1.  Governor Sean Parnell (NGP Photo-l, and Photo-r with Chamber Chairman Tony Izzo) appeared before the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce yesterday to announce his budget proposal to the Alaska Legislature.  The Governor commented on an in-state natural gas pipeline project (see ADN report below).  He also continued to exercise his leadership on the economy, specifically the OCS issue.  He spoke to the high volume of anti-development initiatives produced by the White House during Obama’s first year in office (See the latest, Item #6, below).   He noted that his Washington representative, John Katz–who has served for 7 governors–has never seen a Federal Administration engaged in so many anti-development initiatives.  -dh

ADN by Sean Cockerham.  Gov. Sean Parnell is proposing an … increase in state general fund spending next year, to be paid for with projected high oil prices.  The budget Parnell released Monday includes money to pursue an in-state pipeline to bring natural gas from the North Slope to the Railbelt, and a "roads to resources" program that steers $10 million to preliminary work on roads to Brooks Range oil and gas reserves and Nome.  

2.  Click here to find the Denali gas pipeline project’s November report to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission.  Wall Street Journal.  TransCanada’s Alaska Gas Pipeline Partner, Exxon, purchases XTO and it’s huge Lower 48 natural gas reserves.

3.  ADN by Erica Bolstad.  Her first attempt failed, but on Monday Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, moved again to try to halt the Environmental Protection Agency’s movement toward regulating the emission of greenhouse gases.  See Alaska Dispatch story by Jill Burke.  

4.  Slave River Journal by Shawn Bell.  The Joint Review Panel (JRP) on the Mackenzie Gas Project still plans to release its report this December.  Brian Chambers, the JRP’s executive director, told The Journal on Dec. 9 that media could expect an announcement at least seven days before the report is released.

5.  National Post, by Derek H. Burney.  The dramatic potential for natural gas — the cleanest of the fossil fuels — should also be part of the debate. Technology breakthroughs also have made shale gas a real game-changer for the industry and should transform the debate over generating electricity.

6.  Last but not least, here comes the White House Council on Environmental Qualilty (CEQ) with its new Interim Framework for Marine Spatial Planning.  We commented on this Obama Administration attack on Alaska’s/America’s national defense, economy and jobs earlier in the fall.  Please note: here is the recommendation; and, here is how you can comment within the 60 day comment period.  

This set of recommendations would call for establishing 9 Regional Planning Councils, made up of Federal and State agencies and Tribes, which will each develop a regional planning document for that region. These plans will guide how Federal agencies will act in that particular region.  It is unclear how State agencies will be bound by these documents; however, the plans will include State waters.  These councils sound eerily like those proposed by Senator Mark Begich earlier (Link to our analysis); his bill could well be the vehicle to embrace any changes the White House makes to the recommendations following the comment period.

While we are being told this process will not over-ride existing statutory authorities, these regional planning documents apparently will be binding and could either circumvent existing processes (ex:  regional fishery management councils or the OCS 5-year plan process) or replace existing public involvement in specific Federal activities.  (See our earlier comment on how this Administration is attacking the economy with the strategy of ‘death by a thousand cuts‘.)

It also appears that these plans could govern activities out to 200 miles, include state waters, and reach inland to the extent that regional planning council determines is appropriate.  (Now, consider the additional harm to be caused should congress act to amend the Clean Water Act.  If the Act currently gives the Feds jurisdiction over navagable waterways, imagine the government’s increased power should the word, ‘navagible’, be deleted!  Idaho Statesman.)

In addition, there could be a dispute resolution mechanism to referee disputes between agencies when developing these plans.  This could mean that agencies which traditionally have had sole authority over an activity could be over-ridden by the regional planning process or by other agencies.  The bottom line is, "DELAY".

PLEASE COMMENT.