Busy, busy, busy, our State Department is, to keep Iran’s natural gas bottled up.
I wonder how the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India Pipeline (TAPI), as opposed to the Iran-Pakistan Pipeline (IP Pipeline) which will also feed India and China, figures into our negotiations for Peace in Iran. US oil interests will not be involved in the IP Pipeline; and the US promotes TAPI vigorously and threatens Pakistan with sanctions if it fulfills ins contract with iran to construct the IP Pipeline.
How much weight do the oil companies' interest figure into our negotiations with Iran? The US has done its best to block Iranian oil exports since the Islamic Republic overthrew the Sash and nationalized natural resources. Opening the flow of oil and gas from Iran to the world should be a major part of our negotiations with Iran over it’s suspected but not proved desire to develop the Bomb. Is it?
Liberals did their best to discover Cheney’s conversations with energy companies when he met in secret with them as Bushco’s energy policies were developed, even applying to the federal courts for aid. Shouldn’t Liberals make the same demands of the Obama administration? I Shouldn't we know of conversations with oil interests about matters that concern Peace with Iran?think we should. I’m not a powerful lobbying entity, but this is a subject I will address to my congresspersons. Will you, too?
If the report in the PakTribune, below, is accurate, why is it that a private company is able to pay 10 Billion Dollars to develop the TTAPI Pipeline, when Pakistan and India seem unable to do it themselves? I favor modifying our tax code. Radical Republicans claim we don't have enough money to support our poor, and an oil company has, if the report is accurate, money to burn. Something is wrong here. Are we concerned that oil companies will move to Dubai to avoid US taxation, as Cheney has done with his companies? Does the UN need taxing power, just as the US developed the power to regulate powerful railroads when the individual States lacked the power? Is the analogy good?
The TAPI pipeline is good news for the Taliban and the Balochistan Resistance Movement, since security of the pipeline is a major concern and their power to disrupt it is great. I’m pleased with prospect of the Balochistan Resistance Movement’s possible gain in power, since the Balochi are treated unfairly by Pakistan and Iran. I’m not pleased with the Taliban’s.
Note: Wikipedia, which frequently reports on the trustworthiness of news outlets, has no report on the PakTribune's trustworthiness, so I’m cautious about the authenticity of the report below. Stay tuned. I’ll see if the story is picked up by other news outlets.
US pushes Chevron's bid for TAPI pipeline project12 November, 2013
ISLAMABAD: The United States may press Pakistan to award the multi-billion-dollar contract for the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan and India (TAPI) gas pipeline project to pipeline to US energy giant Chevron.
"During the energy group meeting, the issue relating to awarding TAPI gas pipeline contract to Chevron will come under discussion," sources said, adding that representatives of the US State Department and Chevron had also visited India for the same purpose.
Chevron and Exxon Mobil, renowned oil and gas companies with vast experience in the energy sector, have expressed interest to be the consortium leaders for the project, sources say. All participating countries have signed Gas Sales Purchase Agreement (GSPA) with Turkmenistan to import gas under TAPI gas pipeline project.
Pakistan is keen to see Chevron undertake work on the pipeline and sources stress there is a strong possibility that the US energy giant will be selected as consortium leader to finance, design and build the pipeline.
On its part, Chevron has sought exploration rights in Turkmenistan as well as contracts in response to financing and running the project. However, Turkmenistan has offered exploration rights for offshore fields and asked Chevron to swap gas found in these fields for onshore ones and export it to Afghanistan, Pakistan and India under the TAPI project. Turkmenistan does not allow foreign companies to search for hydrocarbons on onshore fields.
The Asian Development Bank (ADB), hired as an advisor to help generate funds for the project, has already warned that the TAPI gas pipeline project cost may exceed $10 billion against earlier estimates of $7.5 billion due to delays in implementation of the project.
The pipeline will pass through war-torn Afghanistan, which has assured Pakistan and other participating countries of providing adequate security for the pipeline.
Under the TAPI project, Pakistan and India will get 1.365 billion cubic feet of gas per day (bcfd) each from Turkmenistan, and Afghanistan will get 0.5 bcfd.
Turkmenistan will export natural gas through the 1,800 kilometer pipeline that will reach India after passing through Afghanistan and Pakistan.
For more on Balochistan see Mansouled Fiery Islands, here and here.
