Alaska

Fitch Ratings placed Alaska's AA-minus issuer default rating on Rating Watch Negative.

After eight oil-producing states recovered from the 2014 oil price collapse, they face another downturn, S&P Global Ratings said.

Facing loss of their tax-exemption under 2017 tax legislation, rural electric and utility cooperatives lobbied for language in the new federal spending bill.

A multiple-year recession and state leaders' failure to adequately address it led to the Fitch Ratings downgrade.

The multinational is selling its Alaska assets to Hilcorp Energy.

Issuers in the nine-state Far West region sold $34.6 billion of municipal bonds in 2019's first six months.

University of Alaska President Jim Jensen has six weeks to craft a plan to consolidate three universities.

Facing Gov. Mike Dunleavy's 40% cut in state funding, the regents passed a measure allowing it to lay off tenured professors and close campuses.

All of the nation's top producing states can look for a smoother ride in 2019, S&P analysts say.

If the budget passes as proposed, some municipalities would default on bonds, said the president of the Alaska Municipal League.