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Posted on Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Wyden hits Palin on LNG Exports
Sarah Palin has promised to focus on energy independence if she becomes Vice-President, claiming she is uniquely qualified as a governor of an oil and gas state. But Senator Wyden knows differently, and is speaking out. Oregonian reporter Jeff Mapes has the story:
Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore. is making some waves with his effort to block Alaska’s shipment of liquefied natural gas to Japan and other Asian countries.
In a new article on Time Magazine’s web site, Wyden is quoted taking direct aim at Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, the Republican vice presidential nominee.
"It’s pretty outrageous to scare Americans about energy shortages while she has been approving export of billions of cubic feet of natural gas that could be providing energy to homes in Alaska and the lower 48 states," Wyden said. Last month, he asked DOE Secretary Samuel Bodman to reverse his department’s approval of the gas exports.
Alaskan officials - as well as the U.S. Department of Energy, which approved the exports - say there is no readily available domestic alternative to handle the Alaskan natural gas. And some critics are accusing Wyden of hypocrisy since he wants to give the state of Oregon the ability to block a proposed LNG site on the Columbia River.
Wyden says the Alaskan gas could be shipped to a new LNG terminal that recently opened at Costa Azul on the Baja California coast of Mexico. From there, the gas can be shipped duty-free to the U.S. through existing pipelines.
