Viewpoints
Mixed Messages
By David Blasczyk
July 21, 2006
Friday
The messages about Alaskan energy resources are becoming difficult
to understand. The message from the republican administration
down south is that we are having a national energy crisis, and
the only way to help is to drill for more oil in Alaska s pristine
wilderness areas. We have to do this right now to keep America
safe and self sufficient. Now I am hearing from the republican
leadership here in Alaska that if we don't hurry up and take
this "gas pipeline deal" that the window of opportunity
to get our natural gas to market will be gone forever.
In sales it is always better to make the buyer think that if
they don't take this deal right now it will be gone forever and
they need to buy right now. In reality a better deal is available
for those savvy people who hold out for a better deal.
Alaskans can respect the integrity and courage it took for Mr.
Myers to stand up to Governor Murkowski and inform us that his
deal was not good for Alaskan's. I am also aware of what happened
when the big corporations involved in the energy industry were
allowed to write the nation's energy policies.
The worst case scenario is that we keep our trillions of cubic
feet of natural gas and develop a pipeline to Anchorage and Fairbanks
with the extra billions from a fair tax on the remaining oil
in Prudhoe Bay. Then we use the revenues from this to build our
own pipeline south. This would mean Alaskans take full advantage
of its resources. If we do it slowly, we can build the industry
from the ground up. We can take the time to train Alaskans to
work every aspect of this industry and employ more Alaskan's
for a much longer period of time, and we can make our natural
resources last for hundreds of years and not just fifty.
David Blasczyk
Ketchikan, AK - USA
About: I am a resident of Ketchikan
and independent voter and thinker.
Related News:
Senators
grill nominee about Alaska pipeline By LIZ RUSKIN - Drue
Pearce, a former Alaska legislator, is President Bush's nominee
to be the new federal coordinator for construction of an Alaska
gas pipeline. But she got a scolding at her confirmation hearing
Thursday that seemed more aimed at the Alaska Legislature. -
More....
July 20, 2006
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