Palin's pipeline pipedream

During her acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention and on the campaign trail, GOP vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin has been touting how she single-handedly engineered a deal that jump-started a long-delayed 1,700-mile gas pipeline project that would deliver natural gas from Alaska's North Slope to the Lower 48. Here's what she had to say:

“And when that deal was struck, we began a nearly $40 billion natural gas pipeline to help lead America to energy independence. That pipeline, when the last section is laid and its valves are opened, will lead America one step farther away from dependence on dangerous foreign powers that do not have our interests at heart.”

Problem is that her statements imply more than reality is prepared to deliver. According to this story in today's New York Times, Ms. Palin has "overstated both the progress that has been made and the certainty of success." For those who don't want to read the entire story, here's the pertinent paragraph:

"The pipeline exists only on paper. The first section has yet to be laid, federal approvals are years away and the pipeline will not be completed for at least a decade. In fact, although it is the centerpiece of Ms. Palin’s relatively brief record as governor, the pipeline might never be built, and under a worst-case scenario, the state could lose up to $500 million it committed to defray regulatory and other costs."

Plus, she is getting pushback from those who once supported Palin's pipedream. Alaska State Senator Bert Stedman, a Republican and co-chair of the Senate's Finance Committee, said the state's contract with the developer chosen for the project gives up too much leverage with little guarantee of success. "There is no requirement to lift one shovel of dirt or lay down one inch of steel," Stedman said.

Of course this is not the only instance in which Palin has deliberately tried to mislead the public. She also received a big cheer during her convention speech when she said she put the Alaska governor's private plane on eBay. What she failed to say, however, is that the plane didn't sell on eBay and she wound up peddling it to a businessman at a $600,000 loss to the State of Alaska. Or even that the plane was used, not for the governor, but to transfer inmates from Arizona's overcrowded prisons to penitentiaries in Arizona.