FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                               PRESS RELEASE

BILL PROPOSES IN-STATE GASLINE BE BROUGHT ON-LINE BY 2015

Speaker’s HB 369 unifies effort with Joint In-State Gasline Development Team

Tuesday, February 23, 2010, Juneau, Alaska – House Speaker Mike Chenault, R-Nikiski, today introduced House Bill 369, legislation unifying state agencies and proposing to create the Joint In-State Gasline Development Team within the Office of the Governor to ensure that construction of an in-state gasline is ready to begin by July 2011, with gas flowing by 2015.

“Like many Alaskans I’ve grown frustrated with the lack of progress on in-state gas delivery,” Speaker Chenault said. “I introduced HB 369 to unify all the different entities working or able to contribute to get this project off high-center. We’ve included strong commitments to municipalities and local boroughs that will benefit from the gas and jobs a gasline can bring. The development team can focus the State’s effort, and leverage the best ideas and data to hopefully get a gasline built. Alaskans won’t stand much longer for funding more studies or being asked to wait until a large diameter line through Canada may or may not be built.”

The development team would be led the Chief Executive Officer of the Alaska Railroad Corporation, and include the following members:

 -      the Commissioner of the Department of Transportation & Public Facilities

-      the Chief Executive Office of the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority

-      the In-State Gasline Project Manager

“The team will cover all aspects of the line’s development and make best use of existing or easy to acquire rights-of-way,” Speaker Chenault said. “They’ll select the most economically sound route that delivers gas to residents, plan permitting and construction, and take any action necessary to get the gasline under construction as soon as possible.”

HB 369 would also create an In-State Gasline Steering Committee to provide advice to the development team. The committee would be made up members from the public and private sector, including:

-      the President of the Alaska State Senate

-      the Alaska State House Speaker

-      the commissioners of the departments of labor and commerce

-      the chair of the Regulatory Commission of Alaska

-      the executive directors of the permanent fund, Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, and Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority

-      and 16 other individuals from the public and private sector, and municipalities

HB 369 has been referred to the House Resources and Finance committees, with its first hearing scheduled for Friday at 1:00 p.m. in Resources, Capitol Room 124.