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Contributors

Erika Bolstad

Erika Bolstad covers Alaska issues, including the congressional delegation, from Washington, D.C., for McClatchy Newspapers. Before joining the bureau in 2007, she spent seven years as a reporter at the Miami Herald, where she covered politics, government and the state legislature. E-mail Erika at ebolstad@adn.com.

Sean Cockerham

Sean Cockerham writes about Alaska state politics. He spent three years based in Juneau for the ADN before joining the Tacoma News-Tribune to write about Washington state politics. He went to Iraq twice for the News Tribune, and previously wrote about Alaska government and politics for the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. E-mail Sean at scockerham@adn.com

Kyle Hopkins

Kyle Hopkins covers politics and other stories for the ADN. He covered the 2006 campaign for governor, has blogged extensively about Alaska politics, covered Anchorage city government and was a reporter based in the Mat-Su. He grew up in Southeast Alaska and previously was a reporter at the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and Anchorage Press. E-mail Kyle at khopkins@adn.com

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Palin mania in Georgia - 12/1/2008 4:07 pm

Palin on the trail (UPDATED: Video) - 12/1/2008 2:20 pm

Judge nixes Monday hearing in Stevens case - 11/28/2008 3:03 pm

Palin's gifts - 11/26/2008 4:32 pm

Stevens defense wants to see secret document filed by prosecutors - 11/26/2008 3:39 pm

The interview that won't die - 11/25/2008 2:21 pm

Hearing Monday on Stevens witness issue - 11/25/2008 2:07 pm

Palin back on the stump - 11/25/2008 12:28 pm

'Don't blame me! Blame Joe the Turkey Slaughterer' - 11/25/2008 12:18 pm

Senator for life - 11/25/2008 7:16 am

So what happened with DOJ and the Anderson letter? - 11/24/2008 7:33 pm

A Palin Thanksgiving: Thank-you notes or contempt charges? - 11/24/2008 11:15 am

Mayoral maneuvering - 11/21/2008 11:35 am

Palin talks turkey (Updated) - 11/20/2008 5:36 pm

Croatian village celebrates Begich victory - 11/20/2008 2:14 pm

Exit polling on Stevens-Begich - 11/20/2008 2:13 pm

Stevens farewell - 11/20/2008 9:22 am

Development crowd reserved with Palin, Begich - 11/19/2008 1:20 pm

Young, Murkowski and Palin on the Senate race (Updated) - 11/19/2008 12:20 pm

Stevens: 'It is apparent the election has been decided' - 11/19/2008 11:48 am

Begich on early voters and absentees: 'That's the group we worked.' - 11/18/2008 5:20 pm

full archive »

Rep. Meyer – TransCanada supporter?

Posted by Wesley Loy

Posted: July 23, 2008 - 11:57 pm

From Wesley Loy in Juneau –

A curious “yes” vote on the TransCanada Corp. natural gas pipeline license was Rep. Kevin Meyer, an Anchorage Republican who works for a big oil company with its own gas line proposal.

Meyer voted just the way he said he would.

He explained his position to me in June back in Anchorage, and I posted this at the time:

One of the most intriguing views I’ve heard is from Rep. Kevin Meyer, R-Anchorage.

When he’s not legislating, Meyer happens to hold a job with Conoco Phillips, the state’s top oil and gas producer.

Conoco, of course, is working on a competing gas pipeline project with partner BP.

Yet Meyer tells me he’ll likely vote in favor of giving TransCanada the exclusive license under AGIA, the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act.

Why?

Meyer figures if the price of natural gas crashed – and it easily could – the oil companies would simply shelve the gas pipeline project.

Under the AGIA license, however, TransCanada would be obligated to keep working toward a pipeline regardless of gas price movements. It would have to solicit customers through what’s known as an “open season,” and apply to federal pipeline regulators for permission to build.

That’s not actual construction, of course, but it’s something.

Bottom line: Meyer believes the best way to keep both pipeline proposals moving is for the Legislature to vote yes on the AGIA license for TransCanada.


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  4     July 24, 2008 - 5:50pm | Diogenes_lamp

Meyer is ...

smart enough to count votes and knew AGIA was going to pass anyway. Since he is running for Cowdery's seat, he didn't want the oily vote baggage as a campaign ghost.
Kevin is as oily as they come...it was just CYA for him.

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  July 24, 2008 - 9:27pm | lecjb

Okay, I give -

what the heck is CYA?

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  July 24, 2008 - 11:44pm | akmooster

pulling lecjb aside and whispering....

cover yer ass... in this case cover his ass... but there really isn't a cha.

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  3     July 24, 2008 - 9:55am | skinny_gal

Whatever, people.

Meyer is a partisan hack who works for a big oil company who happens to be running a campaign. This vote was all politics. I wouldn't trust my kids (if I had any) with him.

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  July 24, 2008 - 10:58am | tommcgrath

You don't know Kevin

You obviously don't know Kevin Meyer. Of all the Assembly Persons and Representatives I have known over the years Kevin ranks with the best. Kevin wins his elections by land slides because he represents his district so well. If you have never actually met Kevin I would suggest you talk to him rather than trying to stab him in the back.

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  July 24, 2008 - 12:15pm | Sunshine_Boy

Kevin Meyer

is a career politician and it is time for him to go. He may be a nice person and represent his constituents well but someone else could just as easily.

He is entrenched and been a part of the republican controlled legislature which can only be described as lack luster. Of real concern is that they were complacent while corrupt republican colleagues were being bribed right under their noses.

I hate be be tired but it is time for change.

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  2     July 24, 2008 - 8:25am | hey_georgie_girl_98

Rep. Kevin Meyer, R-Anchorage

We see eye-to-eye on the TransCanada project.

Bottom line: Meyer believes the best way to keep both pipeline proposals moving is for the Legislature to vote yes on the AGIA license for TransCanada.

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  1     July 24, 2008 - 7:05am | yujump

Honesty and Integrity

Nice to see someone with more knowledge than most vote as a fellow Alaskan for Alaska even at the risk of a negative impact on his wallet. Time to keep COP and Denali honest.

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  July 24, 2008 - 8:38am | watchman

Yes, and

TransCanada and ConocoPhillips already work together on a number of oil and gas pipelines. Example:

"24 July 2008 News Release. ConocoPhillips (NYSE: COP) and TransCanada Corporation (TSX: TRP) (NYSE: TRP) today announced that ConocoPhillips acquired a 50 per cent ownership interest in the Keystone Oil Pipeline. A previously signed Memorandum of Understanding committed ConocoPhillips to ship crude oil on the pipeline and gave the right to acquire up to 50 per cent ownership interest."

"ConocoPhillips is pleased to sign this agreement with TransCanada and take an important step in providing another reliable source of transportation for Canadian crude oil to United States refineries," said Jim Mulva, chairman and chief executive officer of ConocoPhillips. "The Keystone Pipeline will play a significant role in integrating ConocoPhillips' upstream and downstream assets and ensure market access for growing Canadian production."

"TransCanada's network of wholly owned pipelines extends more than 59,000 kilometers (36,500 miles) tapping into virtually all major gas supply basins in North America. TransCanada is one of the continent's largest providers of gas storage and related services with approximately 360 billion cubic feet of storage capacity."

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