After Statehood in 1959, the federal government retained most of the 375 million acres comprising the former Territory of Alaska. Today, approximately 60% of Alaska is still under federal management and control. By contrast, most of the State’s east of the Mississippi comprise less than 1% of federal lands of the total lands within their state borders.
The recent Jim Wilde case in federal district court brought home the fact that after 51 years of Statehood, the State of Alaska’s citizens are being endangered by the federal government with impunity. In Wilde’s case, he, his wife, and a friend were subjected to a threat of the use of unnecessary deadly force by two U.S. Park Service Rangers. His “crime”? When signaled to heave to and be boarded, he headed his boat to shore where he could deal with the Rangers safely. He was manhandled by two heavily armed young men and removed to jail 100 miles west to Fairbanks. Wilde is 71. He was charged with “resisting arrest”. His boat registration was out of date. The Rangers pointed a shotgun and a pistol at him and his passengers to gain “compliance” for the check of registration.
Why was the federal Park Service enforcing boat registration on the Yukon River?
“AS 38.05.126. Navigable and Public Water: (a) The people of the state have a constitutional right to free access to and use of the navigable or public water of the state. (b) The state has full power and control of all of the navigable or public water of the state, both meandered and unmeandered, and the state holds and controls all navigable or public water in trust for the use of the people of the state.”
Clearly, the Yukon River is a navigable waterway, the enforcement of law on which is arguably a jurisdiction of the State, and not that of the federal government.
The Yukon-Charly River Wildlife Preserve is not a national park. Why were armed Park Service personnel on the Yukon River in the first place?
Is the State of Alaska just the approximately 105 million acres conveyed to date under the Alaska Statehood Compact?
Alaska Statehood Compact: “72 Stat. 339 Public Law 85-508: SEC. 2. The State of Alaska shall consist of all the territory, together with the territorial waters appurtenant thereto, now included in the Territory of Alaska.”
Sec. 2 of the Statehood Compact shows that the State of Alaska consists of all of the land mass and waters comprising the Territory of Alaska prior to statehood.
With the passage of ANILCA (1980), the federal Fish and Wildlife Service assumed fish and wildlife management over 380,900 square miles of federal lands in Alaska.
The second Hickel Administration (1991-1994) saw the passage of AS 38.05.500-505. In Alaska v. Babbitt, Gov. Hickel attempted to right the affront to the State’s authority over its lands and management of fish and game. AS 38.05.500 was clearly a nullification of what the Hickel Administration perceived as an overreach by Congress into the State’s ownership and authority over the lands in Alaska.
AS 38.05.500. Electorate Determinations: The people of the State of Alaska determine that: (1) the intent of the framers of the Constitution of the United States was to guarantee to each of the states sovereignty over all matters within its boundaries except for those powers specifically granted to the United States as agent of the states; (2) the attempted imposition upon the State of Alaska by the Congress of the United States of a requirement in the Statehood Act that the State of Alaska and its people "disclaim all right and title to any land or other property not granted or confirmed to the state or its political subdivisions by or under the authority of this Act, the right or title to which is held by the United States or is subject to disposition by the United States," as a condition precedent to acceptance of Alaska into the Union, was an act beyond the power of the Congress of the United States and is thus void; (3) the purported right of ownership and control of the public land in the State of Alaska by the United States is without foundation and violates the clear intent of the Constitution of the United States; and (4) the exercise of that dominion and control of the public land in the State of Alaska by the United States works a severe, continuous and debilitating hardship upon the people of the State of Alaska.”
Miner Carey Mills from Fairbanks normally accesses his mining claims near Eagle using the historic 40 Mile Station-Eagle Trail recognized by the State under RS2477 rights of way. The BLM has closed the road in spite of the State’s recognition and historic use. The State has refused to assert its rights in maintaining the use of the trail.
With Governor Parnell’s silence on the Jim Wilde case, and the State’s refusal assert its rights in the Carey Mills case, there is now a complete and utter abrogation of the State’s sovereignty under the Parnell Administration.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
The lights still will not come on . . .
The 500mmcf per day line, the so called bullet line, Harry Noah's bullet line, the pipeline that "doesn't pencil"--make economic sense--is a dead end.
There is only one permitted, dedicated right of way to tidewater, the one mile corridor created with TAPS.
I have never seen 61 people try so hard to ignore the obvious in the face of overwhelming information available as to the market for LNG, the route, and the economics.
"We have to do something to get gas to south central and Fairbanks, why there is a crisis coming,” cry the pols.
Squandering $214M to do nothing on project that is not viable is doing something? It is admitted by Chennault and Hawker that the State will have to subsidize the natural transported in that line, because the volume is too low and would raise the cost to consumers. It would be cheaper to import gas . . . from Russia.
The Legislature and the Governor need to have an epiphany to cover their ignoring the obvious and declare "now I see, now I see" and commit to the only project that is economically viable, the all-Alaska natural gas pipeline to Valdez, with the 250mmcf per day spur to the Enstar hub at Palmer. The gas liquids would be pulled off at FBKS, giving the interior new industry and fuels for the Bush.
What State ‘leader’ would ignore the ongoing benefits of the gas liquids used in-state? More importantly, why. Value added resource development has been the Holy Grail of Alaska’s resource development forever. Cheap energy will make possible what is otherwise too expensive. The impact would be tremendously beneficial to our agriculture, mining and timber sectors.
Maybe, former Gov. Sarah Palin can apologize to Alaskans for sticking it to them with AGIA after campaigning on the all-Alaska natural gas pipeline to the governor’s office.
I wonder if dear Sarah has promised Gov. Sean Parnell a seat in her cabinet so long as he continues AGIA so that she can claim “expertise” of oil and gas development as part of her grandiose scheme to become Sarah the First, Queen and President? She must have done so, as no rational, prudent human being of sound mind would continue with AGIA in the face of shale gas and the burgeoning LNG market.
In order to get out of the AGIA dead end, the State would have to declare AGIA uneconomical and prepare for a potential court battle. Or, continue to roll the dice with the end of TAPS. Gas development would spur more oil development.
Leadership is what is needed, but leadership is not what we have.
Instead, we have Mike Chennault and Mike Hawker's questionable melding of AHFC, the ARR, Noah's former group, and a committee of legislators comprising the Alaska Gas Development Corporation promoting a pipeline that everyone says is too expensive and must be subsidized forever. They created an unholy abomination of State and quasi-State corporations, all of which had no gas development mandate until Chennault and Hawker pushed it through to unseeing, unknowing and apparently, uninterested Legislature.
Meanwhile, AS 41.41 is ignored which created the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority and the all-Alaska natural gas pipeline.
What is so hard about all of this that these fine folks in our Legislature cannot understand? LNG is the market, we have 40 years of history with the Japanese on LNG deliveries, why are we not taking advantage of our opportunities?
Like the Japanese want to deal with the . . . Russians? Or, the ME?
We need leadership in Juneau, not someone who has violated their oath of office with the appointment of two legislators to cabinet posts in violation of the law. Gov. Sean Parnell should be impeached for what he did in the Therriault and Dahlstrom cases. However, no one in the
Legislature has the cojones to step up in defense of the constitutional affront by this governor.
And, we pay the price with $200M more going down a rat hole just to make a couple of politicians 'feel good'.
Our opportunities on the world market wane as time passes and our leaders look for “inspiration”, all the while ignoring the obvious.
There is only one permitted, dedicated right of way to tidewater, the one mile corridor created with TAPS.
I have never seen 61 people try so hard to ignore the obvious in the face of overwhelming information available as to the market for LNG, the route, and the economics.
"We have to do something to get gas to south central and Fairbanks, why there is a crisis coming,” cry the pols.
Squandering $214M to do nothing on project that is not viable is doing something? It is admitted by Chennault and Hawker that the State will have to subsidize the natural transported in that line, because the volume is too low and would raise the cost to consumers. It would be cheaper to import gas . . . from Russia.
The Legislature and the Governor need to have an epiphany to cover their ignoring the obvious and declare "now I see, now I see" and commit to the only project that is economically viable, the all-Alaska natural gas pipeline to Valdez, with the 250mmcf per day spur to the Enstar hub at Palmer. The gas liquids would be pulled off at FBKS, giving the interior new industry and fuels for the Bush.
What State ‘leader’ would ignore the ongoing benefits of the gas liquids used in-state? More importantly, why. Value added resource development has been the Holy Grail of Alaska’s resource development forever. Cheap energy will make possible what is otherwise too expensive. The impact would be tremendously beneficial to our agriculture, mining and timber sectors.
Maybe, former Gov. Sarah Palin can apologize to Alaskans for sticking it to them with AGIA after campaigning on the all-Alaska natural gas pipeline to the governor’s office.
I wonder if dear Sarah has promised Gov. Sean Parnell a seat in her cabinet so long as he continues AGIA so that she can claim “expertise” of oil and gas development as part of her grandiose scheme to become Sarah the First, Queen and President? She must have done so, as no rational, prudent human being of sound mind would continue with AGIA in the face of shale gas and the burgeoning LNG market.
In order to get out of the AGIA dead end, the State would have to declare AGIA uneconomical and prepare for a potential court battle. Or, continue to roll the dice with the end of TAPS. Gas development would spur more oil development.
Leadership is what is needed, but leadership is not what we have.
Instead, we have Mike Chennault and Mike Hawker's questionable melding of AHFC, the ARR, Noah's former group, and a committee of legislators comprising the Alaska Gas Development Corporation promoting a pipeline that everyone says is too expensive and must be subsidized forever. They created an unholy abomination of State and quasi-State corporations, all of which had no gas development mandate until Chennault and Hawker pushed it through to unseeing, unknowing and apparently, uninterested Legislature.
Meanwhile, AS 41.41 is ignored which created the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority and the all-Alaska natural gas pipeline.
What is so hard about all of this that these fine folks in our Legislature cannot understand? LNG is the market, we have 40 years of history with the Japanese on LNG deliveries, why are we not taking advantage of our opportunities?
Like the Japanese want to deal with the . . . Russians? Or, the ME?
We need leadership in Juneau, not someone who has violated their oath of office with the appointment of two legislators to cabinet posts in violation of the law. Gov. Sean Parnell should be impeached for what he did in the Therriault and Dahlstrom cases. However, no one in the
Legislature has the cojones to step up in defense of the constitutional affront by this governor.
And, we pay the price with $200M more going down a rat hole just to make a couple of politicians 'feel good'.
Our opportunities on the world market wane as time passes and our leaders look for “inspiration”, all the while ignoring the obvious.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
The TSA is not making our skies safer
The Transportation Safety Administration is an oxymoron.
What the TSA does is not security.
The TSA serves to prevent the offending of those who should receive the strictest scrutiny from any transportation security system. Instead, TSA appears to be about harassment, intimidation, and sexual abuse of anyone but. With the new pat down policy, the TSA is a pervert’s dream come true.
One has to wonder if the individual doing the extensive, invasive and perverse, and illegal pat down might be getting a thrill out of the situation. How many of the TSA’s agents are active homosexuals and/or pedophiles?
Even former Governor Joe Foss of South Dakota, a Medal of Honor recipient for acts of courage in WWII, was forced to remove his medal, because the morons of the TSA believed the points on the Star could be used as a weapon. They actually wanted to take his medal from him. Insane. And, yet, Americans stood and watched this happen instead of reacting with outrage and shame.
Same for the molestation of small children and older Americans in the name of “safety”, while the Muslims of military age continue on unmolested.
Have we become so jaded that our most sacred rights can be abused without comment or protest?
The leadership of every anti-western jihadist group has to laugh at this absurdity.
Anyone who has been sexually or physically abused has to suffer serious trauma from this egregious violation of their person and civil rights that is the TSA screening process.
The same for women who have had mastectomies.
Further, the radiation levels from the full body scanners is now being questioned by the scientific community. The exposure to which increases the potential for skin cancer.
So, now, we not only have to allow and to endure molestation suffered because of the illegal suspension of our civil rights in this “zone of the TSA” and in the name of a placebo practice instead of effective security measures, but we have to suffer additional risk of skin cancer so that Michael Chertoff can make a buck?
If the emphasis is put where the problem is, 95 year old women and small children would not have to be molested in the name of political correctness.
Travel by commercial air would be safer.
The traveling public would not have to be subjected to clear and egregious violations of their 4th, 5th, 9th and 14th Amendment rights that is the TSA and its unconstitutional, perverted, idiotic and ineffective practices.
Muslims are a security risk by virtue of the tenets of Islam, and should be the primary focus of any security efforts at our airports. It is the result of the acts of Muslims on 9-11 and after that caused the formation of the TSA.
It seems to me, that Rep. Sharon Cissna, who suffered indignities no individual should have to undergo at the hands of the TSA, should introduce legislation to end TSA’s role in Alaska.
This act of political courage would place Alaska at the forefront of the sovereignty issue and show the feds that our Constitutional rights are valued above all at the State level.
There is absolutely no function of the TSA at our airports, which cannot be replaced by the State’s Airport Police, or, to make use of a very underused and available resource, even the Alaska State Defense Force could be used.
Eliminate the invasive searches, keep the metal scanners, use profiling and behavioral cues—in other words, adopt the proven and effective Israeli method of screening passengers.
Ted Stevens International Airport is State of Alaska property, not that of the federal government; the presence of the TSA is a violation of the 10th Amendment.
Were there to be State legislation introduced to protect Alaskans and to eliminate the TSA, would the feds cut of funding of any sort?
Did the federal DOT or Congress cut off funding for Montana’s highways after the enactment of the National Maximum Speed Limit? During this period, Montana maintained its 70 plus speed limits without penalty from the federal DOT.
There will be nothing beyond threats, as what is currently being done by the TSA to law abiding Americans is to violate and abuse the many to avoid offending the few.
It is time this affront to the rights and dignity of the majority that is the TSA ends.
It is time that our State leadership acted where our congressional leadership and our President will not.
What the TSA does is not security.
The TSA serves to prevent the offending of those who should receive the strictest scrutiny from any transportation security system. Instead, TSA appears to be about harassment, intimidation, and sexual abuse of anyone but. With the new pat down policy, the TSA is a pervert’s dream come true.
One has to wonder if the individual doing the extensive, invasive and perverse, and illegal pat down might be getting a thrill out of the situation. How many of the TSA’s agents are active homosexuals and/or pedophiles?
Even former Governor Joe Foss of South Dakota, a Medal of Honor recipient for acts of courage in WWII, was forced to remove his medal, because the morons of the TSA believed the points on the Star could be used as a weapon. They actually wanted to take his medal from him. Insane. And, yet, Americans stood and watched this happen instead of reacting with outrage and shame.
Same for the molestation of small children and older Americans in the name of “safety”, while the Muslims of military age continue on unmolested.
Have we become so jaded that our most sacred rights can be abused without comment or protest?
The leadership of every anti-western jihadist group has to laugh at this absurdity.
Anyone who has been sexually or physically abused has to suffer serious trauma from this egregious violation of their person and civil rights that is the TSA screening process.
The same for women who have had mastectomies.
Further, the radiation levels from the full body scanners is now being questioned by the scientific community. The exposure to which increases the potential for skin cancer.
So, now, we not only have to allow and to endure molestation suffered because of the illegal suspension of our civil rights in this “zone of the TSA” and in the name of a placebo practice instead of effective security measures, but we have to suffer additional risk of skin cancer so that Michael Chertoff can make a buck?
If the emphasis is put where the problem is, 95 year old women and small children would not have to be molested in the name of political correctness.
Travel by commercial air would be safer.
The traveling public would not have to be subjected to clear and egregious violations of their 4th, 5th, 9th and 14th Amendment rights that is the TSA and its unconstitutional, perverted, idiotic and ineffective practices.
Muslims are a security risk by virtue of the tenets of Islam, and should be the primary focus of any security efforts at our airports. It is the result of the acts of Muslims on 9-11 and after that caused the formation of the TSA.
It seems to me, that Rep. Sharon Cissna, who suffered indignities no individual should have to undergo at the hands of the TSA, should introduce legislation to end TSA’s role in Alaska.
This act of political courage would place Alaska at the forefront of the sovereignty issue and show the feds that our Constitutional rights are valued above all at the State level.
There is absolutely no function of the TSA at our airports, which cannot be replaced by the State’s Airport Police, or, to make use of a very underused and available resource, even the Alaska State Defense Force could be used.
Eliminate the invasive searches, keep the metal scanners, use profiling and behavioral cues—in other words, adopt the proven and effective Israeli method of screening passengers.
Ted Stevens International Airport is State of Alaska property, not that of the federal government; the presence of the TSA is a violation of the 10th Amendment.
Were there to be State legislation introduced to protect Alaskans and to eliminate the TSA, would the feds cut of funding of any sort?
Did the federal DOT or Congress cut off funding for Montana’s highways after the enactment of the National Maximum Speed Limit? During this period, Montana maintained its 70 plus speed limits without penalty from the federal DOT.
There will be nothing beyond threats, as what is currently being done by the TSA to law abiding Americans is to violate and abuse the many to avoid offending the few.
It is time this affront to the rights and dignity of the majority that is the TSA ends.
It is time that our State leadership acted where our congressional leadership and our President will not.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Pig oil used in our military's weapons?
Pig oil comprises a percentage of the small arms gun oil used by the United States military. That means that everyone of those jihadi's martyred are not going to paradise . . . BIG SMILEY FACE GOES HERE!
According to the London Daily Mail, that's the case.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1393679/Did-pork-coated-bullet-kill-Bin-Laden-Yes-says-firm-claim-pig-fat-gun-oil-bought-U-S-military-personnel.html
EVERY LAST ONE OF THOSE SCUZZ BALL RAGHEAD TERRORIST SOBS SHOT BY OUR TROOPS DID NOT GO TO PARADISE!
HOOAH!!!!!!!
According to the London Daily Mail, that's the case.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1393679/Did-pork-coated-bullet-kill-Bin-Laden-Yes-says-firm-claim-pig-fat-gun-oil-bought-U-S-military-personnel.html
EVERY LAST ONE OF THOSE SCUZZ BALL RAGHEAD TERRORIST SOBS SHOT BY OUR TROOPS DID NOT GO TO PARADISE!
HOOAH!!!!!!!
Monday, May 30, 2011
Parnell and ACES . . . too little, too late?
The Legislature starts its second special session, still without a budget, still without any Alaska’s Clear and Equitable Share (ACES) revisions, and without agreeing to continue coastal zone management. Thus far, a very good reason to file thirteen our entire Legislature in the next two election cycles. Unfortunately, we voters will forget about the State’s issues with the windup to the 2012 Presidential race. There is more news about former Governor Sarah Palin than about the incredible failures on the part of Legislature.
Gov. Parnell has vowed to keep fighting to reduce the rates oil companies pay under the current ACES law. ACES was passed during Gov. Sarah Palin’s unfortunately not brief enough gubernatorial administration. It should be remembered, that our Gov. Sean Parnell was then Gov. Sarah Palin’s Lt. Governor. A first belated step towards ‘independence’ from Palin for Parnell?
Gov. Parnell is a former State legislator who became an oil company lobbyist in Juneau after this tenure in the State Senate and House. That he would try to reduce the impact upon the oil companies is not surprising, but, a bit late.
In case no one has noticed, the oil flowing through the TAPS is declining to the point of no return, meaning that it will no longer be economically viable to move oil down the pipeline because of the declining volume of oil, and the point at which there can be no restart of the pipeline system if there is a shutdown for any reason. The last shut down last winter was a touch and go in terms of restarting the flow of oil. Alyeska’s president Thomas Barrett stated in a public radio interview that Alyeska was very concerned about the ability to restart oil flowing after the shutdown for a broken pipe at Pump Station 1 in January of this year. He went on to say that it was touch and go as to whether or not the pipeline would restart. He further estimated that within the next four to five years at the most, operating levels of 500,000 barrels or less would be reached at which point, Alyeska’s engineers believed that restarting the pipeline after a shut down would not be possible. It was also disclosed that TAPS has suffered up to an 80% deterioration in the walls of the pipe. This would mean a lengthy replacement of pipe in order to extend the life of TAPS, should methods and technology prove that recovery of the heavy oil under Prudhoe can be accomplished in economic quantities.
BP announced a heavy oil R&D recovery project well had demonstrated the viability of recovering heavy oil under the North Slope. There is an estimated 20 billion barrels of heavy crude yet to be recovered from legacy fields at Prudhoe and the surrounding area comprised of heavy oil. BP has been tight lipped about this project, having made only the one press release earlier this year. Heavy crude recovery is the most likely candidate for increasing the flow of oil through TAPS.
Off shore oil is another potential, but only if the Obama Administration figures out that the only way to reduce gasoline prices to the consumer is by increasing the amount of crude available in the market place.
The impact of oil shale recovery will soon be felt in the market place in much the same manner as the impact of shale gas on the natural gas market Outside and in Canada. Already, significant discoveries and returns are turning the Bakken oil shale in North Dakota into developments whose potential may exceed that of Prudhoe Bay in the early days of its development. Recent activity in Texas is proving out the viability of oil shale recovery there, turning depressed areas into boom towns, a welcome change from the impact of an ongoing recession. It is estimated that if the oil shale development continues at the present pace, within the next 20 years Middle East oil will not be needed in the U.S. domestic market.
If car manufacturers would produce vehicles fueled by natural gas for urban areas, that time frame may be halved or reduced even further. In which case, we would no longer have to take in the Wahabbist element from Saudi Arabia that George H. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush decided the U.S. could absorb to keep Saudi Arabia’s oil flowing. The Bush-Clinton-Bush policy of taking in extremist religious fanatics from Saudi Arabia under the student visa program has been a policy that is a direct threat to our national security.
Gov. Sean Parnell’s desire to reduce the ACES tax rates may be too little too late, just as the delays in deciding upon a reasonable natural gas pipeline option has ended Alaska’s role as a potential major player in either the domestic gas market or the world LNG market. The same can now be said for shale oil.
To the Governor’s credit, at least he is backing a positive option. Whether or not reducing ACES will have any impact upon Alaska’s oil production remains to be seen.
Whether or not there will be sufficient oil production increases within the next five years to keep TAPS in operation is the question. With the shutdown of TAPS, so also ends 90% of the State’s revenues. Alaska will be a far different place within five years of the shutdown of TAPS.
Gov. Parnell has vowed to keep fighting to reduce the rates oil companies pay under the current ACES law. ACES was passed during Gov. Sarah Palin’s unfortunately not brief enough gubernatorial administration. It should be remembered, that our Gov. Sean Parnell was then Gov. Sarah Palin’s Lt. Governor. A first belated step towards ‘independence’ from Palin for Parnell?
Gov. Parnell is a former State legislator who became an oil company lobbyist in Juneau after this tenure in the State Senate and House. That he would try to reduce the impact upon the oil companies is not surprising, but, a bit late.
In case no one has noticed, the oil flowing through the TAPS is declining to the point of no return, meaning that it will no longer be economically viable to move oil down the pipeline because of the declining volume of oil, and the point at which there can be no restart of the pipeline system if there is a shutdown for any reason. The last shut down last winter was a touch and go in terms of restarting the flow of oil. Alyeska’s president Thomas Barrett stated in a public radio interview that Alyeska was very concerned about the ability to restart oil flowing after the shutdown for a broken pipe at Pump Station 1 in January of this year. He went on to say that it was touch and go as to whether or not the pipeline would restart. He further estimated that within the next four to five years at the most, operating levels of 500,000 barrels or less would be reached at which point, Alyeska’s engineers believed that restarting the pipeline after a shut down would not be possible. It was also disclosed that TAPS has suffered up to an 80% deterioration in the walls of the pipe. This would mean a lengthy replacement of pipe in order to extend the life of TAPS, should methods and technology prove that recovery of the heavy oil under Prudhoe can be accomplished in economic quantities.
BP announced a heavy oil R&D recovery project well had demonstrated the viability of recovering heavy oil under the North Slope. There is an estimated 20 billion barrels of heavy crude yet to be recovered from legacy fields at Prudhoe and the surrounding area comprised of heavy oil. BP has been tight lipped about this project, having made only the one press release earlier this year. Heavy crude recovery is the most likely candidate for increasing the flow of oil through TAPS.
Off shore oil is another potential, but only if the Obama Administration figures out that the only way to reduce gasoline prices to the consumer is by increasing the amount of crude available in the market place.
The impact of oil shale recovery will soon be felt in the market place in much the same manner as the impact of shale gas on the natural gas market Outside and in Canada. Already, significant discoveries and returns are turning the Bakken oil shale in North Dakota into developments whose potential may exceed that of Prudhoe Bay in the early days of its development. Recent activity in Texas is proving out the viability of oil shale recovery there, turning depressed areas into boom towns, a welcome change from the impact of an ongoing recession. It is estimated that if the oil shale development continues at the present pace, within the next 20 years Middle East oil will not be needed in the U.S. domestic market.
If car manufacturers would produce vehicles fueled by natural gas for urban areas, that time frame may be halved or reduced even further. In which case, we would no longer have to take in the Wahabbist element from Saudi Arabia that George H. Bush, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush decided the U.S. could absorb to keep Saudi Arabia’s oil flowing. The Bush-Clinton-Bush policy of taking in extremist religious fanatics from Saudi Arabia under the student visa program has been a policy that is a direct threat to our national security.
Gov. Sean Parnell’s desire to reduce the ACES tax rates may be too little too late, just as the delays in deciding upon a reasonable natural gas pipeline option has ended Alaska’s role as a potential major player in either the domestic gas market or the world LNG market. The same can now be said for shale oil.
To the Governor’s credit, at least he is backing a positive option. Whether or not reducing ACES will have any impact upon Alaska’s oil production remains to be seen.
Whether or not there will be sufficient oil production increases within the next five years to keep TAPS in operation is the question. With the shutdown of TAPS, so also ends 90% of the State’s revenues. Alaska will be a far different place within five years of the shutdown of TAPS.
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