Could the Gulf oil spill spur the Alaska gas pipeline?
Two years ago, construction began at last on the Alaska natural gas pipeline first envisioned by President Jimmy Carter in the 1970s — or so then-Alaska governor and vice presidential hopeful Sarah Palin told the Republican National Convention in St. Paul. Her Minnesota-twanged voice full of hope, Palin stood before the party faithful to detail her efforts to “bring about the largest private-sector infrastructure project in North American history. And when that deal was struck, we began a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence.” Palin might have been excused for her overstatement. Not a spade of dirt had been turned, but the 30-year-old dream of a gas pipeline from the American Arctic to the American Plains did at one point under her leadership appear to be moving forward. But then, the pipeline promising clean, environmentally friendly natural gas for America has several times appeared to be moving forward only to stall and fade from sight
