Alaska

Far West issuers sold $48.3 billion of municipal bonds in the first half of 2015, a 70% increase from the first six months of 2014 that was driven by refundings.

Standard & Poor’s put triple-A rated Alaska on negative outlook and warned that it might no longer warrant the highest rating if the state’s lawmakers fail to fix its structural budget imbalance.

Alaska and California issuers are among those at risk of downgrades after U.S. oil prices tumbled this week, Fitch Ratings said Tuesday.

CIVICVentures, an Alaska non-profit, is selling $90 million of tax-exempt refunding bonds next week on behalf of Anchorage.

The Environmental Protection Agency has given Alaska a temporary pass on the EPA's latest carbon emissions rules because of the state's unique energy infrastructure challenges, a decision praised by the governor.

The Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority is going to sell $67 million of bonds to refund debt it used to purchase a hydroelectric plant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

The Alaska legislature passed a budget that avoided a possible government shutdown next month, though the state still faces a major shortfall and will need to take action if oil revenues do not improve.

The Alaska Railroad Corp. received a one-notch downgrade to A from Standard & Poor’s on capital grant receipts bonds while Moody’s Investors Service affirmed its A3 rating ahead of plans to price $96.6 million on July 21.