GOP rejects Bush "no rules" - Alaska Gas Pipeline ordered to South Route

[papau]

http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=politicsNews&storyID=3448536

Alaska Pipeline Route Agreed in Draft Energy Bill
Mon September 15, 2003 07:18 PM ET
By Tom Doggett and Chris Baltimore
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Republican leaders trying to hammer out a final U.S. energy bill on Monday agreed on the route for a proposed $20 billion Alaskan natural gas pipeline. Lawmakers will decide later if federal loan guarantees and natural gas price subsidies for the pipeline should be in a final bill. The 3,500-mile pipeline would follow a southern route instead of a northern route that would have pushed the project offshore into waters used for hunting whales. The Bush administration has insisted that Congress should not dictate the route to oil companies, but let economics drive companies' choice. <snip>

The route calls for the pipeline to stretch from Prudhoe Bay in northern Alaska to near Fairbanks and then along the Alaska Highway, eventually reaching Chicago.The White House has indicated support for government-backed loan guarantees for 80 percent of the project's construction costs up to $18 billion.<snip>

The draft also took on less controversial topics like hydrogen power, new coal technology and energy efficiency. Other parts of the draft bill agreed upon by Domenici and Tauzin, which will be circulated among other lawmakers, would:
* Provide $3.4 billion for fiscal years 2004 through 2006 to help
Domenici indicated last week that negotiators will "get our feet wet" with less controversial topics before moving on to upgrading the electricity grid, fighting global warming and drilling in the Arctic national Wildlife Refuge.
low-income families pay heating and cooling bills
* Provide $325 million in 2004, rising to $500 million in 2006, to weatherize homes of low-income families
* Authorize $2.15 billion by 2008 for research into producing hydrogen to power cars and generate electricity
* Allow the Energy Department to spend $2 billion to research ways to generate electricity from cleaner coal with fewer harmful emissions.
The draft will be circulated among other lawmakers. Domenici and Tauzin said they want to finalize an energy bill by early October.

[Vikingking66]

1. hmmm...confusing

Southern route or stopping whale hunting, which is better?

This is different from drilling in the wildlife refuge right?

[AndyTiedye]

4. Both

A spill would hurt the whales even if nobody is hunting them.

[Wwagsthedog]

2. Scam Alert!

Any time you see Billy Tauzin's name, you should know that some kind of fix is in. Look for the smirking grin of the exterminator behind all this.

[papau]

5. I also read con game - preserve native whale hunt? - just no Canada route

that saves billions, cause we can't trust Canadians.

[madrchsod]

3. dam another pipeline

thru the midwest. they just finished one thru here several years ago.well it puts some very skilled workers to work. dam i wish i was making their money....