Yukon backs Alaska on gas pipeline, tells Canadian government to back off
Gary Park Petroleum News Calgary correspondent
Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie has added his weight to Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski by telling the Canadian government to stay out of the debate over subsidies for an Alaska Highway gas pipeline.
Speaking at the Far North Oil and Gas Forum in Calgary Sept. 30, he said Canada “should leave the Americans to deal with American business when it comes to American gas.”
Fentie also announced that seven aboriginal organizations in the Yukon and British Columbia will form the Alaska Highway Aboriginal Pipeline Group to examine their role in the Alaska project.
An aboriginal spokesman said the decision does not constitute a formal endorsement of the proposed pipeline, but it should enable Natives along the right of way to make an informed decision.
Fentie said his government is “looking forward to working collaboratively with this group in the coming years to prepare and advance the prospects of an Alaska Highway gas pipeline.”
He also said the bitter dispute involving his predecessor Patricia Duncan and the Northwest Territories government over the timing of the Alaska and Mackenzie Delta projects was “needless ... it was a political faux pas if you want.
“There was no need for the past government in the Yukon to take that stance,” by creating a competitive environment.
On its own front, the Yukon government is pressing ahead on several fronts to promote its oil and gas industry, Fentie said. Opening up gas-rich southeast Yukon He said the groundwork is being laid through First Nations negotiations to open up the potentially gas-rich southeast Yukon for development, with the hope of issuing rights by next spring.
During their time in Calgary, Fentie, Murkowski and Northwest Territories Premier Stephen Kakfwi discussed progress on the Arctic gas projects, while Fentie and aboriginal representatives met with representatives from TransCanada, Foothills Pipe Lines and the Alaska Producers Group.
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