ANOTHER FRONT PAGE AP HIT PIECE:Palin pipeline terms curbed bids

AP-Front Page ^ | 10-25-2008 | JUSTIN PRITCHARD and GARANCE BURKE

[My Favorite Headache]

Gov. Sarah Palin's signature accomplishment — a contract to build a 1,715-mile pipeline to bring natural gas from Alaska to the Lower 48 — emerged from a flawed bidding process that narrowed the field to a company with ties to her administration, an Associated Press investigation shows.

Beginning at the Republican National Convention in August, the McCain-Palin ticket has touted the pipeline as an example of how it would help America achieve energy independence.

"We're building a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline, which is North America's largest and most expensive infrastructure project ever, to flow those sources of energy into hungry markets," Palin said during the Oct. 2 vice presidential debate.

Despite Palin's boast of a smart and fair bidding process, the AP found that her team crafted terms that favored only a few independent pipeline companies and ultimately benefited the winner, TransCanada Corp.

And contrary to the ballyhoo, there's no guarantee the pipeline will ever be built; at a minimum, any project is years away, as TransCanada must first overcome major financial and regulatory hurdles.

In interviews and a review of records, the AP found:

_Instead of creating a process that would attract many potential builders, Palin slanted the terms away from an important group — the global energy giants that own the rights to the gas.

_Despite promises and legal guidance not to talk directly with potential bidders, Palin had meetings or phone calls with nearly every major candidate, including TransCanada.

_The leader of Palin's pipeline team had been a partner at a lobbying firm where she worked on behalf of a TransCanada subsidiary. Also, that woman's former business partner at the lobbying firm was TransCanada's lead private lobbyist on the pipeline deal, interacting with legislators in the weeks before the vote to grant TransCanada the contract.

[My Favorite Headache]

Let me go on record AGAIN. The AP is the most biased organization of supposed “journalists” who lean 85/15 DEM/LIB/SOCIALIST.

They are a f-cking disgrace to the news business and they have spent about 2% of the time on Obama where they have spent 98% of their time in Alaska digging up ANYTHING they can on Sarah Palin.

Hey AP...You want to go digging for Obama? Try Free Republic. We will give you your launching ground and save you travel and business costs your worthless piles of crap.

[Onerom99]

Don’t hold your breath. The media is selecting our president for us.

[Parley Baer]

To put it nicely I despise the msm.

[ccmay]

I think it is a good idea to keep the big energy conglomerates' hands off the valves carrying their product to market. I recall reading that this was definitely by deliberate design on the part of Sarah and her team, because they felt that the big boys had corrupted the process to their own benefit and stood to achieve a stranglehold over the pipeline operation. To me, this is a demonstration of her independence and good judgment, not a slam against her.

You'd think that at a time when oil companies rate about the same as child molesters in the eyes of the public, and everyone is on the watch for Enron-style market manipulation, it ought to be an easy case for Sarah to make.

-ccm

[gop4lyf]

This so called stories will be coming hard and heavy for the next 10 days.

[tiredoflaundry]

For someone with no experience, in charge of an insignificant state such as Alaska, who basically did nothing,she sure does get a lot of press on all the things the AP disagrees with! ;0)

[frogjerk]

HALIBURTON! - there, do you feel better Olberman?

[roses of sharon]

http://hotair.com/archives/2008/10/25/narn-the-10-days-out-edition-with-live-video-streaming/

NARN, the 10 Days Out Edition, listen to The Patriot (with live video streaming!)

Tune in to OUR media!

[Question_Assumptions]

And what they leave out is why the gas pipeline hasn’t been built nor do they seem to take seriously Palin’s point about the producers owning the pipeline. But the article hints at the truth when it says that the oil companies opted out of the bidding when they couldn’t accept the terms. They didn’t like the conditions so they took their ball and went home. It’s not Palin’s fault that they didn’t bid. It was their fault.

[ASOC]

Why is this considered news? When the AGIA was first put out out, it was "intuitively obvious to even a casual observer” that TransCAnada was to get the contract.

The head of the pipeline agency - the one who poisoned the deal Frankie had cut - was a former employee.

There are only a few high level ‘insiders’ in the oil and gas business, either you hire them to work for you or you see them across the table working against you.

The insiders working for Alaska got a good enough deal, considering the alternate would be no pipeline.....

Some might consider it corrupt - others, doing business in hard times.

[nralife]

The AP taking sides with Big Oil!

Pigs really are flying. Look out the window.

[Navy Patriot]

The AP spins to the lie every time.

Bad idea to have the giants that own the gas also own the pipeline. This is what Russia has accomplished in Europe, and Europe is screwed supply AND price wise.

Good idea to find contractors that REALLY want to get the pipeline built, correctly and quickly, not those that want to pay prevailing highest union wages possible, and highest fees possible to environmental obstructs. That's how little old ladies in Buffalo NY freeze to death come winter.

AP= A**hole Presstitutes

[Crystal Cove]

The fifth sentence in the article above states why the pipeline hasn’t been built. You don’t even have to go to the link.

[cgk]

So everyone who never wanted the pipeline used in the first place because oil people have no standards... cause y’know, oil is EEEEEEEVVVVIILLLLLL... they’re now complaining because she had standards before she’d allow the pipeline?

[purplelobster]

I’m unfamiliar with this phony scandal, but after reading the article my guess would be that the journalists source is probably some corrupt Union Boss desperately trying to conjure up scandal and still sore that they weren’t able to bribe Palin into getting a cut of the action.

[Old North State]

The AP has a right to their opinion, but they have no right to present it as fact. This is not news or reporting. It is opinion based on conclusions from partisan ‘journalists’ with no expertise or experience in the subject matter and without any rebuttal from the people engaged in the matter. This is a smear done by people with no integrity operating in a field without standards, AKA journalism.

[jessduntno]

In a related story, AP is looking into flagrant descrimination against Racing Goats at Santa Anita Park.

“Thouroughbreds are chosen over these goats at all times. The selection process is deliberately intended to weed out the goats. The goats cannot compete.”

[freebilly]

Instead of creating a process that would attract many potential builders, Palin slanted the terms away from an important group — the global energy giants that own the rights to the gas.

I'm upset about this? Why?

[RandallFlagg]

I’ll repeat what I posted on a different thread:

Funny how the enemedia can get all of the personal information on a man who questioned Obama on his tax scheme -even employing information gathered illegally from government computers, yet they aren’t looking into this lunatic illegally attempting to paint McCain supporters as racist nuts