LATEST: Democrats Berkowitz, French divided on oil taxes

From the Anchorage Daily News: The race for the Democratic nomination for governor is shaping up to be a fight over oil taxes, with state Sen. Hollis French saying Wednesday that his opponent, Ethan Berkowitz, wants to dump a hard won tax that brings the state billions of dollars and offers incentives for companies to find more oil.

When state drew ACES, success ensued

Two years have passed since the Legislature enacted Alaska’s Clear and Equitable Share (ACES), a new way to ensure Alaskans get our fair share of revenue from our oil. Today the benefits of this legislation are apparent. The Department of Revenue says that, since its inception, ACES has brought in an additional $4 billion over PPT. With this revenue, we have been able to forward-fund education, invest in renewable energy projects and fund home weatherization for Alaskans all around the state. In 2008, with record high oil prices, we were also able to save billions for a rainy day, which arrived a little sooner than many expected when oil prices plummeted later that year.