Alaska State Legislature

The Alaska House gavels in and out again, taking no action in the special session

The Alaska House gaveled in and out again Tuesday, taking no action in the governor's special session, as the Republican minority presses for full sessions.

by Walter AlaskaNewsadded 2mo ago1 min read

Follows: Gas tax package still off the Senate floor as the special session nears its limit

Alaska's audit watchdog gets a new leader, inheriting a fisheries probe and a new power over the governor

Alaska's audit watchdog gets a new leader as Kris Curtis retires. Mark Lundahl inherits a Board of Fisheries probe and a new power over oil-tax records.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Gas tax package still off the Senate floor as the special session nears its limit

Alaska Senate held a technical session Monday with no business and will not meet again until 2 p.m. Friday.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago1 min read

1,900 Alaskans flagged as 'inactive non-citizen' can still vote Tuesday

About 1,900 Alaska voters remain flagged as inactive non-citizens heading into Tuesday's primary, and the state will not clear those flags before the election.

by Walter AlaskaNews2mo ago2 min read

Dunleavy says he is ending gas line special session, blames legislative leaders

Gov. Dunleavy signaled an end to his gas line special session, blaming legislative leaders, as Southcentral faces a projected winter gas shortfall.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read

Dunleavy's LNG bill would swap a graduated S corp tax topping 9.4% for a flat 2%

Dunleavy cut the disputed oil-and-gas tax to a flat 2% in a revised LNG bill, trying to revive a stalled pipeline deal. The Legislature takes it up Aug. 20.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read

Dunleavy vetoes hunting residency bill and university fee bill

Gov. Dunleavy vetoed a bill tightening hunting residency rules and another requiring the University of Alaska to disclose student fees, leaving both current practices in place.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Senate majority to regulators: reconsider the rejected gas storage project, and make BlueCrest produce

Senate majority members want a rejected gas storage project revisited and an idle Cook Inlet lease produced — amid a fight over who fixes the gas crunch.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read

Alaska Senate Majority says gasline tax break waits on Glenfarne financial numbers

Alaska's Senate majority won't lock in the gasline tax break without firm cost numbers — now on Glenfarne and Dunleavy, as estimates range from $45B to $70B.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago4 min read

Alaska Senate Majority sets Anchorage press availability on stalled gas session

Alaska's fourth special session on the gas pipeline tax has gone two weeks without a vote, as a looming Cook Inlet supply cliff raises the stakes.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

The Alaska House gaveled in and out in minutes, its special session going nowhere

The Alaska House gaveled in and out in minutes, its special session going nowhere. And that's the way they want it.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Hilcorp says opposing the tax isn't opposing the gas line

Hilcorp told the gas-line caucus that opposing a targeted tax on the company isn't opposing the pipeline, even as that tax deadlocks the bill in Juneau.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read

Enstar tells Alaska Gas Line Caucus it could be 18 days short of gas this winter

Enstar told lawmakers it could run 18 days short of gas this winter if Cook Inlet supply stays low, but the Alaska LNG pipeline pitched to fix the problem won't arrive in time to help.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read

Alaskans split over ranked choice repeal at state ballot measure hearing

Alaska voters will decide in November whether to repeal ranked choice voting, the top-four primary, and campaign finance disclosure rules approved in 2020.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read

A one-word change to Alaska's voting law could foreclose a path for American Samoan residents

Measure 3 would add "only" to Alaska's voter law — a narrow safeguard, its sponsor says. Opponents note noncitizen voting is already illegal and say it would foreclose a path for American Samoan residents, U.S. nationals who aren't automatically citizens.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Two former colleagues split over whether Ballot Measure 1 curbs big money or just reroutes it

Two former legislative colleagues split over Ballot Measure 1: Schrage says restoring donation caps curbs big money, Carpenter says it caps small money while leaving unlimited outside spending untouched. Voters decide Aug. 18.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Legislators to hear the case for a gas line as the effort stalls

A minority caucus will host an Anchorage gasline listening session with only supporters, as the effort sits stalled in a third special session with no bill.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Governor's disaster declaration unlocks state aid for Talkeetna flooding

Talkeetna flooding washed away a home and damaged others, and residents want a permanent fix, not another study. The state has authorized disaster assistance for the immediate response.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

ENSTAR says Cook Inlet output has fallen to a fifth of its 1990s peak, with its firm contract ending in 2033

Cook Inlet is apparently in trouble, well, unless you think rolling backouts are a good deal. And I'm sure somebody in the world does, somewhere

by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago3 min read

Micciche sets break-even floor on Kenai Peninsula tax break for Alaska LNG

Kenai Peninsula Borough Mayor Peter Micciche set a floor on Alaska LNG tax breaks at 75% off, saying the borough will not accept less than break-even on a $23.6 billion to $28.4 billion facility.

by Bill AlaskaNewsadded 3mo ago3 min read

The gas tax special session has stalled, with the bill already dead

Lawmakers were called back for a special session on taxing natural gas. The House already killed the bill, so both chambers are now meeting just to meet.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Ballot Measure 3 turns on a single word

Ballot Measure 3 would add "only" to Alaska's voter law. Sponsors call it a gap worth closing before a court does it for them; opponents call it a doubt nobody needed.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

The sleeper on Alaska's August primary ballot: money, turnout and Measure 1

Alaska campaign donations currently have one limit: your imagination. Ballot Measure 1 would add a second — $2,000. Voters decide at the Aug. 18 primary.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Alaska Senate opens fourth special session with technical session, adjourns to Friday

Alaska Senate opened its fourth special session Monday to tackle natural gas taxation but took no action, adjourning until Friday - signaling the bill may be unable to advance.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Alaska Senate passes LNG bill as Republicans warn it kills financing

Alaska's Senate passed its LNG bill 11-8, and Senate Republicans immediately said the added taxes and labor rules make the pipeline unfinanceable.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min readFrom Jul 16

The AI money came first. The data center moratorium came Thursday.

Days after AI money turned up in his filings, Kreiss-Tomkins called for a data center moratorium — one a governor has no power to directly impose.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Alaska asks 3,500 voters to confirm citizenship weeks before the primary

Alaska flagged 3,500 voters as possible noncitizens and made them inactive weeks before the primary. A phone call fixes it — if the letter arrived in time.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago3 min read

Petersburg pushed back when the state pulled Sullivan off the ballot

Newly released letters show Petersburg residents demanding the state show its evidence for pulling their neighbor off the Senate ballot.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Alaska elections hearing reveals FBI contact, no precedent for 'good faith' test

State election officials admit they used a new good-faith test only on one candidate. They still refuse to explain why the FBI called.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Alaska House ties 19-19 on gas line bill, killing it for now

Alaska House deadlocked 19-19 on the Alaska LNG bill July 16, stalling gas supply plans as Cook Inlet production declines toward 2027 shortages.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago1 min read

Alaska Senate passes HB 381 oil and gas tax bill 11-8, with dissenters signaling more work ahead

Alaska Senate passed HB 381, the main bill enabling AK LNG, 11-8 Thursday, but dissenters flagged unresolved questions about a new income tax on oil and gas pass-through entities.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Alaska lawmakers order audit of Board of Fisheries process

Alaska lawmakers voted unanimously to audit the Board of Fisheries' process after the Attorney General overturned five regulations citing ethics violations.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Alaska legislative auditor resigns after 34 years, replacement process underway

Alaska's legislative auditor Chris Curtis is resigning after 34 years, effective Aug. 30. The Legislature is hiring her replacement through a process that aims to seat a new auditor by August.

by Walter AlaskaNews3mo ago2 min read

Alaska LNG tax bill advances to floor on split conference committee votes

Alaska's Legislature advanced a revised LNG tax bill that replaces municipal property taxes with a state volumetric tax, redirecting an estimated $500 million in annual local revenue by 2033.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read

Conference draft keeps oil-and-gas pass-through tax, delays it to 2029

A House-Senate conference committee draft of HB 381 keeps a proposed income tax on oil-and-gas pass-through entities but delays collections to 2029.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago4 min read

Permanent daylight time would push Anchorage's winter sunrise past 11 a.m.

If daylight saving goes permanent, Anchorage's winter sunrise slides to 11:14 a.m. and Fairbanks nearly to noon. Darker mornings, later afternoons — pick your clock.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read

Frier vs. Chase: a rematch for Alaska's northernmost House seat

Alaska's biggest, coldest House district is a 2024 rematch: Rep. Robyn Frier vs. Kotzebue Mayor Saima Chase, both running hard on public safety.

by Maggie AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read

Alaska LNG's cheap-gas promise hinges on exports — and on costs staying in line

New state numbers on Alaska LNG: exports are what make gas cheap for Alaskans (about $5/mcf vs. $12.65 without them), but a cost overrun could push the export price above what buyers pay.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min read

Dunleavy vetoes six bills, including invasive species and polystyrene measures

Gov. Dunleavy vetoed six bills June 24, including a statewide polystyrene ban and an invasive species management plan, citing implementation costs and concerns about state agency authority.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago2 min readFrom Jul 1

Who pays when the state underfunds school construction debt?

Alaska's cities want the state to stop shortchanging school-construction debt payments and stick locals with the bill. But it's a request, and the money's far from guaranteed.

by Walter AlaskaNews4mo ago1 min read