II 

112TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. 1812 

To amend the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act of 2004 to promote the 

availability of affordable, clean-burning natural gas to North American 

markets, and for other purposes. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

NOVEMBER 7, 2011 

Mr. BEGICH introduced the following bill; which was read twice and referred 

to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources 

A BILL 

To amend the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act of 2004 

to promote the availability of affordable, clean-burning 

natural gas to North American markets, and for other 

purposes. 

1 Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa2 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

3 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

4 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Alaska Natural Gas 

5 Pipeline Improvement Act of 2011’’. 

6 SEC. 2. FINDINGS. 

7 Congress finds that— 


pwalker on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
2 

•S 1812 IS

1 (1) North American demand for natural gas is 

2 expected to increase dramatically over the course of 

3 the next several decades, as described in section 114 

4 of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act of 2004 (15 

5 U.S.C. 720l); 

6 (2) although North American natural gas sup7 plies are adequate to meet customer needs in cal8 endar years 2011 and 2012 and for the near future, 

9 the availability of Alaska gas as an additional do10 mestic source would further shield the United States 

11 from any future reliance on overseas energy supplies 

12 in the years ahead; 

13 (3) 2 military installations in the Fairbanks 

14 North Star Borough, Alaska, Fort Wainwright and 

15 Eielson Air Force Base— 

16 (A) are a central component of the ability 

17 of the United States to project power over a 

18 vast area of the Pacific region; 

19 (B) are home to approximately 23,000 

20 military members and families; 

21 (C) are located along or relatively adjacent 

22 to any cost-effective Alaska natural gas pipeline 

23 project corridor; and 

24 (D) would benefit from access to affordable 

25 natural gas supplies drawn from the proposed 


pwalker on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
3 

•S 1812 IS

1 Alaska natural gas pipeline project, freeing up 

2 funding for pursuing mid-term and long-term 

3 renewable energy goals; 

4 (4) the Fairbanks North Star Borough— 

5 (A) suffers from a thermal inversion that 

6 traps particulate emissions and other air pollut7 ants; and 

8 (B) has been declared a nonattainment 

9 zone for failing to achieve reductions in particu10 late matter by the Environmental Protection 

11 Agency; 

12 (5) the availability of affordable clean-burning 

13 natural gas would significantly improve air quality 

14 in the public health interest of Borough residents; 

15 (6) the most logical route for an Alaska natural 

16 gas transportation project (as defined in section 102 

17 of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act of 2004 (15 

18 U.S.C. 720)) would travel through Atigun Pass; 

19 (7) Atigun Pass— 

20 (A) holds both the James W. Dalton High21 way and the trans-Alaska oil pipeline, both of 

22 which are essential to the strategically impor23 tant operation of North Slope oil fields; and 

24 (B) is the highest-altitude point on the 

25 Dalton Highway (with an elevation of 4,739 


pwalker on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
4 

•S 1812 IS

1 feet or 1,422 meters) and is on the Continental 

2 Divide; 

3 (8) space constraints and difficulties of Arctic 

4 construction in Atigun Pass restrict the available 

5 right-of-way, allowing room for only 1 additional 

6 pipeline in the preferred route through the Pass; 

7 (9) the public interest would best be served by 

8 all proponents of a natural gas pipeline from the 

9 Alaska North Slope agreeing on a single project 

10 that— 

11 (A) passes through Atigun Pass, taking 

12 advantage of the preferred right-of-way and 

13 avoiding costly duplication of design, permit14 ting, and construction expenses that would fall 

15 on consumers; and 

16 (B) serves Alaskans and other North 

17 American consumers; and 

18 (10) a natural gas pipeline with sufficient ca19 pacity to facilitate economic transportation of nat20 ural gas as part of a Alaska natural gas transpor21 tation project (as defined in section 102 of the Alas22 ka Natural Gas Pipeline Act of 2004 (15 U.S.C. 

23 720)) is in the national interest. 


pwalker on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
5 

•S 1812 IS

1 SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF ALASKA NATURAL GAS TRANSPOR2 TATION PROJECT. 

3 Section 102 of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act 

4 of 2004 (15 U.S.C. 720) is amended by striking para5 graph (2) and inserting the following: 

6 ‘‘(2) ALASKA NATURAL GAS TRANSPORTATION

7 PROJECT.—The term ‘Alaska Natural Gas Trans8 portation Project’ means— 

9 ‘‘(A) any natural gas pipeline system that 

10 carries Alaska natural gas to the border be11 tween Alaska and Canada (including related fa12 cilities subject to the jurisdiction of the Com13 mission) that is authorized under— 

14 ‘‘(i) the Alaska Natural Gas Trans15 portation Act of 1976 (15 U.S.C. 719 et 

16 seq.); or 

17 ‘‘(ii) section 103; and 

18 ‘‘(B) any pipeline segment that the Com19 mission finds could feasibly be incorporated into 

20 and serve as an integrated segment of the sys21 tem described in subparagraph (A) (including 

22 the construction and operation of the segment), 

23 which shall be subject to this Act and the juris24 diction of the Commission under the Natural 

25 Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717 et seq.), regardless of 

26 whether the segment— 


pwalker on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with BILLS
6 

•S 1812 IS

1 ‘‘(i) is proposed and constructed prior 

2 to the construction of the entire system de3 scribed in subparagraph (A); or 

4 ‘‘(ii) initially transports Alaska nat5 ural gas solely for delivery to consumers 

6 within the State of Alaska.’’. 

Æ 


pwalker on DSK5TPTVN1PROD with BILLS