US Congress To Ban Alaska's Gas Export

The U.S. Congress is likely to block any proposal to export Alaska's North Slope natural gas, Alaska's two senators said.

Senators Ted Stevens and Lisa Murkowski issued the warning this week in response to a proposal by China's giant state oil firm Sinopec to build a liquefied natural gas terminal to ship Alaskan gas to the Asian nation.

The plan raised the hackles of U.S. officials seeking to use Alaska's natural gas reserves to feed the domestic U.S. market and human rights activists angered by Beijing's dealings in Sudan.