Democrats file Gasline Now bill

Reps. Harry Crawford and Eric Croft, both Anchorage Democrats, have introduced a bill in the Alaska Legislature that they say will “jumpstart construction of a gas pipeline from the North Slope.”

The bill calls for North Slope producers to pay a fee to the state of Alaska for not pumping Alaska’s gas and refusing to ship gas or build a gas pipeline.

“We’re telling Exxon to lead, follow or get out of the way,” said Croft in a March 17 statement.

“We shouldn’t wait for people in Houston to decide whether or not to develop our gas,” said Crawford.

The “Gasline Now Act” would charge a fee for not commercializing big gas fields, the men said, but the fee would not apply to any gas found after 2002, so as not to discourage exploration. The fee would go away when a pipeline is built and a company can get a full refund once gas starts flowing.

“Why stop with fining the producers for not developing a gas pipeline that has marginal economics? Why not fine Congress for not opening ANWR for 25 years?” was former Alaska Division of Oil and Gas Director Ken Boyd’s response to the bill.