00 Enrolled HCR 2                                                                                                          
01 Urging Governor Murkowski to take quick action to conduct, approve, or sanction a study of                              
02 in-state natural gas needs and take-off points for intrastate use of natural gas transported in a                       
03 North Slope natural gas pipeline.                                                                                       
04                                          _______________                                                                
05 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                             
06      WHEREAS both the economic and fiscal future of the State of Alaska are closely tied                              
07 to the commercialization of North Slope gas; and                                                                        
08      WHEREAS the current climate of rising national demand for natural gas combined                                   
09 with declining natural gas reserves has created a loud call for Alaska's energy resources; and                          
10      WHEREAS the United States Congress has heard that call and answered with                                         
11 financial backing and direction for a regulatory regime for a project to bring Alaska's North                           
12 Slope gas to the lower 48 states; and                                                                                   
13      WHEREAS the United States Congress has also mandated that any project to bring                                   
14 Alaska gas to the lower 48 states must also be designed to accommodate deliveries of Alaska                             
15 gas to markets in Alaska, and has required that any pipeline sponsor study the needs of Alaska                          
16 for natural gas and the take-off points that will be required to maximize the value of gas to                           
17 serve Alaska gas markets; and                                                                                           
01      WHEREAS, on February 9, 2005, the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, in its                                 
02 Order No. 2005, issued final rules requiring that project sponsors of any Alaska gas pipeline                           
03 must rely on a study of Alaska in-state needs and take-off points as a part of the initial "open                        
04 season" process to design pipeline capacity needs, locate in-state delivery points, and                                 
05 calculate in-state transportation costs as part of a plan of design and construction of an Alaska                       
06 natural gas pipeline; and                                                                                               
07      WHEREAS the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission has also required that the                                      
08 study shall, to the extent practicable, be conducted, approved, or otherwise sanctioned by the                          
09 appropriate governmental agency, office, or commission of the State of Alaska; and                                      
10      WHEREAS the rules that were set out in the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission                                  
11 Order No. 2005 will be brought into force 90 days after being posted in the Federal Register;                           
12      BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges Governor Murkowski to                                     
13 take quick action to conduct, approve, or sanction a study of in-state natural gas needs and                            
14 take-off points for intrastate use of natural gas transported in a North Slope natural gas                              
15 pipeline, with the objective that the study be completed before the final rules relating to the                         
16 Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline take effect on the 90th day following the publication in the                                
17 Federal Register of the rules adopted by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission in its                                
18 Order No. 2005.