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ANCHORAGE, Jan 27 (Reuters) - A rule change that will wring $150 million more in annual production taxes from oil fields ringing Prudhoe Bay will delay other important projects in the region, top officials from two of Alaska major oil producers said on Thursday.
The change, announced by Gov. Frank Murkowski in his state of the state address earlier this month, is "already having consequences on our investments," said Steve Marshall, president of BP's (BP.L: Quote, Profile, Research) Alaska company, BP Exploration (Alaska) Inc.
"BP and our partners at Prudhoe Bay have already been forced to withdraw an appraisal well that could have led to additional drilling and development work at Prudhoe," Marshall said at an annual conference held by the Alaska Support Industry Alliance, an organization of oil-field service companies.
That may force the company to shelve a $600 million-plus development project that would have significantly increased production in western Prudhoe Bay, Marshall added.
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