JUNEAU, Alaska, March 19 (UPI) -- Alaskan lawmakers called for state funds to target the development of an in-state natural gas pipeline from energy-rich North Slope fields to the state's south.
Former U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, testified before Alaskan lawmakers in support of a bill that would put the state-owned Alaska Railroad Corp. in charge of an in-state gas pipeline.
The state Senate bill would give the Alaska Railroad Corp. the authority to finance, build and operate the natural gas pipeline. The legislation would grant the railroad authority to look overseas for financing to ease the burden on Alaskan taxpayers as well.
Stevens said it was time for Alaska to take control of its natural resources or face tough economic times, the Anchorage Daily News reports.
"Unless something starts this year, the economy of our state is going to go downhill very rapidly," he said.
His support is in contrast to his past lauding of a gas line through Canada. That project faces obstacles because of alternative gas supplies in the Lower 48, notably from gas locked in rock formations.
Opponents said it was too early to abandon plans for the Lower 48 adopted under former Gov. Sarah Palin. TransCanada and Denali, a joint venture between BP and ConocoPhillips, are competing for the natural gas pipeline from the Alaskan North Slope to the Lower 48 states.
