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For Alaskans, Palin is a force to be reckoned with

By Valerie Richardson (Contact) | Sunday, September 7, 2008

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When Sarah Palin compared herself to a pit bull last week at the Republican National Convention, most delegates laughed. Not Alaskans.

Mrs. Palin may be a newcomer to the national scene, but in her not-quite two years as governor, she's built a reputation as a tough negotiator who's willing to butt heads and make a few enemies in order to push through her agenda.

And her agenda is ambitious. Last month, she notched a win of historic proportions when the Alaska Legislature gave the go-ahead to a massive natural-gas pipeline project over the objections of the state's leading oil companies and the Senate Republican leadership.

During the final two-hour debate on Aug. 1, Senate leaders described the vote as one of the biggest in the Legislature's history. The 1,715-mile pipeline is estimated to cost as much as $30 billion.

"People who underestimate her are making a huge mistake," said Ken Minesinger, a lawyer who has worked with the governor on oil and gas issues. "She's really stood up to Big Oil in a way that her Republican predecessors had not, and as a result, real progress is being made for the first time on the natural-gas pipeline project, which will be the largest infrastructure project in North American history."

The pipeline would transport natural gas from Alaska's North Slope to Canadian and U.S. markets, a longtime dream of Alaskans. The question was whether the pipeline would be built by TransCanada and funded in part by the state — a plan favored by Mrs. Palin — or by the state's leading oil producers, who already operate the oil pipeline.

During her 2006 campaign, Mrs. Palin ran on three major issues: bringing ethics reform, reducing spending, and getting a natural-gas pipeline approved. The ethics reform piece was the easiest, given that voters were already disgusted with a tax-relief package for oil producers approved by former Republican Gov. Frank Murkowski.

To win pipeline approval, however, she was going to need some Democrats on her side. She showed political savvy early on by appointing several Democrats to her Cabinet, notably Pat Galvin, whom she named the state's commissioner of revenue, an influential post.

"She said when she was hiring for Cabinet positions that political party didn't enter into it," said Mr. Galvin, a lawyer and former official in the state's Department of Natural Resources. "She said she wanted the most qualified person for the job. It was a reflection of her willingness to work with both sides and not let partisanship get in the way of running the state."

At the same time, the newly minted governor prompted an outcry in the Legislature by vetoing dozens of local projects with little warning to local lawmakers.