July 22, 2009 News and Comment

6-22-09.  Journal of Commerce by Tim Bradner.  The new alliance between ExxonMobil Corp. and TransCanada Corp. on a North Slope natural gas pipeline announced June 11 is a potential game-changer that has set up a real race between the new team and the rival Denali pipeline consortium owned by BP and ConocoPhillips.  ...  TransCanada Vice President Tony Palmer (NGP Photo-r, 9-08) said in briefings June 11 that he will be the chairman of the management committee for the project and a senior ExxonMobil manager will be in charge of day-to-day actions.     *   PNA.   The Mackenzie Producers Group controls 5.8 trillion cubic feet of proven reserves on the Mackenzie Delta and is the driving force behind the proposal that got pulled off the shelf almost a decade ago.    *     CBC.  As delegates left Inuvik, N.W.T., Friday from the ninth annual Inuvik Petroleum Show, their concerns linger over the long wait for progress on the proposed Mackenzie Valley natural gas pipeline.  ...  "We hope the next time we see you, we have bigger and better news," O. D. Hansen of the Aboriginal Pipeline Group told delegates during the conference.  ... "There is a lot of work going on, and a lot of discussions between the proponents and the federal government on the matter of the fiscal framework and those efforts continue as we speak," said Randy Ottenbreit (NGP Photo-l, 4-02), Imperial's executive in charge of development of the Mackenzie pipeline.  ... "As we look forward in our region, we don't allow the pessimism to overtake the opportunities that we have," said Richard Nerysoo, head of the Gwich'in tribal council in Inuvik.  ... "The new hotel — we put in a big investment. And with so much uncertainty, that's really down," said Russell Newmark of E. Gruben Transport, the hotel's majority owner. "If the pipeline doesn't go ahead it's going to be a real struggle."  ...  "So it's not totally that nothing is happening. There are things, but it's up to us to try to grab those opportunities for the Inuvialuit as best we can," said Nellie Cournoyea (NGP Photo, 4-02), head of the Inuvialuit Regional Corp.    *    Global TV, by Claudia Cattaneo (Older, but relevant Story, NGP Photo-below)) Calling the proposed Mackenzie Valley pipeline "a national embarrassment," the president of MGM Energy Corp. said Tuesday his company will stop drilling in the Arctic until a decision to construct the long-stalled project is made.   *   Mondaq.com.  A plan to boost U.S. federal loans guarantees for an Alaska gas pipeline could raise yet another barrier to the construction of the Mackenzie Valley Pipeline. The Minister of industry, tourism and investment for the Northwest Territories says that he plans to raise the issue with Federal Environment Minister Jim Prentice.  ***  (See our earlier comment. -dh)  ...  (Photo: Author-r at 2002 IPS)