment down in Anchorage but job losses are slowing, and conventional wisdom among economists is that things will stabilize in 2019 and jobs will start to increase, slowly, in 2020. Anchorage Economic Develop-ment Corp. predicts a 0.5 percent employment gain in 2020 in the city, based on work by McDowell Group, a consulting firm. AEDC released its three-year forecast July 25. What was interesting in AEDC’s presentation, at…

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In this Issue: State government Fiscal plan is signed – now comes the hard part Minerals Pebble changes its mine plan Energy DOE new energy tech grants Deal signed on Fairbanks LNG Transportation Bering Sea traffic rules agreed Health care Health plan consolidation talks Petroleum State gas corporation says it has sufficient funds to get to FID Gas corporation asks AIDEA for financing, and is rebuffed Is this why legislators are wary of AGDC? Doyon now drilling Nenana well BLM…

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In this Issue: NGO investor lobbying appears to pay on Pebble ANWR lease sale could come as early as July, 2019 Energy Siemens: LNG to Fairbanks Railbelt utilities, on coordination Minerals Pebble says it will replace First Quantum Minerals for mine Eielson’s Air Force expansion: Fairbanks wants guarantee on housing Business Intelligence New downtown Anchorage residential project underway GCI revenues hit by federal rural hospital cuts ACS revenues also dip, but consumer services income rises UAF selected to participate in…

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In this Issue: Still a deficit, and more to be done Legislature takes big step in closing fiscal gap Zinc prices drive up Red Dog Mine profits, and NANA royalties Energy Fairbanks EPA clean energy loans Low water slows Southeast hydro Report out from railbelt consultant Energy projects in state budget Economy Consumer confidence ticks up Infrastructure $87.2 million in IT upgrades Legislature snubs governor’s gas project Alaska LNG soliciting investors, needs lawmakers’ permission Business Intelligence Air carriers lay on…

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In this Issue: What has the dithering in Legislature cost us? The cost of fiscal uncertainty: Investment losses State’s recession drags on but job loss eases Transportation Alaska Railroad back in the black Fisheries 2018 will be a low year for salmon Tough year for Southeast charters Petroleum More oil discovered on North Slope DOI begins fast-track ANWR EIS Eni bullish; plans new investment Edison Chouest fleet arriving Steel tariffs won’t hit Ak LNG hard Health care SEARHC, Wrangell Medical…

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Ketchikan cruise dock expansion Ketchikan starts construction in October on a corrosion protection project as part of its cruise ship dock expansion. Berths 1 and 2 are being rebuilt to accommodate the new super-sized cruise ships coming to Southeast Alaska. The docks are to be done in time for the 2020 summer tourism season.   Wrangell harbor: Wrangell let a contract to Tamico RnR JV for a $8.3 million harbor renovation. PND Engineers received a $731,328 contract to provide engineering…

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