Palin’s Pipeline Is Years From Being a Reality

[RamboLiberal]

Source: NY Times

ANCHORAGE — When Gov. Sarah Palin of Alaska took center stage at the Republican convention last week, she sought to burnish her executive credentials by telling how she had engineered the deal that jump-started a long-delayed gas pipeline project.

Stretching more than 1,700 miles, it would deliver natural gas from the North Slope of Alaska to the lower 48 states and be the largest private-sector infrastructure project on the continent.

“And when that deal was struck, we began a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence,” said Ms. Palin, the Republican vice-presidential nominee. “That pipeline, when the last section is laid and its valves are opened, will lead America one step farther away from dependence on dangerous foreign powers that do not have our interests at heart.”

The reality, however, is far more ambiguous than the impression Ms. Palin has left at the convention and on the campaign trail.

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The pipeline exists only on paper. The first section has yet to be laid, federal approvals are years away and the pipeline will not be completed for at least a decade. In fact, although it is the centerpiece of Ms. Palin’s relatively brief record as governor, the pipeline might never be built, and under a worst-case scenario, the state could lose up to $500 million it committed to defray regulatory and other costs.





Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/11/us/politics/11pipeline.html?_r=1&hp&oref=slogin

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As usual all hat and no moose!

[MercutioATC]

1. And who's getting a lot of that money? A CANADIAN company.

"The company is proceeding with the work in anticipation of receiving an exclusive state license from the administration of Gov. Sarah Palin, who on Wednesday signed the bill the Legislature passed this month authorizing state officials to award to the license to TransCanada."

http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews+articleid_2559377.html

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

2. “And when that deal was struck" - another gigantic lie she keeps repeating

No deal has been struck. The "deal" Palin refers to is simply a license, or permit. It's a permit passed by the Alaska legislature authorizing the pipeline to be built. It isn't a contract with the TransCanada company nor is there any firm committment to build this thing. As per the article:

“When the governor signed the legislation giving her administration the authority to grant the gas line license to TransCanada, Alaska came closer than it has ever been to seeing the project actually happen,” Mr. McAllister said. “There is no denying that a major milestone in the project has been reached.”

So far there's only "the authority to grant the gas line license. TransCanada hasn't signed anything nor committed itself to anything. Sarah Palin continues to lie, to make herself look good, telling American she concluded a deal. It's like the ebay deal over the jet that never happened.

[olddad56]

3. Here is your reality..

The election is as good as fixed. McCain will be the President, but not for too long. Something will happen and Sarah Palin will be the President of the United States.

A new puppet that will make us miss the last puppet, as the wheels of fascism keep on rolling.

That is reality. Like it or not. Democracy has been over for longer than the 8 years that it has been obvious.

It is all just a bad dream, have another drink, smoke another joint, keep shooting up the evening news, Its all over now baby blue.

Just my humble opinion. Take it with a grain of salt.

[formercia]

5. Junior has all of the laws and signing statements in place

to ensure that her 'reconstruction' of America will ensure the rise of the Theo-facist State.

[gauguin57]

4. Wait ... didn't she tell her church that the pipeline is God's will?

I don't understand.

[TreasonousBastard]

6. The key part of that article is that...

whilst prior Governors all went nuts trying to get a gas pipeline becaue the producers wouldn't pay a nickel for its cost, Palin got a pipeline, and a way to pay for it, with no producers on board to use it!

Imagine that a city went further than "build it and they will come." Imagine a city built a stadium when every team out there said they would absolutely not move there even if paid to do so. Imagine a mall developer going ahead with his mall when every major chain publicly refused to be an anchor store, or even rent smaller space.

Conoco and BP are filing plans for their own pipeline, just to screw around with Palin's grand plan.

So, Palin didn't have a deal, she had a plan-- a plan that would work if someone else found the people who could make the deal.

It's pure genius that she could take such a pile of shit and run with it.

(Lipstick on a wart hog)