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ALASKA GAS PIPELINE What about those workers?

ALASKA GAS PIPELINE What about those workers?. Larry Persily, Federal Coordinator – PNWER, July 19, 2010. Project timelines. June ’14. Apr ’16. FERC Order. Start of Construction. May ’09. Oct ’12. Begin Pre-filing. File FERC Application. AGIA License. Begin Open Season. Issue FEIS.

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ALASKA GAS PIPELINE What about those workers?

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  1. ALASKA GAS PIPELINEWhat about those workers? Larry Persily, Federal Coordinator – PNWER, July 19, 2010

  2. Project timelines June ’14 Apr ’16 FERC Order Start of Construction May ’09 Oct ’12 Begin Pre-filing File FERC Application AGIA License Begin Open Season Issue FEIS Project Sanction First Gas Full Service Aug ’08 & Dec ‘08 Jan. ‘10 Apr ’14 Nov ’14 Sep ’20 Sep ’21 Jan ‘16 Apr ‘15 Issue FEIS Project Sanction Apr ‘10 Begin Open Season First Gas Full Capacity Jun ’22 Jun ’20 Begin Pre-filing File FERC Application FERC Order Start of Construction Jun ’08 Oct ’13 June ’15 Apr ‘16 July 2010

  3. Jobs, trucks and lots of pipe • 50 million construction hours. • State of Alaska has identified 113 occupations. • 6,500 direct construction jobs per season. • 5,000 backhoes, trackhoes, dozers, loaders, graders, sidebooms, trenchers, pickups, trucks, buses, gravel trucks and trailers. • 30 rock crushers and batch plants. • 2½ million tons of steel pipe; 48-inch diameter. • Largest gas treatment plant in the world.

  4. PNWER gets it • PNWER knows the problems: Alaska Pipeline Labor Issues Survey and Workforce Strategies reports. • Cost is key: Use the available workforce most efficiently and allow free movement of goods and materials across the border. • Governments need to ensure “cross-jurisdictional labor mobility” and consider “harmonization” of labor standards to avoid impediments. • Existing shortage of skilled oil and gas workers.

  5. Politics is all about local jobs • U.S. and Canada want jobs for area residents. • Are local residents willing to share the work? • Can workers move easily across the border? • Federal, state, provincial, territorial laws govern. • Alaska state gas line license requires PLA. • Denali committed to PLAs on the project. • Congress supports a PLA, but no force of law.

  6. What are the U.S. laws? • Employers may hire foreign workers, if needed. • Employers have to get permission. • File Form I-129, Petition for Nonimmigrant Worker with Customs and Immigration no earlier than six months before proposed employment start date. • Prospective employees have to apply for a visa. • Workers apply at U.S. embassy or local consulate for the appropriate work visa.

  7. Government loves process • Visa options: H-1B, specialty occupation; H-1C, nurses; H-2B, temporary or seasonal nonagricultural workers; H-3, trainees; L, intracompany transfers. • Prospective employees must complete required interview at the embassy consular section. • Submit online nonimmigrant visa application, Form DS-160, with a passport. • And wait.

  8. Visa options, limitations • H-1B: Generally, college educated, specialty occupations (fashion model?); 3-year visa. • H-2B: Non-agricultural skilled and unskilled workers, intended to meet employer peak demand, temporary or one-time need; 1-year visa. • Must have sponsoring employer. • Employer must advertise the job and show proof that no U.S. workers are willing and able. • Annual caps on number of visas.

  9. NAFTA makes it easier • TN-1 (Trade NAFTA) status easier than work visa. • Requirements: Proof of U.S. employment and verification of experience or skills (degree or past employment in the field). • Eligibility determined at the border. • Cannot be transferred to a new employer. • Eligible jobs: geologist, engineer, land surveyor — but not welder, equipment operator or laborer.

  10. Don’t forget those trucks • Positive steps under way. • New rules at USDOT allow Canadian insurance companies to certify coverage in U.S. • Public/private stakeholders in Washington and B.C. started International Mobility and Trade Corridor to improve border-crossings. • FAST lanes (Free and Secure Trade) operate on both sides of the border. Pre-screened, sealed trucks with electronic ID cards for drivers.

  11. Government can help • U.S. Customs and Border Protection and TSA signed on with gas line office to participate in planning. • TSA assigned a staffer to Alaska for pipeline security work — could come a time for a similar commitment for gas line construction crossings. • U.S. and Canadian border agencies could set up pre-clearance procedures for the project. • Professional licensing reciprocity. • Fact sheet on NAFTA TN-1 status for border agents.

  12. Not now, but soon • No immediate need to solve all the problems. • Hard to engage governments until there is a project. • Would be at least two years after FERC approval before trucks roll and construction begins. • Keep looking for answers. • Then be ready to push for solutions. • PNWER is right: All must be involved — federal, state, provincial, territorial offices, unions, employers.

  13. Contact information: Larry Persily, Federal Coordinator - (202) 478-9755 lpersily@arcticgas.gov www.arcticgas.gov info@arcticgas.gov Thank you OFC Washington, DC OFC Anchorage, Alaska 1717 H St. NW, Suite 801 188 W. Northern Lights Blvd., Suite 600 Washington, DC 20006 Anchorage, AK 99503 (202) 478-9750 (907) 271-5209

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