The following interview highlights the opportunities and the challenges Nikiski, Alaska faces in preparing for a huge LNG plant there. Excerpts from All Things Considered:
ARUN RATH, HOST:
Rapid oil and gas development can mean rapid economic growth for a small town that desperately needs it. It can also mean an influx of new people and a massive strain on roads, hospitals, schools and other infrastructure. But what if you could see the boom coming and plan for it? That’s exactly what the little, unincorporated Alaska town of Nikiski is doing, as it plans for a second natural gas boom. Shaylon Cochran of member station KDLL has the story.
SHAYLON COCHRAN: If everything goes to plan, construction on a new $20-plus billion liquefied natural gas plant could begin in a few years. That would give this town of 4,000 people, spread over roughly 76 square miles, a real financial shot in the arm.
COCHRAN: One of the few places to grab a bite for lunch in Nikiski is Charlie’s Pizza. Steve Chamberlain is the owner. He’s been here for almost 20 years, and generally he supports the kind of oil and gas industry that Nikiski is known for. But he doesn’t want to see the bust part of the business cycle happen again.
STEVE CHAMBERLAIN: It is big news. It’s big news in the sense that we need to – we need to watch how they do it or we need to make sure they’re prepared for it.
COCHRAN: They are the oil industry and state government. What Chamberlain and other business owners want is to feel a deeper level of commitment to the area from both.
CHAMBERLAIN: I’m excited about the oil industry and the pipeline coming here. But like I said, it just – it has to be done responsibly. And I’m going to be watching. I’m going to be watching very closely.
Via npr.org
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