Open Season

Thursday's hearing on the bullet line in Juneau is yet again a reminder of all the choices facing Alaska with no clear answers about the tradeoffs But expect to hear plenty about that during the upcoming political season. When Ted Stevens made his announcement on Friday in support of the bullet line, you could almost hear the bells go off in the boxing ring, with candidates in the Republican primary seizing the opportunity to score some political points. As Ralph Samuels makes the rounds as a candidate for governor, the gas line is ever the topic of conversation.

by The Associated Press Thursday, March 4, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Back-to-back open seasons are expected for competing natural gas pipelines in Alaska. Denali project hopes to begin courting potential gas shippers and securing commitments in July, after a filing with federal regulators next month. If timelines hold, the open season would immediately follow one planned by TransCanada Corp. and Exxon Mobil Corp. Denali is a joint venture between BP and ConocoPhillips.

by Ted Land Monday, February 01, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- TransCanada is on the ground in Juneau this week trying to answer questions about what the next six months will hold for the gas line project. Open season is coming up and lawmakers have some very specific questions. Six TransCanada officials are in Juneau, including Vice President Tony Palmer who's in charge of development in Alaska. The officials are making the rounds to various committee meetings and started with the House Resources Committee Monday afternoon.

by Rhonda McBride Thursday, January 28, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- For decades, Alaskans have wondered if a natural gas line to the Lower 48 is but a pipe dream. Friday, we reach an important milestone.  TransCanada will talk about the paperwork it will file with federal regulators to kick off its open season process, a major step towards building the line. The open season is a six-month, highly technical and bureaucratic process, but necessary to get the pipeline financed.

by Channel 2 News staff Tuesday, January 12, 2010 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- A federal workshop on the natural gas pipeline Tuesday was an important symbol to many. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission reviewed the timeline for conducting an open season-- a key step in building the pipeline. If it's successful, producers will agree on terms to ship gas through the pipeline, which will signal to banks and other lenders that the pipeline is viable. "Certainly there's a lot of risks left.

by Lori Tipton Tuesday, January 27, 2009 ANCHORAGE, Alaska -- Some state Senate members were brought up to speed on the progress of the two companies competing to build a natural gas pipeline on Tuesday. The main thing lawmakers are worried about is how the falling price of natural gas will impact investment in the project. TransCanada said the more important thing is to keep the project on schedule and keep the costs down, because cost overruns will eat into the future profitability of the pipeline.