Alaska gas project hailed by Palin still embryonic

[UpInArms]

Source: Reuters

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (Reuters) - A long-delayed natural gas pipeline championed by Gov. Sarah Palin that would carry supplies from Alaska to Canada and then to the lower 48 states exists in concept only and is years away from fruition.

The vice presidential hopeful, in her speech Wednesday to the Republican National Convention, said she fought to bring about "the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North American history" to bolster America's energy security.

"And when that deal was struck, we began a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence," Palin said.

But plans for the pipeline that would ship gas from Alaska's North Slope -- a project envisioned since the 1970s -- remain on the drawing board.

"No, it hasn't been started, and that's on the record," said Paul Laird, executive director of the Alaska Support Industry Alliance, an oil field service trade group.

<snip>

Palin's speech was the first time a $40 billion price tag had been floated. TransCanada has pegged the cost at $26 billion and state consultants have estimated $31 billion.

Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/bondsNews/idUSN0442286420080904?sp=true

---

When Reuters does a fact check on an "R", you know their in trouble.

[K8-EEE]

1. More self-agrandizing bullshit.

This woman is too much.

[tanyev]

2. Hey, if it's embryonic, it's alive.

[Miss Chybil]

3. Heard about this on Randy Rhodes earlier. How do you know a Republican is lying?

Do I really have to tell you?

[clear eye]

4. She rammed through a 1/2 $billion state subsidy for Cheney-backed

TransCanada as a no-bid contract w/o considering the proposals of the owners of the gas rights, BEFORE Congress has even approved the project or even completed environmental impact statements.

[harpboy_ak]

9. This is the ONE thing she has done right

Unless you live in Alaska and were following this issue for the past 2 years, you don't have a clue what you are talking about! I'm no Sara apologist, but she really did stand up for the State of Alaska on this one.

BP, Exxon Mobil, and Conoco Phillips have been sitting on Alaska natural gas since they started developing the Prudhoe Bay fields, waiting for the day when they could build their own pipeline and screw the State of Alaska with high tariffs for transporting the State's 1/8 share of the gas, just as they have done for years with the tariffs for the Alaska oil line. The industry has refused for many years to develop a gas line unless the State lowers oil production taxes and locks those taxes in place for at least 20 years, which the Alaska public, a majority of legislators in both parties, and Palin don't want.

They don't want to develop the gas now because they make much more by importing oil from overseas instead. State officials who have been seeing oil revenues decline as the output from Prudhoe drops (and as Exxon Mobil refuses to develop other proven Alaska fields for which they hold leases) want to get Alaskan gas to market while the demand for it is still strong. It was a coalition of legislative Dems and rebel Repugs voting against the party mainstream, along with Palin, who worked very hard to get the best deal they could to get Alaska gas to market. The industry only came up with their proposal, which doesn't meet many of the State criteria (including the right for the State to invest in the line), after the AGIA law was passed.

And it wasn't a "no-bid contract". TransAlaska was the only company submitting a bid that was responsive to the state's criteria, and it was approved by the Alaska Legislature, not just Palin.

This really is the ONE thing she has done right while Governor. The only folks that are complaining about it are working for Big Awl.

There are plenty of other things she can be attacked on, so use them. Please.

[clear eye]

10. Interesting, but

there are a couple of things in your reply I still don't understand. One is, how do we know that TransCanada won't charge as much as BP et. al to transport the gas? I mean, even if it is not called a tariff, the fees could be as or more expensive, couldn't they? Second, what do you mean by "while the demand for it is still strong"? Even with the most agressive supports for conservation and alternative energy, no one predicts weakening demand for fossil fuels. Our population continues to expand, and we currently obtain less than 1% of our energy from sustainable sources. It takes ~15 years for nuclear plants to produce a net increase in energy from the time construction is begun, and there is tremendous opposition to them in every locality. Thirdly, why would Alaska want to have the "right" to invest taxpayer dollars into the project? Unless you can give me clearer information, it sounds like the typical exhorbitant Cheney-connected extortion plan to me.

Are you aware that Cheney has been going around globally using his enormous influence to steer oil and gas transport rights to his preferred companies? He has succeeded in Iraq and is working on ex-Soviet Georgia.

[Thor_MN]

5. She cares about it because it is embryonic. Once it hits go live, she won't give a shit

[Nambe]

6. Oil industry agent? She named her dog AGIA

http://gov.state.ak.us/agia/ Is the VP nod payback from the RNC handlers for her dedication to this project. Taxpayers will throw in 300 million dollars matching the contractors bid.

[mcollier]

7. Not another

professional liar and special interest, big oil ass kisser....

Business as usual from the GOP...

[Plucketeer]

8. And a personal space ship

in every garage! Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa :puke: