Murkowski, Fentie pitch rail, gas hopes; B.C. minister tells Alaska 'bring your money' if you want rail link

Gary Park

A rail-line and a gas pipeline were on the agenda as Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski and Yukon Premier Dennis Fentie bent ears and twisted arms in Canada’s capital on Feb. 24.

The pair spent the day in Ottawa meeting with federal cabinet ministers and officials to seek government support for a feasibility study to meet the long-held dream of a railroad from Alaska through the Yukon to northern British Columbia.

They also pressed the Canadian government to make an early decision on what regulatory system will be used to approve the Canadian section of an Alaska gas pipeline.

The same two-pronged campaign is under way in Washington, D.C.

Fentie told reporters there was a “very positive response” from a number of cabinet ministers, notably Transport Minister Jean Lapierre, who sent upbeat “signals our way” about the possibility of a joint Canada-U.S. study of the rail project.

Asked about the prospect of rail traffic and the gas pipeline sharing the same right of way, he said there “are some synergies,” but it would need a feasibility study to produce the answers.

British Columbia Energy Minister Richard Neufeld told Petroleum News Feb. 28 that his government does not have the money to invest in a rail link and he would be “surprised” if the Yukon does.

If Alaska is committed to the project, he had one response: “Bring your money.”

While a rail connection with the state would benefit British Columbia ports, Neufeld said: “I don’t wake up every morning and say, ‘My God, we’ve got to get that rail line built.’”