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.

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline 
Improvement Act of 2011''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds that--
            (1) North American demand for natural gas is expected to 
        increase dramatically over the course of the next several 
        decades, as described in section 114 of the Alaska Natural Gas 
        Pipeline Act of 2004 (15 U.S.C. 720l);
            (2) although North American natural gas supplies are 
        adequate to meet customer needs in calendar years 2011 and 2012 
        and for the near future, the availability of Alaska gas as an 
        additional domestic source would further shield the United 
        States from any future reliance on overseas energy supplies in 
        the years ahead;
            (3) 2 military installations in the Fairbanks North Star 
        Borough, Alaska, Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base--
                    (A) are a central component of the ability of the 
                United States to project power over a vast area of the 
                Pacific region;
                    (B) are home to approximately 23,000 military 
                members and families;
                    (C) are located along or relatively adjacent to any 
                cost-effective Alaska natural gas pipeline project 
                corridor; and
                    (D) would benefit from access to affordable natural 
                gas supplies drawn from the proposed Alaska natural gas 
                pipeline project, freeing up funding for pursuing mid-
                term and long-term renewable energy goals;
            (4) the Fairbanks North Star Borough--
                    (A) suffers from a thermal inversion that traps 
                particulate emissions and other air pollutants; and
                    (B) has been declared a nonattainment zone for 
                failing to achieve reductions in particulate matter by 
                the Environmental Protection Agency;
            (5) the availability of affordable clean-burning natural 
        gas would significantly improve air quality in the public 
        health interest of Borough residents;
            (6) the most logical route for an Alaska natural gas 
        transportation project (as defined in section 102 of the Alaska 
        Natural Gas Pipeline Act of 2004 (15 U.S.C. 720)) would travel 
        through Atigun Pass;
            (7) Atigun Pass--
                    (A) holds both the James W. Dalton Highway and the 
                trans-Alaska oil pipeline, both of which are essential 
                to the strategically important operation of North Slope 
                oil fields; and
                    (B) is the highest-altitude point on the Dalton 
                Highway (with an elevation of 4,739 feet or 1,422 
                meters) and is on the Continental Divide;
            (8) space constraints and difficulties of Arctic 
        construction in Atigun Pass restrict the available right-of-
        way, allowing room for only 1 additional pipeline in the 
        preferred route through the Pass;
            (9) the public interest would best be served by all 
        proponents of a natural gas pipeline from the Alaska North 
        Slope agreeing on a single project that--
                    (A) passes through Atigun Pass, taking advantage of 
                the preferred right-of-way and avoiding costly 
                duplication of design, permitting, and construction 
                expenses that would fall on consumers; and
                    (B) serves Alaskans and other North American 
                consumers; and
            (10) a natural gas pipeline with sufficient capacity to 
        facilitate economic transportation of natural gas as part of a 
        Alaska natural gas transportation project (as defined in 
        section 102 of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act of 2004 (15 
        U.S.C. 720)) is in the national interest.

SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF ALASKA NATURAL GAS TRANSPORTATION PROJECT.

    Section 102 of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act of 2004 (15 
U.S.C. 720) is amended by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 
following:
            ``(2) Alaska natural gas transportation project.--The term 
        `Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Project' means--
                    ``(A) any natural gas pipeline system that carries 
                Alaska natural gas to the border between Alaska and 
                Canada (including related facilities subject to the 
                jurisdiction of the Commission) that is authorized 
                under--
                            ``(i) the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation 
                        Act of 1976 (15 U.S.C. 719 et seq.); or
                            ``(ii) section 103; and
                    ``(B) any pipeline segment that the Commission 
                finds could feasibly be incorporated into and serve as 
                an integrated segment of the system described in 
                subparagraph (A) (including the construction and 
                operation of the segment), which shall be subject to 
                this Act and the jurisdiction of the Commission under 
                the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717 et seq.), regardless 
                of whether the segment--
                            ``(i) is proposed and constructed prior to 
                        the construction of the entire system described 
                        in subparagraph (A); or
                            ``(ii) initially transports Alaska natural 
                        gas solely for delivery to consumers within the 
                        State of Alaska.''.

Summary: Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act of 2004 to include in the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Project (carrying Alaska natural gas to the Canadian border) any pipeline segment that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) finds could feasibly be incorporated into and serve as an integrated segment of that system, regardless of whether it: (1) is proposed and constructed before construction of the entire system, or (2) initially transports natural gas solely for delivery to customers within Alaska.