Kakfwi addresses gas conference in Houston
Richard Gleeson
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Apr 04/01) - Until recently a non-contender in the high stakes pipeline planning game, support for an offshore link between Alaska's North Slope and a Mackenzie Valley pipeline is growing.
Stephen Kakfwi |
He said the move signals Alaska's acknowledgement that the offshore link is the most cost-effective way to go.
An independent study last year indicated a link to a Mackenzie Valley pipeline indicated the offshore link would be far cheaper than piping the gas to market through Alaska and the Yukon.
At the same North American Gas Strategies Conference Kakfwi spoke at, the chief negotiator for the Kaska First Nation threw a wrench into plans to develop an Alaska-Yukon pipeline.
Canadian Press reported that Kaska chief negotiator David Porter said the band will not allow a pipeline to cross lands the Kaska are claiming until the federal government begins moving more quickly to settle its land claim.
Kakfwi was criticized last year for advising the Kaska on how to deal with the Alaska-Yukon pipeline proposal.
U.S. President George Bush conceded last week if piping Alaskan gas down the Mackenzie Valley makes the most sense, then Americans should co-operate with Canada to bring gas to market.
"The read is there's no possibility (the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge) will be opened up," Kakfwi said. "He doesn't have the support in the house."
Kakfwi said the Bush administration is more concerned with getting gas to U.S. markets than with the route it takes getting there.
