Former governors warn against pipeline

ANCHORAGE, Alaska, July 11 (UPI) -- Two former Alaska governors are cautioning state lawmakers on giving TransCanada Corp. a license for a gas pipeline.

While former Gov. Tony Knowles wants legislators to postpone the decision and have TransCanada negotiate with the oil companies that have their own pipeline project, former Gov. Wally Hickel wants to deny the proposal.

The Alaska state Legislature is currently in special session, considering a bevy of energy-related measures.

Republican Gov. Sarah Palin, however, wants to give TransCanada the pipeline license and a $500 million subsidy to pursue construction on the project, the Anchorage (Alaska) Daily News reported Friday.

"Why turn over control of a resource this valuable to a foreign country?" Hickel said in a statement. "If TransCanada gets the license, they and their government will determine when it will be built, who gets the jobs, how much it will be taxed ... and how our gas will be used."