How Clever Big Oil

Alaska Stuff: Now I understand that very few Alaskans will understand this, especially the legislature, but it is paramount this state's future for interested individuals start to release some time to grasp an understanding of what in hell is going down. Look, we have given the Juneaubratites more then enough time to figure it out, like 40-years! The oil is running out, but we cannot let the exploiters run away and renege on what we were guaranteed in efforts to maintain some semblance of a future without economic pain. It is called “Affordable Natural Gas” via a pipeline that was supposed to be part of the original plan within 5-years of oil in – that was a mandate from the Bush Rat. Oil in, that was in 1977! According to PJW and the 3DBB, that promise is way overdue! The entire “Alaska Natural Gas LNG Pipeline Dream” is not very transparent – and like Hillary...OK I said I would no longer use Bill's server as a comparison issues related to Alaska's “Corrupt Bastard Club” mentality. See, with putting Alaska's “gas” to usefulness, non-transparency is out of reason of necessity – what are they afraid of? Sure those involved in the planning stage of “Statutory Rape” say that without confidentiality “proprietary” information could get swindled, bullshit! As nothing is secret and if an individual digs deep enough, all the answers are out there, the puzzle pieces are available, just time is so precious to give a rat's ass. But we may never see a natural gas spigot to our homes in Fairbanks. Sure there may be some pipe thrown in the ground from Prudhoe Bay to Nikiski and natural gas barreling down that pipeline for liquefaction then sailed away as an export – but even though the law-of-the-land requires a minimum of “5” take-off points along the long awaited line, so what? See, that was a requirement when the “Office of the Federal Natural Gas Pipeline Inspector” was part of that project with respect to FERC & DOE “Export” permitting. See, funding for that “Oversight” in efforts to get all the required “Export” permits was paramount the Alaska delegation's intent, as it was Uncle Sam funding that saw too it there would come no delays in a license. But as soon as that happened, to hell with that office and that places “We the People” in harms way, we need somebody to look over the shoulders of non-transparency! But that “Office” is vacant these day, so we have no guarantees that the required “Take-off” points will remain in the planning stage as today the cost cutting – see the Alaska Gas Line Development Corporation has hired Edward Scissorhands! OK, there will be infrastructure attached to this “Integrated Mega-Project” that will allow a spigot to be opened for...drum roll please, well not for affordable natural gas piped to your home. See, it all goes back to “Super Spike”! What? Who? No not a sled dog on steroids. It was a project envisioned many years ago, back in the late 80's wherein it was thought that boat-loads of a “natural gas liquid” could be sent down the TAPS, split out in Valdez and moved down-south as a much needed feedstock. It was basically by definition a “natural gas” product and a by-product of enhanced oil recovery – a ways and means to get more oil out of the giant Prudhoe Bay field, the largest in North America at the time. Then during an important meeting of the pipeline minds, a VP on loan by “Big Oil” stood up after being quiet the entire meeting and said this: “I can drive up to Prudhoe Bay and go out to Drill Site A, take a Coleman stove out of my camping gear stash and hook it right up to one of them there producing wells and boil water”! You should have seen the faces on the youngsters that had become excited over this “Super Spike” project, that would have allowed natural gasoline to be commingled with the “crude oil”, to get it to market. It was basically a high BTU energy commodity, already “refined” by Mother Earth, so out of the ground it was already “marketable”. Therein existed the problem! That is not what the “Big Oil” was all about. See, with the “Black Gold”, it is called that for a reason, even though it smells so sweet – all that BETX! Being un-marketable, well that allows for many hidden costs to be added all along the way. In Alaska, 800-miles worth of extra-curricular advantages nobody could ever challenge. And the main reason there is not a single “storage tank” in Prudhoe Bay, to stash away crude oil if the only pipeline is shut-down for maintenance or repairs, as they didn't want anything in the infrastructure inventory that would subject that valuable oil to be marketable. See, once in a break-out tank, the water settles out and the gas is released – it's dead oil so considered by law to be “Marketable”. “Big Oil” does not want any “marketable” label until the oil gets to Valdez. Hey, “Big Oil” has been in this business for a long time! So, no interest in natural gas is what many took away from that meeting and the “Super Spike” project was DOA. So this fascination today with getting the so-called “stranded gas” to market...first it ain't “stranded”, just an excuse that makes sense to those on the “Outside”, what I mean by “Outside” is all navigable waters and trespassable lands south of the 68th parallel north – a.k.a. the “North Slope”. What happens in Prudhoe stays in...See, the “Big Pipeline Dream” is designed to move the Pt. Thomson “retrograde condensate” to market. What? Don't ask as it gets very complicated. But the “hot” stuff that will soon come out of the field even EXXON didn't want to commercialize on – not just yet – but was forced to make a move by the state or else loose the leases sat on for 40-years by now, well it is basically “Jet Fuel” when it comes top-side for relief – or Dodecane! It has a very high “vapor pressure” at room conditions, so is a pseudo-gas-liquid. So, this stuff will be injected into the natural gas once stranded, as a ways and means to “enhance”. See, right now the BTU energy content of the “Prudhoe Bay” field is “sick”, down to about 76% methane and a whole lot of CO2 – that “Greenhorn” stuff. So, the contaminated gas will be conditioned in a $7-Billion “treatment facility” then subjected to the value added product, as the density increase will make the “pipeline” more efficient – with respect to the BTU bang for the compression buck. Bravo, a good plan of attack. But its all for the “money”, that bottom-line this “boil over”. Used to it we are, as that is what you get when “Big Oil” gets involved as “pennies” count! So big deal or not? Well it all depends on how “wet” the gas is leaving Prudhoe Bay – which supports how stable it will be with respect to energy content. When a home-owner boils water from a natural gas connection, especially in regions subject to cold dipping temperatures, any gas that converts to a liquid – it can blow out the pilot and then commence to blow up your stove and house. Dealing with “liquid” carry-over is a challenge, even with Cook Inlet gas – that is considered “dry”. So it appears from the Alaskan LNG project application that this will skirt the boundaries with respect to that definition of “pipeline” quality gas. Maybe from the energy content is will suffice under the current AGA definition, but that gas may be good for power plants only once it is tapped into, say like down Fairbanks way. Equipment to handle liquid is not overly expensive, but the size required would be a problem. And it really boils down to a “liability” problem, as when something fails and carry-over is imminent, look out! Yes, it may be a health and safety concern. So no big problem, just sell this stuff to local power plants that can use it to fuel turbines and boilers to generate electricity, like GVEA and Aurora and send it also to the military base power plants. It means less air pollution by cutting coal emissions. But in the “mode of operation” the mood of transparency remains, well sealed away in layers upon layer in “gas purchase” agreements and we will never realize whether or not we are getting our money's worth from “Our” resources! So, when one picks away at the “Confidential Mountain”, it is easy to see what is going on behind the scene – and it is all about “Greed” with the blessing of being “Green”! Yes, the 1st rate citizens in this “monopoly” will be the countries that receive the “stranded gas” as an import. The 2nd rate citizens will be the interior power plant CEOs, with outrageous salaries due no-transparency. And if 3rd rate is OK, then that is wherein “We the Citizens” will be positioned – and I will tell you now, we can do better. Alaskans, especially in the interior, we need that “Stand Alone” gas line that finds but a single intent, “Affordable Gas” as any other pea-brain scheme is not in our best interest! Time to say NO to the “Big Pipeline Dream” until such time we see our own independent pipeline from up north, with good gas that can be piped to my front door.