A Citizen’s Guide

The port authority, the administration, and the Senate Special Committee on Natural Gas Development have a tentative date for a meeting in Fairbanks sometime during the week of Aug. 21.

Last Monday, the governor’s chief of staff, Jim Clark, invited port authority chair Jim Whitaker to participate in a “panel discussion” with two members from the administration and two from the port authority.

“Alaskans should have a clear understanding of the other options,” Clark wrote.

Sen. Ralph Seekins last week invited his Senate committee to participate.

“We look forward to it,” Whitaker said.

While each side is likely to argue that its project is not competing but complementary, proponents of each are competing to have their project go first.

Whitaker argues that if the administration’s proposed contract is signed now, the port authority line might never happen. The administration argues that if the “all-Alaska” line happens first, it could jeopardize the highway line.