Posted on 06/25/2006 9:18:05 AM PDT by BenLurkin
ANCHORAGE, Alaska, June 23 (Reuters) - Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski aims to negotiate a revised contract for a $20 billion natural gas pipeline before a general election in November, a top aide said on Friday.
The Republican governor may alter about 15 points in the initial pipeline contract he negotiated with ConocoPhillips (COP.N: Quote, Profile, Research), BP (BP.L: Quote, Profile, Research) and Exxon Mobil (XOM.N: Quote, Profile, Research) earlier this year in response to public comment and criticism, said Jim Clark, Murkowski's chief of staff.
"(The hope is that) we'll be able to get the various provisions renegotiated and come back with that before the general election with a proposal that's ratifiable," Clark said at a Juneau news conference.
The gas pipeline is a decades-long dream of Alaska officials. It would run about 3,500 miles (5,633 km) from the northern part of the state to the lower 48 U.S. states and provide a means for shipping the North Slope's known 35 trillion cubic feet of natural gas.
Murkowski, who is running for re-election and faces stiff competition in the Republican primary, plans to push forth with negotiations for changes to the contract even if he loses his party's nomination, said Clark.
All of Murkowski's major rivals, including former Democratic Gov. Tony Knowles, have criticized his gas pipeline deal as overly generous to the oil companies and a sacrifice of important state powers.
The governor may shorten the freeze on the state's oil taxes to 14 years from the proposed 30 years, said Clark, who is also Alaska's chief negotiator with oil companies for the pipeline contract.
The three oil companies know the state wants to change parts of the contract, but no agreements have been reached, Clark sa
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Binckley is stiff competition in the Interior, Palin in the South Central. Murkowski has a lot of baggage even though he has done well with the Natural Gas Pipeline negotiations.
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