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September 2013
Copyright Petroleum Newspapers of Alaska, LLC (Petroleum News)(PNA)©1999-2019 All rights reserved. The content of this article and website may not be copied, replaced, distributed, published, displayed or transferred in any form or by any means except with the prior written permission of Petroleum Newspapers of Alaska, LLC (Petroleum News)(PNA). Copyright infringement is a violation of federal law subject to criminal and civil penalties.
Vol. 18, No. 38 Week of September 22, 2013

Parnell makes AGDC board appointments

Five citizens, two commissioners named; board result of HB4 passed by Legislature; goal to move North Slope natural gas to market

Kristen Nelson

Petroleum News

Alaska Gov. Sean Parnell has made appointments to the Alaska Gasline Development Corp. board of directors. AGDC is a state entity tasked with advancing a project to move North Slope natural gas to market.

It was established by the Legislature in 2010 as a subsidiary of the Alaska Housing Finance Corp. and became an independent state entity this year with passage of House Bill 4.

“The people appointed today bring deep and diverse expertise to the AGDC Board,” Parnell said in a Sept. 13 statement. “They have proven individual track records and success in team settings. I am confident that AGDC will meet the goal of getting Alaska’s gas to Alaskans and markets beyond.”

The public members appointed by the governor are Albert “Al” Bolea, John Burns, Dave Cruz, Drue Pearce, and Richard “Dick” Rabinow. In addition, Commissioner of Commerce, Community and Economic Development Susan Bell and Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development Dianne Blumer were named to the board.

House Bill 4, passed by the Legislature in April, provided that the AGDC board have five public members appointed by the governor and subject to legislative approval and two commissioners. As long as the state is party to an Alaska Gasline Inducement Act agreement the commissioners of the departments of Revenue and Natural Resources, the state’s signatories to the AGIA agreement, are ineligible to serve on the AGDC board.

HB4 provides that in selecting public members the governor “shall consider an individual’s expertise and experience in natural gas pipeline construction, operation, and marketing; finance; large project management; and other expertise and experience relevant to the purpose, powers and duties of the corporation.” The public members serve staggered five-year terms, with one of the initial members to serve a five-year term and two members each two- and three-year terms. Burns was named to the five-year term, Pearce and Rabinow to the three-year terms and Bolea and Cruz to the two-year terms.

Bill’s sponsors pleased

“Gov. Parnell’s appointments will be critical in establishing AGDC as the professional, competent, and independent entity we envisioned,” Mike Hawker, R-Anchorage, said in a statement. “Our legislation was specifically designed to keep politics out of AGDC’s work delivering Alaska gas to Alaskans, and I thank the Governor for respecting that intent.”

“With this well-rounded board, AGDC is primed to take on its mission of developing gas pipelines to serve Alaska,” said House Speaker Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski. “Gov. Parnell has included the expertise we identified in House Bill 4, and has brought together a strong combination of people with global pipeline experience and knowledge of Alaska and our unique needs.”

Hawker and Chenault were sponsors of HB4. They said in their statement that the bill provided the statutory framework for AGDC — previously a subsidiary of Alaska Housing Finance Corp. — to become a standalone independent corporation “charged with pipeline development to get Alaska gas to Alaskans.”

Dan Fauske, formerly head of AHDC, was recently named executive director of AGDC, which is charged with advancing an in-state natural gas pipeline from the North Slope to Southcentral, while also evaluating participation in the larger, producer-led pipeline and LNG project.

Varied experience

Bolea, of Big Lake, is a retired BP executive who has served as chairman of Alyeska Pipeline Service Co. and CEO of Dubai Petroleum. He has a bachelor’s degree in management from Robert Morris University and a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Pittsburgh.

Burns, a lifelong Alaskan from Fairbanks, is a former attorney general for the State of Alaska and works for Burns & Associates. He has a bachelor’s degree in history from UAF and a juris doctorate from the University of Puget Sound School of Law.

Cruz, of Palmer, is also a lifelong Alaskan. He has been involved in construction and resource development since 1976 and is the president of Cruz Construction, Cruz Energy Services, and Cruz Marine — firms specializing in heavy civil construction, remote camp construction, oil field services, and construction support.

Pearce, of Anchorage, was an Alaska legislator for 17 years, and was Senate president for two terms. She served as the first federal coordinator for Alaska natural gas transportation projects. Pearce is president of Spill Shield of Anchorage. She holds an MPA from Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Business.

Rabinow worked for ExxonMobil for 34 years, serving in numerous posts, including president of ExxonMobil Pipeline Co. He was also president and CEO of Longhorn Pipeline Partners. Rabinow has a bachelor’s degree in engineering mechanics from Lehigh University and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering and management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.






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Copyright Petroleum Newspapers of Alaska, LLC (Petroleum News)(PNA)©1999-2019 All rights reserved. The content of this article and website may not be copied, replaced, distributed, published, displayed or transferred in any form or by any means except with the prior written permission of Petroleum Newspapers of Alaska, LLC (Petroleum News)(PNA). Copyright infringement is a violation of federal law.