Dear Friends and Neighbors,

One week in to the third special session, and our time in Juneau has been focused on reviewing the complexities of the AK LNG pipeline project. The Governor called the Legislature into this special session to consider the buyout one of our partners in the project, TransCanada. Under the terms of our state’s agreement with TransCanada, the deadline for exercising the buyout option is December 31, 2015. I have learned a great deal about AK LNG since arriving in Juneau and want to share some of the more helpful presentations with you in this newsletter.

I hope you and your family have a fun and safe Halloween! It wouldn’t be Halloween in Anchorage without a little snow on the ground!

Helpful Committee Hearings:

The House and Senate Finance and Resource Committees have been meeting every day to review the information about the AK LNG project and whether to buy out TransCanada. The hearings have helped to improve understanding about the project. You can view all of the committee hearings on 360north.org. Below are selected hearings that I have found particularly informative:

Watch committee hearings using 360north.org or check out the links I provide below.

•   Governor’s Briefing: This presentation features several speakers, including the Deputy Commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources, Marty Rutherford, and several finance consultants who briefed the Legislature for the special session.
•   House Finance Committee, October 25th: This committee hearing provides a good overview of the TransCanada buyout as presented by the Governor’s administration.
•   Senate Finance Committee, October 27th: This meeting features three speakers with experience in the financial markets who review the state’s ability to finance the AK LNG project without TransCanada.
•   Senate Finance Committee, October 29th: This meeting features a representative from TransCanada who explains TransCanada’s perspective on and support for the buyout.
•   Senate Finance Committee, October 30th: Today’s meeting gives an overview of the AK LNG project.

I have attended and followed as many committee hearings as possible and will continue to do so. The meetings are informative and I am looking forward to the Legislature voting on the TransCanada buyout. Several Senators have indicated that we may vote on the proposal within the next week. In addition to the buyout itself, the Legislature must approve additional appropriations to move the project forward. The House Judiciary Committee, on which I serve, is meeting Monday afternoon to discuss confidentiality agreements related to the project.

Additional AK LNG Project Resources:

In addition to the committee hearings, there are many documents that provide detailed information about the project. The three documents listed below are very informative:

•   TransCanada’s Participation in AK LNG: Key Issues Presentation
•   TransCanada Participation Decision Impacts on State of Alaska
•   Alaska LNG Project Participation

You can track all of the committee hearings and committee hearing documents by using the Legislature’s website.

Halloween Safety Tips:

I hope you and your family have a great Halloween weekend. I’ve included some tips below to keep everyone safe and happy!

As always, please let us know if you have suggestions or concerns.

Sincerely,

    Rep. Matt Claman

    P.S. follow me on Facebook and Twitter

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