Posted on 08/10/2006 6:48:40 AM PDT by thackney
JUNEAU, ALASKA - Gov. Frank Murkowski on Wednesday suggested that BP misled the state with satisfactory maintenance reports and launched an investigation into the oil giant's handling of its pipeline corrosion.
Pipeline corrosion forced BP to halt production at its Prudhoe Bay field. The company is studying whether it needs to shut down the entire 400,000-barrel-per-day field, which accounts for 8 percent of U.S. output.
The Republican governor said Alaska's attorney general is looking into possible enforcement actions, including a demand for lost tax revenues while the field is shut down.
After "numerous" satisfactory maintenance reports to the state in the past that oil-field pipeline corrosion was being adequately controlled, BP abruptly decided to shut down all of Prudhoe Bay without consulting the state, Murkowski said.
"We will hold British Petroleum accountable for past and future field management decisions," Murkowski told a joint session of the Legislature.
Alaska is expected to lose $6.4 million a day in tax revenue during the Prudhoe Bay shutdown, and Murkowski urged a quick resumption of production.
He also imposed a state hiring freeze because of lost revenue.
The state receives 89 percent of its income from oil revenue; Alaska has no state sales tax and no personal income tax.
Alaska House Speaker John Harris said lawmakers plan a series of hearings into pipeline corrosion starting next week.
Those hearings should include information from oil-field whistle-blowers who have warned in the past about corrosion, and possible shortcomings in state oversight, said Harris, a Republican from Valdez.
Inquiry my *$$.
They need to inquire why gas taxes are so high and abolish them!
These panderticians are too much.
Alaska has the lowest gasoline taxes in the US.
Another day, another economics lesson . . .
HA!
Some move on to the next lesson, some need the same lesson, over and over and over....
He is beyond all hope.
Worked for the County Water Authority. No matter what we did, he still happened periodically.
Still too high.
And it really burns me that these panderticians can't be honest when people in their states complain about the high cost of gas, they blame it on the oil companies.
Yes, 30 cents a gallon profit is high IMHO.
But 40-60-80 a gallon profit is much higher, a much bigger problem.
And even moreso, if any politician mentions that they want to lower or eliminate the gas tax the left wing media rallys against them.
One hypocrisy after another from all sides.
Alaska's Gasoline and Diesel Tax is 8¢ per gallon.
http://www.alaskagasprices.com/tax_info.aspx
Good luck with that one, Frank.
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