Statements made recently by members of Alaska's oil industry run contrary to state assessments released this week suggesting industry spending is holding steady on the North Slope.

ConocoPhillips spokespeople have said the company will curtail all new exploration in Alaska this year. John Minge, president of BP Exploration (Alaska), told the Resource Development Council (RDC) in November to expect a 15 percent cut in BP's capital spending, from more than $1 billion in 2009 to about $850 million in 2010.

The two companies, along with Exxon Mobil Corp., are Alaska's three kings of oil production.

Gov. Sean Parnell on Thursday unveiled several proposed changes to the way the state taxes oil, hoping to spur additional investment and boost the economy through new jobs. At the same time, the Department of Revenue released an assessment of how the current tax structure, Alaska's Clear and Equitable Share (ACES), is working.

The report concluded that although two years isn't much time to fully evaluate a tax program, Alaska has taken more into its treasury during that time than it would have under the two prior tax plans.

BP spokesman Steve Rinehart said he hasn't seen the details of Parnell's proposal, but the company is glad the governor recognizes ACES needs to be changed.

Even though the Big Three run Alaska's oil production, the companies' operations here play into global investment decisions.

"The bottom line is it's more difficult to attract capital to Alaska because the risk/reward balance is disadvantaged against investment opportunities in other parts of the world," BP's Minge told the RDC in November. "Alaska has become more of a margin play as there is very little upside reward for price."

State Rep. Mike Hawker, an Anchorage Republican and co-chairman of the House Finance Committee, summed up the situation with a quote from an industry expert: "It's not enough to be economic - you also have to be competitive."

Others counter that as an owner-state, Alaska has to protect its assets and maximize its return on resource development.