crude in spite of the Fukushima disaster, ought not to be punished by such exclusions, which were written in an altogether different time and age. In passing, it bears noting that even at the height of the Cold War the U.S. conducted agricultural trade with the Soviet Union. Equally, the discretionary authority embedded in the Natural Gas Act needs to be stripped so that predictability and security of tenure to justify the large, capital-intensive investment in a pipeline and gas liquefaction facility can be assured. Federal law ought to embrace such extraction, development, transport and export, so long as it is conducted in a market–friendly and environmentally responsible fashion. In early December 2012, an ice-class LNG tanker chartered by the Russian oil and gas giant Gazprom traversed the Arctic route to Asia to deliver a cargo of Norwegian gas at the Japanese port of Kitakyushu. The number of such crossings has been on the rise in recent times—the number of vessels making the Arctic passage having risen steadily from four in 2010 to 34 in 2011 to 46 as of December 2012. Russian president Vladimir Putin has vowed to transform this route into a
future “international transport artery” in terms of fees, safety and quality. The seemingly unquenchable thirst for LNG on the Asian continent will, one way or the other, be sated. The question is: will it be U.S.—and Alaska-based—capital and producers at the head of this queue?
Or will this opportunity be fumbled by way of pious pronouncements that cater—and serve as a cover—to the interest of more protectionist-minded lobbies in Washington, D.C. The road ahead for Alaska, in the years to come, has some detours and riddles. R
Sourabh Gupta is a Senior Research Associate at Samuels International Associates Inc., a strategic international trade and political advisory firm based in Washington, D.C. He holds master’s degrees in international security studies and international relations from the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University and the Maxwell School at Syracuse University, respectively. He is currently a 2012 East Asia Forum Distinguished Fellow.
Dr. Ashok K. Roy is the Vice President for Finance & Administration/ Chief Financial Officer for the University of Alaska system. Dr. Roy has significant experience, at senior management levels, at three other large universities, local government, and in the private sector. Dr. Roy was educated in the USA and India, and holds six university degrees and five professional certifications. He has authored 67 publications in academic and trade journals.
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www.akbizmag.com • Alaska Business Monthly • February 2013