How does “Owning a Piece of the Pipe” help a pipeline get built?
This proposal provides a partial answer to a recent Alaska Natural Gas Development Corporation report (see http://www.alaskajournal.com/stories/081310/oil_lrc.shtml), which noted that significant equity or state subsidies must be invested in any pipeline that will serve Alaskan homes and business at affordable rates. This idea for individual ownership could replace the need for state subsidies. Importantly, funds invested in GAP send a strong, positive signal to financial markets and to potential partners about Alaskan commitment to developing our gas, which helps attract additional financing. This plan is unique in that it allows individual Alaskans to participate in the private market for this project. As it stands now, only the oil companies and large pipeline companies stand a shot at owning a piece of the pipeline. Unless we do something dramatic to reset the debate, individual Alaskans will be shut out from “Owning a Piece of the Pipe.” In addition, the concept harnesses the powe