(JUNEAU) - Rep. Vic Kohring, Chairman of the Legislature’s Oil and Gas Committee, returned to Juneau on Sunday following the conclusion of the Energy Council Conference in Washington D.C., declaring the trip a success. The Council, consisting of legislators from energy producing states around the U.S., gather several times a year to develop strategies for promoting energy (mostly oil and gas) in the nation.

"The trip was a excellent opportunity to promote Alaska’s oil and gas potential to the rest of the country," said Kohring. Kohring said he was able to educate legislators from other states on Alaska, as well as establish important contacts with major players in the industry.

Speakers at the conference included Secretary of the Interior Gail Norton and U.S. Senate Energy Committee Chairman Pete Domenici. Both addressed the group at length, and touted the benefits of developing oil and gas in Alaska. "These two people are some of the most influential people in the country, and for them to speak well of Alaska is to our benefit," Kohring noted.

Kohring also noted that the emphasis on the conference was on opening ANWR and building the natural gas pipeline, both huge in their potential impact on Alaska’s economy and achieving greater energy independence for the country as a whole.

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