text: SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
  
      This Act may be cited as the ``Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline 
  Improvement Act of 2011''.
  
  SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
  
      Congress finds that--
              (1) North American demand for natural gas is expected to 
          increase dramatically over the course of the next several 
          decades, as described in section 114 of the Alaska Natural Gas 
          Pipeline Act of 2004 (15 U.S.C. 720l);
              (2) although North American natural gas supplies are 
          adequate to meet customer needs in calendar years 2011 and 2012 
          and for the near future, the availability of Alaska gas as an 
          additional domestic source would further shield the United 
          States from any future reliance on overseas energy supplies in 
          the years ahead;
              (3) 2 military installations in the Fairbanks North Star 
          Borough, Alaska, Fort Wainwright and Eielson Air Force Base--
                      (A) are a central component of the ability of the 
                  United States to project power over a vast area of the 
                  Pacific region;
                      (B) are home to approximately 23,000 military 
                  members and families;
                      (C) are located along or relatively adjacent to any 
                  cost-effective Alaska natural gas pipeline project 
                  corridor; and
                      (D) would benefit from access to affordable natural 
                  gas supplies drawn from the proposed Alaska natural gas 
                  pipeline project, freeing up funding for pursuing mid-
                  term and long-term renewable energy goals;
              (4) the Fairbanks North Star Borough--
                      (A) suffers from a thermal inversion that traps 
                  particulate emissions and other air pollutants; and
                      (B) has been declared a nonattainment zone for 
                  failing to achieve reductions in particulate matter by 
                  the Environmental Protection Agency;
              (5) the availability of affordable clean-burning natural 
          gas would significantly improve air quality in the public 
          health interest of Borough residents;
              (6) the most logical route for an Alaska natural gas 
          transportation project (as defined in section 102 of the Alaska 
          Natural Gas Pipeline Act of 2004 (15 U.S.C. 720)) would travel 
          through Atigun Pass;
              (7) Atigun Pass--
                      (A) holds both the James W. Dalton Highway and the 
                  trans-Alaska oil pipeline, both of which are essential 
                  to the strategically important operation of North Slope 
                  oil fields; and
                      (B) is the highest-altitude point on the Dalton 
                  Highway (with an elevation of 4,739 feet or 1,422 
                  meters) and is on the Continental Divide;
              (8) space constraints and difficulties of Arctic 
          construction in Atigun Pass restrict the available right-of-
          way, allowing room for only 1 additional pipeline in the 
          preferred route through the Pass;
              (9) the public interest would best be served by all 
          proponents of a natural gas pipeline from the Alaska North 
          Slope agreeing on a single project that--
                      (A) passes through Atigun Pass, taking advantage of 
                  the preferred right-of-way and avoiding costly 
                  duplication of design, permitting, and construction 
                  expenses that would fall on consumers; and
                      (B) serves Alaskans and other North American 
                  consumers; and
              (10) a natural gas pipeline with sufficient capacity to 
          facilitate economic transportation of natural gas as part of a 
          Alaska natural gas transportation project (as defined in 
          section 102 of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act of 2004 (15 
          U.S.C. 720)) is in the national interest.
  
  SEC. 3. DEFINITION OF ALASKA NATURAL GAS TRANSPORTATION PROJECT.
  
      Section 102 of the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act of 2004 (15 
  U.S.C. 720) is amended by striking paragraph (2) and inserting the 
  following:
              ``(2) Alaska natural gas transportation project.--The term 
          `Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Project' means--
                      ``(A) any natural gas pipeline system that carries 
                  Alaska natural gas to the border between Alaska and 
                  Canada (including related facilities subject to the 
                  jurisdiction of the Commission) that is authorized 
                  under--
                              ``(i) the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation 
                          Act of 1976 (15 U.S.C. 719 et seq.); or
                              ``(ii) section 103; and
                      ``(B) any pipeline segment that the Commission 
                  finds could feasibly be incorporated into and serve as 
                  an integrated segment of the system described in 
                  subparagraph (A) (including the construction and 
                  operation of the segment), which shall be subject to 
                  this Act and the jurisdiction of the Commission under 
                  the Natural Gas Act (15 U.S.C. 717 et seq.), regardless 
                  of whether the segment--
                              ``(i) is proposed and constructed prior to 
                          the construction of the entire system described 
                          in subparagraph (A); or
                              ``(ii) initially transports Alaska natural 
                          gas solely for delivery to consumers within the 
                          State of Alaska.''.
target: Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Improvement Act of 2011 - Amends the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act of 2004 to include in the Alaska Natural Gas Transportation Project (carrying Alaska natural gas to the Canadian border) any pipeline segment that the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) finds could feasibly be incorporated into and serve as an integrated segment of that system, regardless of whether it: (1) is proposed and constructed before construction of the entire system, or (2) initially transports natural gas solely for delivery to customers within Alaska.
feat_title: A bill to amend the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline Act of 2004 to promote the availability of affordable, clean-burning natural gas to North American markets, and for other purposes.