...and provide readers with a complete review of the avalanche of national energy initiatives that are conspiring to return Alaska to a pre-pipeline economy.  Until then, enjoy Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's (NGP Photo) articulate, charismatic, compelling speech to us Wednesday.  Here's the video.  Here's a transcript.

Our readers who align themselves with extreme environmental positions will find themselves the butt of the Governator's acidic and probing wit, as will our oil industry friends--particularly those from Texas!

Man....

 We will explain tomorrow and update our postings!

We'll be monitoring energy issues with NARUC in Sacramento this coming week as Alaskan leaders converge on Calgary for the PENWER (Scroll down for yesterday's story).

ADN by Mike Dunham.  Alaska House art gallery has closed in Manhattan.  (Comment: While we disagreed with public funding for Alaska House, we honor and respect its patron.  Here's our November editorial, the Alaska House response and our reply.)

For over ten years we have chaired or moderated oil and gas conferences throughout the U.S. and Canada.  Once again, we are honored to participate in Alaska's 6th Annual Oil and Gas Congress, Co-chairing with Margie Brown (NGP Photo), President & CEO of Cook Inlet Regional Corporation.  Visit with speakers in an intimate setting: Governor Sean Parnell, Kevin Banks, Patrick Borbey, Dave Carey, Dan Dickinson, Bud Fackrell, Marie Greene, Andrew Halcro, Harold Heinze, Jim Hemsath, Gwen Holdmann, Jeff Jones, Meera Kohler, Minister Ron Liepert, Sarah Lukin, Mark Meyers, Jeff Miller, Cherise Oram,  Tony Palmer, Drue Pearce, Larry Persily, Leo von Scheben, Premier Floyd Roland, Ethan Schutt, Mark Slaughter, Lee Thibert, Paul Ziff, among others. NGP readers may request a 15% discount by quoting this priority service code: 919W11.S.  You can receive an additional, early bird savings if you register today or tomorrow.  Here is agenda and registration information.

Edmonton Journal, by Jamie Hall.  More pipeline equipment has been attacked in northeastern British Columbia — the fourth explosion in three months.

Alaskan Leaders Join Canadian Colleagues in Calgary For International, Pacific Northwest Economic Region (PNWER) Summit: Keynote Speaker is Canada's Gas Pipeline Portfolio Manager, Minister of Environment, Jim Prentice (NGP Photo), introduced by PNWER President, Alaska State Senator Lesil McGuire (NGP Photo).  Agenda here.  NGP salutes Canadian and Alaskan/Pacific Northwest leaders for this liaision of senior decision makers from both countries tackling issues of critical importance to both.  Issues range from transportation and border issues, to energy and environment matters.  One highlight will be focus of the leaders on Arctic Policy in an event chaired by McGuire whose mission is, “To provide a forum to share information and develop regional policies related to the Arctic and Arctic development.”

We earlier editorialized that new energy policies hurt America; below is another example of how energy policy works against America's economic recovery:

The Associated Press reports, “Diamond Offshore Drilling has pulled another rig out of the Gulf of Mexico due to restrictions on deepwater drilling in U.S. waters do to the BP oil spill. The Houston company said this week that it has ordered the Ocean Confidence rig to the Republic of Congo. The rig departed the Gulf over the weekend and is expected to arrive off the African coast in 60 days. Diamond Offshore said it moved the rig after rewriting a drilling contract with a subsidiary of Murphy Exploration and Production Co. Its current contract with Murphy was changed to a one-year commitment in the Gulf that will begin when Murphy is confident it can get permits to drill. In exchange, the companies signed a new agreement to drill off the coast of the Republic of Congo. The Congo project is expected to generate about $234 million in total revenue. The Ocean Confidence, a massive rig that can drill to depths of 35,000 feet, has been in operation since 2001. Last week, Diamond Offshore said it was moving another Gulf rig to Egypt. It is widely expected that many offshore operators will move equipment out of the Gulf until the backlash from BP's out-of-control well subsides.

And, here is how Congress is aiding and abetting the disassembly of America's economy: Roll Call reports, “But for Democrats up for re-election this year, the issue — in any form — appears to be a loser. “There are a lot of Members who aren’t enthusiastic about having energy hang over the August recess like health care hung over last year’s recess,” one senior Senate Democratic aide said. Indeed, raucous town hall meetings in which Members were excoriated by conservative tea party activists for their support of a health care reform bill that had yet to be debated remain a fresh memory in many Senators’ minds. Last year’s July Fourth recess also proved difficult for House Democrats who voted for a far-reaching and controversial climate change bill that Republicans dubbed “a national energy tax.” And one senior Senate GOP aide predicted that, “A July debate about the energy tax absolutely has the capability of re-creating the town hell experience that greeted Democrats over health care in 2009.” Sources said Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) — who is a part of Reid’s leadership team but is also facing a stiff challenge from Republican Dino Rossi this year — and vulnerable incumbent Sen. Blanche Lincoln (D-Ark.) have expressed doubts about taking up the energy issue this year.

Added to the impact of bad energy decisions is the redistribution of wealth from productive energy sectors to non-proven sectors: Washington Post reports, “Obama is flying to Michigan on Thursday to attend the groundbreaking of an electric battery company that received $151 million in federal stimulus funding. It will mark his fourth battery-related trip as president, coming as the White House makes an aggressive push to tell what one senior official called "the battery story": the tale of a small piece of technology that could affect daily life and spur employment if properly nurtured. The problem, however, is that the battery story has yet to occur, and might never.

Below is a copy of Interior Secretary Ken Salazar's (NGP Photo) email to all Interior employees discussing the reorganization of the Minerals Management Service (And here's a link to the actual plan):

Anchorage Mayor's Energy Task Force Agenda for TODAY includes GTL: Scroll to Bottom.

Houston Chronicle reports, “The Obama administration may have hoped that a newly revised ban on deep-water drilling would end the legal battle over the issue, but it became clear Tuesday that the fight over offshore exploration is far from over. Ensco Offshore Co., a U.K.-based rig owner, filed a lawsuit accusing the administration of illegally imposing new requirements on the industry and dragging its feet in permitting shallow-water drilling. 

NY Times reports (See our Monday-Tuesday stories/editorial), “Three weeks ago, William K. Reilly, the newly named co-chairman of the presidential commission appointed to investigate the BP oil spill, said he thought the six-month moratorium on deepwater drilling in the Gulf of Mexico was necessary – and maybe even too short. ...  But on Tuesday, after two days of touring the gulf region and a day and a half of hearing testimony from a variety of aggrieved local officials, business interests and oil executives, Mr. Reilly changed his tune. The moratorium is spreading economic pain across the region, he said, and for many is worse than the effects of the spill itself. “It’s not clear to me why it should take so long,” Mr. Reilly told reporters during a break in testimony on Tuesday.

ADN by Sean Cockerham.  Democrat Ethan Berkowitz (NGP Photo-r) is running for governor with a proposal for a major overhaul of how the state collects money from oil companies. His idea would jettison the controversial oil tax that his fellow Democrats championed in the Legislature less than three years ago.

Alaska Dispatch by Ethan Berkowitz.  It's started... that giant sucking sound from Alaska's economy.MSNBC.com and the London Times are reporting that BP is in discussions to sell its Alaska assets to cover the costs of its spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Just over a month ago I predicted this was a possibility.  At the time I also asked publicly: 'What is Alaska's plan for a post-BP reality?'

KTUU.  Republican gubernatorial hopeful Ralph Samuels (NGP Photo-l) is calling a new state website on natural gas projects a "blatant campaign tool" for Gov. Sean Parnell (NGP Photo-r).  Parnell announced the site this week. Parnell's spokeswoman, Sharon Leighow, said Monday that the goal is to provide information to constituents in a user-friendly way. She likened it to the administration rollout of the state capital budget.

AP/NEWSVINE by Becky Bohrer.  A BP Alaska spokesman says the company remains interested in getting natural gas from Alaska's North Slope to market and is evaluating two proposed pipeline projects.

The Republic.  Records requested by a Republican challenger to Gov. Sean Parnell shed no new light on Parnell's decision to veto a change to Alaska's system of taxing oil and gas production.  The Associated Press obtained a copy of records requested by Bill Walker (NGP Photo-L).

ADVFN III.  By Edward Welsch and Cassandra Sweet Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES TransCanada Corp. (TRP), which is working on developing an Alaska natural-gas pipeline, and a group working on a rival pipe denied they were in talks to merge the multibillion-dollar projects. While Calgary-based TransCanada is working to attractinvestment in its roughly $36 billion pipeline to bring Alaskan gas to Canada and the lower 48 states, the company hasn't recently discussed merging its efforts with the Denali project proposed by BP PLC (BP, BP.LN) and ConocoPhillips (COP), a TransCanada executive said Monday. "I have nothing new to report," Tony Palmer (NGP Photo-r), TransCanada vice president of Alaska development, said in an interview. He said thecompany "is open to equity participation with any large shipper," but he added that it hasn't had any special negotiations with BP or ConocoPhillips. Palmer's comments came after the Houston Chronicle reported Monday that TransCanada and the Denali partnership were in preliminary talks to merge their gas-pipeline efforts. Denali spokesman Dave McDowell (NGP Photo-l) also denied that the companies have engaged in talks about merging their projects, although he reitereated that the partnership welcomes investors in its project. Steve Rinehart, a spokesman for BP's Alaskaoperations, declined to comment.