GOP Parasite TransCanada Finally Shed
The divorce between Alaska and TransCanada became final this week. The Legislature voted to buy TransCanada’s share of a prospective natural gas pipeline from the North Slope. How the state ended up in that shotgun marriage is a lesson in corporate power and Republican legislators’ willingness to kowtow to it. Our story begins with Gov. Sarah Palin’s attempt to encourage a natural gas pipeline. It wasn’t a terrible idea to try to get an independent pipeline company directly involved in the project. When the Legislature passed the Alaska Natural Gasline Inducement Act in 2007, the idea was to incentivize a…
Gasline Secrets as Parnell Exits
Alaskans know about airplanes and flying. No other state’s residents fly as much as we do. So we know every plane really ought to have two wings. Same with birds. There are no halibut-style birds, with two wings on one side of their bodies. I find government works best with matching wings, one on the left, one on the right. For the last few years, we’ve been trying to fly the Spirit of Alaska with two right wings. As a result, our captain, co-pilot and the rest of the crew never really got us off the ground. They didn’t kill…
The Pipe and the Pump – The Price We Pay
By Rep. Les Gara Do you want to be bound, by contract, to pay natural gas prices that are double what is paid in the Lower 48 – for the next 20 or 30 years? How’s that for attracting business to Alaska? How’s that for your pocketbook? The folks who held the press conference on Tuesday didn’t mention any of that, did they? Unfortunately, the gasline debate has devolved into competing sound bites. Those pushing the project want you to think the lights will go out tomorrow if you don’t do what they propose. It’s bad policy to scare people…
Rubber-Necking the Republican Smack Down.
I am not a rubber-necker. Let me start off by saying that. When there’s a bad accident on the side of the road, and the thing holding up traffic turns out to be the fact that everyone is slowing down to stare at the wreckage…I am not one of those people. That said, there are times when it’s just unavoidable because….blam….there it is. Right in front of your car. Such is the case with the strange and captivating multi-car pile-up involving various conservative Republican factions in the past few days. My attention has been tugged, now and then, in the direction of this slow and seemingly…
Palin’s “Hungry Markets” Not So Hungry. (Updated – Andrew Halcro Weighs In)
In several recent interviews, Governor Sarah Palin has told the country about the importance of getting “Alaska’s rich natural resources to hungry markets” in the Lower 48. And she’s been celebrating a new alliance between Trans-Canada Corp., and Exxon to build Alaska’s huge $26 billion dollar gas pipe line project. In light of all this buzz, it was interesting that an article just came out in The Financial Post, with the ominous title “Demand for Arctic Gas Dries Up.” The North American natural gas industry is “overbuilt,” pointing to weak prices for a long time, said [Steve] Letwin, Houston-based executive…
Alaska and Exxon – A Romance Rekindled.
It’s been a while since we’ve had a good episode of Mudflats Theatre. This one’s a romance, although I don’t know if it’s a good “date night” movie. The scene opens in the bedroom. (I promise, this is rated G….well….PG) We see a couple in bed. They are wrapped in a sheet. She’s nestled in the crook of his arm. The scene seems peaceful, and we understand immediately that there is a bond between these two lovers. There is a story here. “Mmmmm. What are you thinking?” she asks, in a sort of dreamy soothing voice. “Oh…I don’t know. It’s…
Palin Matchmakes for a Gas Line
By Shannyn Moore Governor Sarah Palin is sleeping with the enemy of many Alaskans. Her trip to Houston, Texas to discuss a merged project with TransCanada and Exxon Mobil betrays Alaskans still reeling from last year’s devastating Supreme Court verdict. It flies in the face of anyone with a memory of 20 years let alone last June. Exxon promised to “make Alaskans whole” and they never did; just another broken promise piled on top of all the others. Last year, Palin’s AGIA (Alaska Gasline Inducement Act) passed into law, awarding TransCanada $500 million in state funds to build the 1,700…