A Citizen’s Guide

Gov. Frank Murkowski said Friday that he finished duck hunting Thursday night, saw the media reports of his administration handing off the gas pipeline contract to the next administration, and said, “Hey, wait a minute! That’s not where we’re going.”

“I’m sorry for the confusion,” he said Friday. “When we get the contract done, we have every intention to present it to the Legislature, and I’ll make a decision at that time on whether to act on a special session.”

Jim Clark, the governor’s chief of staff and chief pipeline negotiator, said this week the governor would not to call another special session against the will of lawmakers. He also acknowledged that lawmakers at this point were not interested in moving forward with the contract.

Clark wouldn’t say Friday whether Murkowski would call another special session sometime before his term ends in December even if lawmakers didn’t want to.

“It’s probably just best to wait till we get to that point,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »

Former Gov. Tony Knowles, the Democratic candidate for governor, said Thursday he wants to see new proposals for a gas pipeline within two months of his taking office. Sarah Palin, the Republican candidate, said she would reject the law Gov. Frank Murkowski used to negotiate his pipeline contract, introduce a substitute, then welcome all pipeline proposals.

Both held news conferences in Anchorage to detail their plans. Knowles and running mate Ethan Berkowitz made the trip to Fairbanks, too, for a news conference beside a stack of steel pipe at Flowline Alaska Inc.

“We’ve got to get the best deal for Alaska,” Knowles said, standing before blue campaign signs reading “Alaska’s Gas on Alaska’s terms.” Read the rest of this entry »

Gov. Frank Murkowski will respect the will of lawmakers and not push for legislative approval of his proposed natural gas pipeline contract before his term ends in December, the governor’s chief of staff and chief pipeline negotiator said Wednesday.

Jim Clark said the governor is standing by his decision not to call another special session to move forward on the contract unless lawmakers support the idea.

“At this point, they’re saying they don’t want to go forward,” he said.

Leaders of the state House detailed their opposition to holding another special session in a letter to the governor Tuesday. Senate leaders made their views clear during a meeting with administration officials Wednesday in Anchorage.

Sen. Ralph Seekins, R-Fairbanks, who attended the meeting, said the sentiment among senators was “pretty much the same” as that of House members. According to the letter from House leaders, House members opposed the session because of Murkowski’s loss in the Republican primary, lawmakers’ own races, an FBI investigation involving lawmakers and the short time frame.

More than anything, Seekins said, the contract and related parts of the deal were not yet ready for lawmakers to consider.

“The time isn’t right,” he said. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been quite a while since we updated the news about oil prices, so here’s a part of today’s noteworthy report from The Associated Press:

“Oil prices fell to five-month lows Thursday amid easing gasoline demand with the end of the summer driving season.

“Light, sweet crude for October delivery dropped 4 cents to US$67.46 a barrel in Asian electronic trading on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Read the rest of this entry »

Leaders of the state House on Tuesday restated to Gov. Frank Murkowski their opposition to holding another special session on the proposed gas pipeline contract.

“We have personally spoken to a majority of the members on both sides of the aisle and the response was clear; the House does not support reconvening for a third special session,” wrote Speaker John Harris, R-Valdez, and Majority Leader John Coghill, R-North Pole, in a letter to the governor.

The deadline for calling lawmakers back to Juneau on Sept. 19, as Murkowski had proposed, came and went on Monday without a request from the governor. Fifteen days notice is required. Jim Clark, the governor’s chief of staff and chief pipeline negotiator, said the governor held off because of the response from lawmakers.

“We’re not looking to do this over the objections of the members of the House and Senate,” he said.

But according to Clark, the missed deadline doesn’t mean there won’t be a call sometime before Murkowski’s term ends in early December. The administration is meeting with leaders in the Senate today in Anchorage to discuss moving forward. Read the rest of this entry »

Editorial from the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner:

By now it should be apparent to most everyone that there should not be a third special session this year to continue work on Gov. Frank Murkowski’s natural gas pipeline agreement with Exxon Mobil, ConocoPhillips and BP. Time is short as it is, and many legislators have their re-election campaigns to run.

Anyone who had held on to the slim hope that there could be further legislative work on the gas agreement before the governor leaves office in December need only read about Thursday’s FBI raid on legislative offices to know that the end of the gas agreement is at hand for this year. The FBI probe into the legislative relations of oil field services company VECO, an industry powerhouse and political heavyweight, means there is little chance the public would have trust in a gas contract concluded at this time. Read the rest of this entry »