http://www.democrati...litics/003625.php
1. Natural Gas Pipeline: Before becoming governor, the plans for a natural gas pipeline were in the works. Governor Palin's predecessor, however, was cozy with big energy corporations and was pushing pipeline legislation which signed off on a plan he had already worked out with oil companies, which would have relinquished the state's sovereignty vis a vis the pipeline as part of the package deal. When Palin came into office, she wanted to limit big oil's influence over the state's affairs, and when she took over the project (from the executive end), she absolutely insisted there would be no deal with any company unless the state retained its sovereignty.
The Bush Administration got wind of this and not surprisingly tried to intervene on behalf of Big Oil. Cheney himself even put in a couple calls to Palin asking her to kill it. "Cheney's staff pressed the Palin administration to draw in the energy companies, said current and former state officials involved in those discussions." "Palin had been warned twice by Vice President Dick Cheney, to bring in the oil producers to the pipeline project." (AP; Alaska Daily News) Sarah Palin, however, stood up to Big Oil and the good ole boys and the state of Alaska has now finalized a plan with TransCanada which, as a result of the governor's firmness, includes the sovereignty provision. After Alaska's Senate vote in favor of providing the AGIA license to TransCanada, Gov. Palin praised the Legislature: "Our lawmakers have protected Alaska's sovereignty. They've really taken it back."