The Foothills connection

Kristen Nelson

Bill Garner of Petrie Parkman & Co., a consultant for the State Ownership/Tax Committee of the Governor's Alaska Highway Natural Gas Policy Council, told the committee Sept. 21 that Petrie Parkman believes the Duke purchase of Westcoast Energy has an impact on the southern or Alaska Highway route for the proposed gasline to take North Slope natural gas to market.

Westcoast and TransCanada are the remaining partners in the Foothills Alaska Highway gasline project and there have been concerns, Garner said, about the two remaining partners being Canadian, and also concern about the financial capability of those firms to build the project.

The Duke purchase of Westcoast, he said, removes those doubts. Duke is an American company, a strong proponent of the line and has the financial capacity needed. Garner also said Petrie Parkman expects to see Duke playing a greater role in the project and said his firm also expects some modification of Foothills' says.