Committee contracts with tax law firm

Petroleum News Alaska Staff

The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Natural Gas Pipelines has contracted with a Washington, D.C., law firm to provide professional tax and financing advice to the Legislature as it continues working to bring Alaska’s North Slope natural gas reserves to market.

The pipeline committee selected Hogan & Hartson L.L.P. from a field of five nationally known law firms that responded to a request for proposals, largely because of the firm’s superb qualifications and reasonable fees, said Sen. John Torgerson, R-Kasilof, chair of the committee and project director for the contract.

“Hogan & Hartson is a highly respectable law firm with an exceptional amount of experience,” Torgerson said. “The firm will be extremely helpful to the Legislature as it gives a thorough review of the recent proposal to use tax exempt bonds to finance a natural gas pipeline project.”

The oldest and largest major law firm based in Washington D.C., Hogan and Hartson will advise the committee regarding tax and financing matters relating to the construction, operation and regulation of a natural gas pipeline from the Alaska North Slope to the Lower 48.

“Hogan & Hartson will provide the Legislature with the expertise we need to interpret federal law and the Internal Revenue Service codes on tax exempt financing for a project of this scope,” said Rep. Joe Green, R-Anchorage, vice-chair of the committee.

The law firm will receive at least $50,000 for the contract, which runs from March 20 to Dec. 31.