Think About It                                                                                        September 7, 2011

Wouldn’t it be nice if we had unlimited quantities of natural gas in Fairbanks, Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula and communities all along the rail-belt?  You better believe it! 

First of all, we would never have to worry each winter about brown-outs and not having enough natural gas to heat our homes and keep the lights on. That would be a real benefit. But probably the most important thing about having unlimited amounts of natural gas would be healthy and expanding small businesses and the dollars that would spread around all of our communities throughout the year.

Then remember the phrase from the movie, “Build it and they will come?” Unlimited amounts of natural gas would not only attract new businesses and jobs but more importantly could attract new industries that manufacture things like latex paints, brake fluid, rubber, PVC pipe, adhesives, latex paint, fertilizer, anti freeze and many more.  We need an unlimited supply of natural gas.

That means, we need a large volume pipeline from the North Slope.

First of all, the Governor should use the existing escape clause to get out of the AGIA contract. It does not provide gas for Alaskans, has only short term and no long term benefits, and AGIA does not provide any income to Alaska to replace declining oil revenues from the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System.

Most Alaskans in the know, are tired of standing on the sidelines. It’s time for our governor and legislature to build an All-Alaska Gas Pipeline from the North Slope to join other pipelines already in place in South Central Alaska. Decide on either the Parks or the Richardson Highway route and let’s get rolling. Estimated costs could run as high at six to eight billion dollars but studies have shown that the pipeline could mean as much at $30 Billion in revenue to the state over the next 30 years. That’s really great return on investment.

We have over $40 billion in our Alaska Permanent Fund so what’s the problem?  What better way to use as much as eight billion dollars of the principal in that savings account than to build a large volume All-Alaska Gas Pipeline.  Both the short and long term benefits to all Alaskans, Alaska business and the state would be outstanding.  In addition, setting up a system to provide low cost Propane from the north-slope to those communities not on the rail-belt would complete the project.

The natural gas is ours.  It belongs to all of us as Alaskans and State ownership of the gas pipeline would simply be an enlargement of the state’s superstructure, an addition to state ownership of the Alaska Railroad, The Marine Highway System, The State Highway System, Airports and Harbors. 

Asian markets are waiting for our gas, but Alaska needs must come first.

Many in the Legislature are not only unwilling to approve the gas line, but they are working actively against it. After watching our Senators and Representative do nothing for several years, maybe the time has come to by-pass Juneau with a Proposition on the ballot and let “we the people” give them an explicit directive to begin building a large volume All-Alaska Gas Pipeline, immediately. No if’s, and’s or but’s!

Think About It!     JCD    9-7-2011

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