The one big mistake Alaska made was not keeping control over the taking of it's resources. When prices are low , stop selling until prices go back up. Pumping more profit into the coffers of the cartel that is exploiting the state at the expense of the Residents makes no sense at all. When they profit, so should Alaska. Why is that not the case. Could we have Legislators that fully intend to skim as much wealth from the state as they can ? Could it be that we have Oil Company employees making policy decisions for Alaska ? Could it be the " Secret Agreement " our Politicians had to sign a non-disclosure agreement in order to read the legal document between the Oil Cartel and the State Legislature ? Yes they intend to steal everything they can without regard for how they leave the state, but leave the state the will, once they believe they can no longer exploit the wealth for profit. They leave a toxic mess, and broken economy, and we pay for it.