Press Release: West Coast Energy Crisis is Alaska's Opportunity - Leaders Pen Editorial Seeking Outside Support for Natural Gas


Senator Rick Halford President of the Senate State Capitol, Room 111 Juneau, AK 99801-1182 Phone: (907) 465-4958 Fax: (907) 465-4928 Send Email	Representative Brian Porter Speaker of the House State Capitol, Room 208 Juneau, AK 99801-1182 Phone: (907) 465-4930 Fax: (907) 465-3834 Send Email

For Immediate Release: January 26, 2001

Contact:

Senator Rick Halford at (907) 465-4958
Representative Brian Porter at (907) 465-4930

(JUNEAU) -- The Republican leadership of the Alaska State Legislature is working to take advantage of California's ongoing energy crisis by pitching North Slope gas as a reliable, affordable source of energy in an editorial distributed this week to major newspapers in California, Washington and Oregon.

"If you want relief from rolling blackouts and the indignities of unreliable, expensive power, you need only lift up your eyes - not to Heaven for divine deliverance, but to Alaska for energy deliverance," reads the first line of the article appearing under the byline of House Speaker Brian Porter (R-Anchorage) and Senate President Rick Halford (R-Chugiak.)

The editorial continues by laying out Alaska's history of supplying the West Coast with energy in the form of oil, and encouraging readers to lobby their public officials and power companies to look to Alaska's natural gas reserves as a newer, cleaner, more efficient source of energy.

"We don't take pleasure in anyone's misfortune, but the situation in California gives us the opportunity to pitch Alaska's natural gas to a receptive audience," said Halford. "It's a chance to overcome opposition and get them on board in support of bringing Alaska's natural gas to market. It's good for them, and it's good for us."

Porter said the editorial is one of many ways the Republican legislative leadership is working to ensure natural gas development brings the greatest possible benefit to all Alaskans. He noted House Bill 83, introduced last week by Rep. Scott Ogan (R-Palmer), aimed at fulfilling the state constitution's mandate to use natural resources to the maximum benefit of the Alaskan people.

"Alaska has an enviable record of discovering and delivering energy to the West Coast in an environmentally friendly manner," said Porter. "This is a message that bears repeating along the West Coast, especially as recent events prompt the people there to think about where they want their energy to come from in this new century."

The full text of the editorial sent to California newspapers is attached.

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| Rep. Porter's Page | Sen. Halford's Page |

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By:	Representative Brian Porter, Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives Senator Rick Halford, President of the Alaska Senate

If you want relief from rolling blackouts and the indignities of unreliable, expensive power, you need only lift up your eyes ? not to Heaven for divine deliverance, but to Alaska for energy deliverance.

If you want to keep your homes and businesses warm and bright, if you want to prevent the economic pain of high energy costs and intermittent supplies; if you want to ensure a bright future for California, we in Alaska have got good news: Alaska has plenty of energy, and with your help it can be on its way south sooner than you might think.

You may know that 25 percent of U.S. petroleum energy in the last 30 years has come from Alaska's Prudhoe Bay and other North Slope oil fields, and that as much as 50 percent of West Coast power comes from Alaska. We've become world-recognized experts at bringing hydrocarbon energy to market with minimal impact to the environment.

But oil is only part of the story. The North Slope also holds proven natural gas reserves of 35 trillion cubic feet - the nation's largest storehouse of clean, efficient, environmentally friendly energy.

Alaskans have long wanted to share this energy resource with America, and there are already three workable methods for doing so. The first calls for chilling gas to a non-flammable, nearly inert liquid - liquefied natural gas, or LNG - that can be loaded on tanker ships for delivery to market. Private industry and government have studied this approach for years, and Congress has already approved right-of-way permits, back in 1977.

A second plan would convert the gas into a highly refined, low-sulfur diesel fuel known as white crude, which could be sent down the existing trans-Alaska pipeline and shipped to market. This plan requires no new refineries or transportation infrastructure on the West Coast.

The third plan would see construction of a separate gas pipeline from the North Slope south along the Alaska Highway to intersect the existing continental pipeline network. While this plan would require more construction, it would utilize mature technology with a proven record of safety and environmental protection.

There's little need to point out how natural gas prices have skyrocketed in recent years, and how high prices and reduced supplies have devastated business and personal consumers all along the West Coast. What's more, deregulation of the natural gas industry and the resulting cross-border energy raids by desperate utilities have made the water wars of years past seem like the polite disputations of a debating society.

Alaska's natural gas will come to market sooner or later. But if it comes sooner, it can mean a win-win situation for all parties concerned. Not only will Californians get the energy they want and Alaskans the market they need, but the entire nation will benefit by tapping a new source of clean energy that will bring lower power costs and greater reliability for decades to come.

If you're concerned about the environment, you'll be pleased to know that no new exploration or drilling is required to bring Alaska gas south. We already know where the gas is, and we know how to get it to you without harming the natural world or its wildlife. In fact, last month state biologists announced record-high populations in the Central Arctic caribou herd that roams the tundra near Prudhoe Bay.

If you want to stop worrying about whether you'll have light, power, or a job tomorrow, here's what you can do:

Call or write your congressmen and tell them you want them to support bringing Alaska's North Slope gas to market through the southern route along the Alaska Highway.
Contact the electric company that (usually) supplies you with power, and tell them you think taking advantage of Alaska's gas to supply your power needs makes more sense than burning coal, smashing atoms or damming rivers in California.

Alaska has been sharing energy with California for many years. With your support and that of your representatives in Congress, we can bring new supplies of natural gas on line quickly to keep the Golden State warm and bright for many more years to come.

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| Rep. Porter's Page | Sen. Halford's Page |

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