Special session on gas line
March 28, 2008
Newsminer:
“Gov. Sarah Palin announced this morning she will hold a special legislative session in Juneau starting on June 3 to deal with the natural gas pipeline.
Palin also announced that her administration will present its decision on the TransCanada pipeline proposal to lawmakers the week of May 19. If the administration decides to go ahead with the TransCanada plan, the announcement in May will begin the 60-day review period allowed to lawmakers under the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act.”
TransCanada’s app rejected
February 3, 2008
Port Authority appeal rejected
January 30, 2008
The state on Wednesday turned down the Alaska Gasline Port Authority’s request to reconsider its gas pipeline proposal. But it will not rule out the prospects of an all-Alaska gas line and liquefied natural gas (LNG) option, which is what the authority sought in a proposal deemed incomplete by the state. Revenue Commissioner Pat Galvin and Natural Resources Commissioner Tom Irwin, both members of the governor’s gas line team, announced their decision during a news conference in Juneau.
The two then briefed both the Senate Resources Committee and House Republicans on pipeline progress. The port authority is a coalition of the Fairbanks North Star Borough, the city of Valdez and the North Slope Borough. It proposed an 806-mile pipeline from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. From there, the gas would be liquefied for transport on tankers. Gov. Sarah Palin rejected the authority’s plan among four others while touting a proposal by TransCanada as the only conforming application under the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act.
Read the full story at the ADN
Governor Sarah Palin Stands by AGIA Process
January 26, 2008
Alaska governor Sarah Palin released a statement Saturday expressing her belief that AGIA is on track and that she has spoken to Conoco about their alternate (and unqualified) proposal - despite president Jim Bowles’ inference that she hasn’t.
Jim Bowles has been a controversial figure in Alaska's oil politics.
Bowles' name came up on June 6, 2006 during the Pete Kott corruption trial. With the state House of Representatives on the verge of adopting a new 23.5-percent tax on oil production, convicted oil company bagman Bill Allen placed a phone call to Bowles. The FBI recorded every word.
From governor Palin's press release: Governor Sarah Palin today responded to claims made by ConocoPhillips regarding the State's rejection of the company's natural gas pipeline proposal, which was submitted outside the AGIA process."AGIA sets forth a vehicle that delivers North Slope gas to market with certification and construction benchmarks, expansion provisions, tariff terms, and other protections the state, and the nation, need. It is unfortunate that ConocoPhillips elected not to participate in this sensible competitive process as did other fine companies."The Governor also clarified that the state has never refused to work with ConocoPhillips on a mutually beneficial plan to get the producers' gas into a pipeline to market.
Governor Palin on Wednesday spoke with ConocoPhillips president Jim Bowles about this issue.
"While the ConocoPhillips' alternative obviously falls outside of AGIA's terms, we have long sought a way for ConocoPhillips to work with the state and the AGIA licensee toward a mutual goal of getting ConocoPhillips' gas into a line to market. We have had several discussions along these lines, and will continue to do so. Statements to the contrary are simply untrue, and only serve to confuse Alaskans."
Source: The Alaska Report
January 26, 2008
Conoco responds to Palin
January 26, 2008
Source: KTUU
Conoco Phillips has fired back a letter to Gov. Sarah Palin in response to her rejection of their gas line proposal.
In the letter the company said it is surprised and disappointed by Palin’s negative response.
It goes on to say that Conoco Phillips feels the governor has an apparent misunderstanding of what it really takes to economically support a pipeline - and asserts its proposal, though outside the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act is the best option.
In the letter, Conoco Phillips Alaska President Jim Bowles urges Palin and her administration to meet with his company to discuss the options. Including new fiscal terms the company feels would work well.
“We’ll remind Alaskans that we’ve met many, many, many times,” Palin said. “I’ve met with Jim Bowles. Our gas line team has met many, many times. We’ll continue to do so, so that aspect of the letter kind of caught us off guard.”
Conoco Phillips’ letter to the governor is available here.
