so they can let the Boy Senator off the hook. Most of the state uses electricity from either NG or diesel, so there’ll be dramatic impact on electricity prices. There are already complaints in the ANC area over rising electric rates due to a switch to Henry Hub pricing and the depletion of the Cook Inlet gas fields. That’s the reason there is so much controversy here over Gov. Palin’s favored TransCanada gas line; people here want instate access to that gas and the perception is that there hasn’t been adequate consideration of those instate needs.

Electricity and heating oil costs are already crippling rural areas of interior and arctic Alaska. There is no grid and no economic possibility of a grid in such a huge area. Consequently, each town and village uses stand-alone diesel generation, already heavily subsidized by the State, so a part of the C&T costs will hit the State government itself.

The Boy Senator is a pretty good snake oil saleman and he may be able to sell a bill of goods about alternative energy in order to cover a vote for C&T. Gov. Palin has already gone a ways down that path with all her emphasis on alternative energy spending here – we peddle pixie dust and unicorn farts here too. She hasn’t said anything about C&T that I know of but can be expected to oppose it. Young opposes it and Murkowski can be expected to.

So, how he votes and whether he could get away with voting for it really depends on there being effective opposition here. Of course, the Daily News if for it and for all things Democrat and Obama, the Juneau Empire as well in all liklihood plus most of Southest Alaska uses hydropower. Fairbanks uses coal and oil and the area around FAI uses oil almost exclusively, so they’ll be opposed. You’d think the oil industry would be weighing in on the issue, but I haven’t heard anything.

I guess if I had to place a bet, he’ll fence sit and waffle while making soft clucking sounds back home and he’ll pray that they find a Republican to let him off the hook. If they don’t, he’ll have no choice but to vote with the caucus since he owes his soul to them and will need the National Democrats to get re-elected since he has no natural base here, having been elected by the FBI.