ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- A major Midwest energy company said it did not submit an application to build a natural gas pipeline tapping Alaska North Slope reserves because of criminal investigations of state politicians, performance lapses by a major oil producer and other factors.

In a letter Friday to Gov. Sarah Palin, the chief executive of MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co. explained why his company did not apply.

"As you are painfully aware the ongoing corruption investigations coupled with previous indictments, guilty pleas and convictions draw into question virtually every major Alaskan project participant and governmental levels from State to Federal," said the letter from MidAmerican CEO David Sokol. "Obviously your administration had no involvement in these previous shenanigans nor did we; however, you and we alone cannot develop the pipeline project through AGIA's expected process."

MidAmerican was expected to be among the companies applying by the deadline Friday for a package of financial and other pipeline incentives under Palin's Alaska Gasline Inducement Act.






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