Alliance Members and Friends: 40 years ago, on Saturday, January 14, 1984, The Alliance held its first “Meet Alaska — A conference on plans and needs of Alaska’s mining & petroleum industries.” The event was held at the Sheraton Anchorage Hotel from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Rumor has it that Bloody Mary fixings were on every table! Nearly 600 leaders of government and industry in Alaska participated in the event. It was pronounced “a smashing success by speakers and registrants alike.” Gov. Bill Sheffield was scheduled to be the first speaker but was late arriving. That propelled Harold Heinze, then President of ARCO Alaska, to first position for his keynote address. Heinze predicted a surge in North Slope oil activity in the near term “provided that we have no surprises,” but he also predicted a downturn in production toward the end of the 1980s due to reduced exploration activity in recent years. That reduction, he said, has been due to the unavailability of potentially developable tracts of land. “Land managers — state and federal — because of pressure from small public interest groups, seem to want to limit industry to certain areas or to a few exploratory wells per private and government sectors.” It’s like déjà vu all over again! Roger Herrera, the Manager of Exploration/Lands for Sohio Alaska Petroleum Company, declared, “We’ve virtually exhausted exploration prospects within 30 miles of Pump Station 1 of TAPS and we have to find larger and larger fields as we get further and further from Prudhoe to make them economical,” and, “Always keep the element of luck in mind, after all, Prudhoe Bay was luck.” Board President Milton Byrd ended the day on a positive note: “We found here today a happy sense of what we’re all about — a happy sense of what our possibilities are — a happy sense that we ought to have about ourselves and our accomplishments in the past and in our potential for the future. And with that, we’re all ready for a drink. This meeting stands adjourned, sine die.” Thank you so much for joining us today for the 40th anniversary of Meet Alaska. I hope you find a happy sense here about our accomplishments in the past and our potential for the future. Thank you for joining us for our 40th anniversary Message From CEO Rebecca Logan Stay connected with us We are working proactively to keep our members informed and connected via online platforms and events. Watch for our updates through email and social media. And if you’re not receiving our updates, email cchambers@alaskaalliance.com. Stay up to date at AlaskaAlliance.com. Linking Alaska’s Resources to Alaska’s People 8 2024 Meet Alaska Conference & Trade Show
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