Federal official bullish on Alaska gas

A top federal pipeline official says the time is right for an Alaska natural gas pipeline construction project.

Tom Barrett, the White House’s deputy pipeline coordinator, told members of the Greater Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce that the federal government likes the proposed pipeline that would span Alaska and much of Canada.

Barrett says the biggest market for natural gas in the world is the United States, and officials want to feed that market with a stable source of domestic energy resources.

Two joint ventures are taking steps toward construction of the proposed line.

Barrett suggested either proposal would need somewhere around $100 million in firm long-term shipping commitments for the developers to justify construction.

—The Associated Press