It's been one of the grandest North American energy visions for decades - developing the Arctic natural gas riches of Alaska's North Slope and Canada's Mackenzie Delta - and it could remain that way for a long time to come. A decade of plodding, yet resolute, progress through a regulatory quagmire, accompanied by expenditures running into hundreds of millions of dollars, is suddenly at risk of being wasted. rnThere are signs of trouble everywhere for both the Alaska Natural Gas Pipeline and Canada's Mackenzie Delta Pipeline, although the US and Canadian governments have reasons to rescue both undertakings: asserting their claims to sovereignty over vast swaths of the Arctic, enhancing energy security, and using natural gas to replace coal in power generation and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. But whether they can justify financial backing for two projects that could cost more than a combined $40 billion at a time when their treasuries are already stretched is another matter.
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