The Kenai Peninsula Borough will soon benefit from some federal gasline experience; outgoing gas pipeline project coordinator Larry Persily has been hired by Borough Mayor Mike Navarre.
Persily will be the Mayor’s oil and gas special assistant, following legislation relating to proposed LNG projects, their overall progress, and other duties as assigned.
In the latest federal budget, Persily’s Anchorage operation missed out on crucial funding. The federal coordinator’s office will close this Friday, but Persily said he does not believe that will delay the progress of the proposed AK LNG Project.
Persily: “The market will determine if the project is built or not, whether we’re there or not. I do believe that a project this big, this complex, we could have helped but I believe federal agencies, fish and wildlife service, BLN, EPA, the nation marine fishers, are capable, very capable of doing the job, I think we could have helped. Same thing for Exxon, Conoco and BP, I think we could have helped them navigate some of the issues.”
Mayor Navarre also noted that both he and Persily are interested in state fiscal policy.
