Palin Ignored Chance to Promote US Energy Independence
As Governor, Sarah Palin has successfully maintained Alaska’s energy independence, but at the same time, she has essentially ignored the mainland’s energy concerns.
Time Magazine reports that as Governor, Palin supported the direct export of enough clean natural gas to supply 1.4 million Americans for two years.
In early 2007, an Alaskan liquefied natural gas plant owned by Marathon Oil and ConocoPhillips requested Department of Energy permission to export some of the fuel. Palin entered the discussion in April, but only to ensure that Alaska’s natural gas needs would be included in the deal.
>>More on energy independence at RG&B
An agreement was reached in January this year, and never once did Palin suggest that the natural gas should instead be used in the lower 48 states. Instead, 100 billion cubic feet of liquefied natural gas will be exported from Alaska’s Cook Inlet to Japan and other Asian countries, where the fuel sells for double what it does in America.
But this is business as usual for Alaskan natural gas: the West Coast did not have a facility to store liquefied natural gas until May 2007 when a nearly-$1 billion plant was completed along the Baja coast of Mexico. The plant is connected to the CNG pipelines that run throughout the western United States.
The project was well-known and anticipated by the energy industry, but Palin—“one of the foremost experts in this nation on energy issues”—never considered the plant as a possible destination for Alaska’s gas.
The idea that Palin is an energy expert was laughable already, but this decision showed a brash disregard for American energy independence, a cause which she champions nearly every day on the campaign trail.
Photo Credit: Bobster1985 on Flickr under Creative Commons license.
I have no intention of supporting anyone running with an ‘R’ following their name this year for multiple reasons, but Palin was possibly the worst thing McCain could have donein his quest for the White House/2008. Wanting those female votes became much too important to him, and I don’t believe Palin to be able to deliver on that front at this point. Even us ’small minded’ females can measure competency and integrity …and I’m seeing less of each as time goes by. Good luck Obama…..
When did this Palin lady get her education in Energy Manaagement, Economics, Busines, World Affairs? You can only be an expert in a subject if you have studied and researched what it is you want to become an expert on. What papers has she written regarding any subject related to energy?
Palin just pushed through a new 30 billion dollar natural gas pipeline through Canada to supply the lower 48 with natural gas.
Did you not know this, or is this info not relevant because this is just a political hit piece meant to help Obama win the election?
Either way this article is dishonest.
Palin is not a lunatic for having a suntan bed in the Governor’s mansion. She is a lunatic for running for Vice President when she knows she is grossly under qualified. She is a lunatic for believing that it is God’s plan for her to be vice president despite the fact that she is grossly under qualified.
Now then, this article does not criticize Palin for not sending the LNG to the Baja facility. It criticizes her for having never considered it and for never once suggesting it as an option to explore. It would be one thing if she had explored the issue, and made an informed decision against it, but she didn’t (according to the report). Not even looking at the Baja coast facility and becoming informed about the option shows her ignorance of, or at least her reluctance to address, the national need for energy independence about which she is proclaiming to be so concerned.
I agree that as the Governor of Alaska, her main concern is not that of the lower 48 states. Her main concern is for Alaska. However, the bare minimum requirement for most jobs is simply filling the job description (concerning oneself with fulfilling oneself’s core duties) and one cannot be faulted for fulfilling one’s job description. However, a candidate for promotion generally goes beyond his/her core duties and shows a real concern and understanding for the needs of all those he/she, works with, interacts with, cooperates with, and lives with (as we, more so now than ever, practically live at our jobs).
It would be encouraging if a vice presidential candidate were to have some record of involvement with national issues on the national scene, not mention a few more years of experience. We cannot fault Palin for only fulfilling her job description but I believe we can find a candidate who does better than just filling their job description.
Palin professes that she is ready to make tough decisions, but she has no record whatsoever of making tough decisions. I’d like to see just one. Just one. I could interview for a job and claim uphill and down that I’m prepared for the job, but would I get hired ahead of someone else if I had a blank resume? Of course not. I need a record that exhibits the skills of which I am professing orally. Of course, Palin really does believe she is prepared despite her lackluster resume. She believes she is prepared because she has God on her side. God wouldn’t have brought her here if she wasn’t prepared for it. Speaking of which, where is God now that Palin is being embarrassed on a regular basis by by Katie Couric and Tina Fey? He’s really left Palin hanging. Yikes!! He’s a wiley one, that God. He’s just presenting her with challenges, I guess. God is always presenting challenges.
This is why Palin is scary. She’s as bad as Islamic Fundamentalists. When you invoke the name of God for everything you do or don’t do, it gives you no sense of personal responsibility for the decisions you make. No matter what you do, you believe you are doing God’s will, so you can therefore do no wrong. Well, unfortunately for the rest of us, you CAN do wrong. You can do VERY VERY WRONG. I don’t have a problem with faith or with God, I really don’t. I think that religion is a wonderful thing. But I also feel that decisions must be made with brains and the personal strength to use your brain properly should come from….well….whatever -God, Buddha, Allah, Jesus, the stars, the Earth, your bong, your family and friends, your f-ing self.
Please promise me that when this election is over we will never have to see or hear from Sarah failin’ Palin again
The problem that I have with Gov. Palin, more than the presumption that she knows God’s will, feels that its great her teenage daughter is pregnant with an illegitimate child, or that it’s OK to drill anywhere fuel deposits are, is that she keeps trying to sell the same old “snake oil” when it comes to fuel options. LNG and crude oil are NON-renewable fuel sources, regardless of the perceived short term benefits, those fuel sources, once they are depleted, are gone for good. Now, if her plan is to use up all fossil fuels that Alaska has then her plans are good, but if the OVERALL fuel plans for the nation are to reduce the emissions from fossil fuels and to find renewable sources of fuel, then what she is doing is simply selling the same old snake oil in a new package. If someone were to measure the amount of crude and NG that Alaska has and weighs it against what the energy needs in the nation are, then you would learn very quickly that we would use up what Alaska has in less than a year. so what is the point to drill the ANAWR, the Chucki Sea, the Bearing Sea and more of the North Slope just to burn up all the fuel in less than a year. Plus, she fails to mention that the facilities to drill, tap, extract and ship the fuel from these locations doesn’t currently exist and would need to be constructed, which means that fuel wouldn’t be in the US fuel supply chain for at least 3 to 5 years. That’s how long you’d have to wait for the plants to be constructed, rail lines laid, extraction to begin and then shipment out of Alaska. anyway, that is what my biggest problem with her is, she has no concept of infrastructure construction or maintenance, environmental stewardship, or the concept of renewable fuel and resources. Those are my two cents.
So, you want Alaska to support the LNG depot in Baja MEXICO (it’s in mexico because activists didnt want it in California–too unsightly and would block the beautiful California coastline–puullleeeasseeee!!!) So to support California’s natural gas you expect Alaska to export it to Mexico (probably with tarrifs in place) where they will export the gas to homes and business in California and other western states 9probably with more tarrifs in place to get it back into the U.S.)–but hey! We are at least helping the Mexican economy. I say screw California! If that’s the way they want it-Find their own damn energy then! Nothing I want or need in the crappy liberal gay loving state anyway.
She did exactly the right thing for her state and got double the price for her state instead of less with more bull from California and Mexico.
Maybe people should take into consideration that Alaska is a small, local economy and that a lot of people lost their “jobs” when Clinton declare a lot of the state’s land protected and wilderness areas. Maybe she was just protecting her people - after all it is their natural gas to do with as they please. BUT WAIT - I did forget that the Federal Government can take whatever it wants from whomever it wants whenever it wants. Has anyone every heard of the Barnet Shale? It’s big and it’s working down in Texas so probably we don’t really need Alaska’s gas…..
Hey - why not this election do something different. Why not vote independent or even write someone in. Neither party has done anything for anyone but themselves and their cronies for years. While the news keeps brainwashing you into thinking that you waste your vote if you don’t vote Republican or Democrat. They are all in bed with someone and they are all run by someone. Now we have to bail out Wall Street so some 29 year old can still drive is Ferreri. Sad that you people keep voting the same two parties and complaining but never go off into different territory and explore the possibilities.
Teract, As governor of Alaska Palin does not have the obligation to represent the lower 48 states, But as an American and a representative of the American Government she does have an obligation to the best interests of this country, not just her state.
Get off of your soap box.