
Frank Richards
95:28 - 96:16
"the original legislation that created AGDC gave AGDC essentially tax-exempt status should we have ownership in the project during construction. And then it was going to fall to the tax structure under 4356 for oil and gas property taxes. Now, the, the concept that is now in front of us with House Bill 381, this alternative volumetric tax, would— is really going to be based on the volumes of gas flowing out of the project."
“the original legislation that created AGDC gave AGDC essentially tax-exempt status should we have ownership in the project during construction. And then it was going to fall to the tax structure under 4356 for oil and gas property taxes. Now, the, the concept that is now in front of us with House Bill 381, this alternative volumetric tax, would— is really going to be based on the volumes of gas flowing out of the project.”
Through the Chair, Representative Tomaszewski, the original legislation that created AGDC gave AGDC essentially tax-exempt status should we have ownership in the project during construction. And then it was going to fall to the tax structure under 4356 for oil and gas property taxes. Now, the, the concept that is now in front of us with House Bill 381, this alternative volumetric tax, would— is really going to be based on the volumes of gas flowing out of the project. And just because AGDC is a 25% minority owner It doesn't matter. It's that the tax or the AVT will be applied based on the volume depending on— independent of ownership.
Alaska Gasline Development Corporation testified to the House Finance Committee that Alaska's property tax structure would impose costs roughly 10 times higher than competing LNG projects, with potential annual taxes exceeding $800 million compared to $50 million at the next-highest jurisdiction. AGDC officials said property tax restructuring has been identified as a critical economic lever since 2020, though they acknowledged waiting until late March 2026 to bring legislation forward was a timing mistake.
