Alaska Threatens Loss of Gas Field Rights for Delinquent Producer

The state of Alaska has issued a stern warning to BlueCrest Operating, a small Cook Inlet company, to move ahead quickly with natural gas production as the Anchorage region faces a critical gas shortage.

The Department of Natural Resources Commissioner John Crowther wrote in a letter that BlueCrest has not met its obligations to develop the Tyonek gas resource within the Cosmopolitan unit, north of Anchor Point.

Crowther stated that the time for delay has ended and that the company needs to provide financing verification to lead to drilling by April, which includes publicly affirming the status of financing and timeline for activity.

Benjy Johnson, president of BlueCrest Energy, said in an interview that the company is close to a solution that will see gas produced this winter.