Moment of truth coming in Senate

In February, less than a month after the current session of the state Legislature began, a bill was introduced in the Senate by Tom Wagoner of Kenai that proposed to prevent BP from making Alaskans foot the bill for repairs to pipeline damaged by years of company neglect that resulted in the shutdown of production last year.

So high profile was the North Slope incident, and so immediate the outrage, that it was not surprising that Wagoner's common-sense bill drew the immediate public support of nearly every other senator. Seventeen senators in all, including Mat-Su's Lyda Green

and Charlie Huggins, signed on as co-sponsors

to Wagoner.

Such seemingly overwhelming support signaled swift and easy passage. Yet time marched on, and so did lesser legislation, while SB 80 languished.

Six weeks or so after the bill's introduction, in the Frontiersman's Legislative Link feature, Valley lawmakers were asked if they still supported the proposal. Their answers were mostly unequivocal.

Huggins was enthusiastic in his professed support. &#8220I most definitely support this legislation, and am a co-prime sponsor … SB 80 will give state agencies the necessary tools to prevent oil producers from deducting expenses resulting from improper maintenance of property or equipment.”

No reason for Alaskans to worry, right?

Green, the Senate president, who has more power than anyone to keep a bill on the move - or not - said &#8220I am a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 80 … So yes, I do support the legislation.”

The rest of her 300-word answer, though, filled with qualifiers, was the first sign that the Senate's private response was shaping up to be vastly different from the public one. And nearly a month later, the bill is still stalled in the Resources Committee, not yet even brought up for discussion by its chair, Huggins.

That is set to change this week. Huggins has said the bill will finally get a hearing on Wednesday. But the lack of action to date and the steady stream of oil industry lobbyists through the halls of the Capitol are not good indicators that the interest of Alaskans is ultimately going to be served.

Last week, Wagoner indicated he was puzzled by the lack of interest in the bill after the initial in-public enthusiasm for it. Fellow Republican Gene Therriault was more direct. He called for his colleagues in the Senate to remove their names from the bill if they no longer support it.

As always, time will tell how much of the &#8220support” for this bill was genuine and how much was a show for the public. Wednesday will be the beginning of that unveiling, and eyes will be on Sen. Huggins.

We encourage both Huggins and Green to remain true to their word - and their constituents. Otherwise, we hope they will heed Therriault's advice. This seems the least that they can do.