Fairbanks News Miner Op-Ed by Speaker Mike Chenault and Representative Mike Hawker.   We recently announced plans for legislation enabling AGDC and an in-state gasline. House majority members from across the state were adamant that planning a natural gas future cannot be set aside another legislative session. Alaskans also heard that in-state gas isn’t only about Anchorage or Kenai. It’s about Fairbanks and the Railbelt, and about the people in communities off the road system who depend on our cities for supplies, educational institutions and health care facilities.  Natural gas is a resource that, by our Constitution, is to be developed for the maximum benefit of Alaskans. While we may not be able to weave a gas-line network touching every village and town, we can and should do more to increase the benefits of natural gas throughout Alaska.  AGDC can be the organization that gets the job done. The main mission for Dan Fauske and his top-notch team at AGDC is the in-state line established by Speaker Chenault’s House Bill 369 in 2010. Our legislative package will empower AGDC to keep the momentum rolling on those plans that are well underway. We believe AGDC has demonstrated tremendous leadership and project management, and we need look no further for a vehicle to take us into a natural gas future.  Our goal is to empower AGDC to be nimble, innovative and responsive to major shifts in supply and demand around the world, for the greatest benefit of Alaska. If the new Cook Inlet find is as huge as some suggest, we need to consider building a line running north to Fairbanks, allowing the Interior to build out its gas infrastructure as we continue developing another line linking the North Slope.

ADN.  NordAq Energy has not officially announced a natural gas discovery at its Shadura prospect in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, but amid rumors of a huge find the independent recently said it expects to produce "up to 50 million cubic feet" of natural gas a day for Southcentral Alaska starting in February 2013 and lasting about 30 years.