The office of the federal coordinator for Alaska gas pipeline projects is shutting down after not being included in the budget bill that Congress recently passed.
Federal coordinator Larry Persily said he plans to have the office shut down by the end of February.
The office was created in a 2004 law aimed at helping advance an Alaska gas pipeline project that would serve North America. Market conditions led to that plan being scrapped in favor of a liquefied natural gas project that would allow exports to Asia. The state of Alaska, BP PLC, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil Corp. and TransCanada Corp. are involved in the effort.
Persily said his office was not included in any bill before a House or Senate committee for a vote.
Robert Dillon, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, said given that the project being pursued is not focused on delivering gas to the Lower 48, it made it harder to argue for funding for the office to be included.
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