Alaska State Legislature · Photo source · US government work
Bill Wielechowski
Senator · Alaska State Senate · District K
50 articles · 20 transcripts · 21 clips
Affiliations
Five rural Alaska early voting sites are closed less than a week before Election Day
Early voting sites in five rural Alaska communities are listed as temporarily closed days before the election. The state hasn't said why or when they'll reopen.
Housing agency has no set plans for proposed state land transfers, CEO tells senators
“if you don't know what you're going to do with the lands, I guess, what's the public purpose?”
Giessel says free AIDEA land transfer takes over the Legislature's appropriation power
Giessel says giving 20,000 acres near Houston to AIDEA free takes the Legislature's power of the purse. Her math: a lease could bring in $14 million a year.
Giessel says governor kept DNR commissioner from legislative hearing on AIDEA land transfers
Governor blocked the DNR commissioner from testifying at a legislative hearing on state land transfers to AIDEA, leaving lawmakers without answers on nearly 20,000 acres north of Houston.
Legislative attorneys say Houston land transfer to AIDEA may fail public-purpose test
“would the court allow an effective laundering of state land through ADA for less than fair market value?”
North Slope oil throughput back above 500,000 barrels a day, former commissioner says
“deprived every year of $100 million, $150 million per year”
Alaska Permanent Fund hits $91.9 billion with a 12.4% return
The Alaska Permanent Fund turns 50 worth $91.9 billion after a 12.4% return. Its trustees want the annual draw locked into the state constitution.
Alaska's budget balances this year on high oil and a reduced dividend
“For decades, oil funded 90% of our budget. It now funds 23%. We have no other source of revenue. That's as simple as it gets.”
Peltola leads the poll. Sullivan leads the voters most likely to show up.
“Over 100,000 Alaskans work for small businesses, yet 64% of small businesses don't offer any retirement at all.”
Alaska tells BlueCrest to produce Cook Inlet gas by 2027 or give up the lease
“to hear from the Department of Natural Resources as to why they have let BlueCrest sit on those leases for a decade and not enforce the leases”
An advocacy group argues that cutting the dividend is a hidden tax. Whether it is depends on a question Alaska has never settled.
An advocacy group calls dividend cuts a hidden tax, but whether that's the right word turns on an unsettled question of what the PFD fundamentally is.
Senate majority to regulators: reconsider the rejected gas storage project, and make BlueCrest produce
“if DNR and the governor's office are allowing BlueCrest to sit on what we believe to be 300 billion cubic feet of gas, that is only hurting our situation this winter”
Alaska Senate Majority says gasline tax break waits on Glenfarne financial numbers
“We are being asked to commit Alaska to one of the largest financial decisions in our history without the numbers to know what it will cost the people we represent.”
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.
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.
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.
The $100 million question inside Alaska's gas-line bill
“By now you've all heard about the "S-corporation loophole" that allows Hilcorp - owned by a single Texas billionaire - to avoid paying Alaska over $100 million per year. Exxon pays the tax, ConocoPhillips pays it, BP paid it for decades.”
A gravel permit for the pipeline, and a question about what Alyeska pays
“I, I note in the letter that we received from the commissioner that there are gravel material sales with Alyeska Pipeline Services Company for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System. What is the charge to Alyeska Pipeline Services Company for gravel material sales?”
Alaska Senate passes S-corp LNG tax with 2028 effective date
“The fundamental question that we are being asked right now is how many billions in tax breaks shall we give to Glenfarn or whoever ends up producing this project so that they can make, according to the Department of Revenue's projections, $5 billion a year in profits?”
Alaska elections director moves to disqualify Senate challenger
“Alaska is probably the most challenging place in the country to conduct elections because of the geographical challenges and the weather challenges”
Senate Finance Committee: how do you analyze a $46.2 billion pipeline without the numbers?
Alaska Senate Finance Committee halted action on SB 2001 until the state gets the developer's actual cost data and gas sales contracts instead of relying on a model built on guesses.
Alaska nursing home costs highest in US as senior population surges
“The average cost of living in Alaska exceeds $5,000 per month”
Alaska Auto-IRA Bill Lets Workers Save PFD for Retirement
Alaska passed auto-IRA bill letting workers save Permanent Fund Dividend checks for retirement. • Program auto-enrolls private workers with paycheck deductions, costs employers nothing. • Targets half of Alaska workers without employer retirement plans. • Addresses senior poverty as Social Security falls short of Alaska living costs.
Alaska Energy Conference Highlights Gas Pipeline Progress Amid Legislative Tax Debate
Alaska LNG pipeline signed contracts, targets 2029 delivery, but governor and legislature split on tax framework. • Southcentral consumers could pay $22.96 per thousand cubic feet if exports fail, double current rates. • Federal officials highlighted critical minerals and $1 billion in funding, but permitting takes 15 to 18 years. • Rural Alaska pays $6.63 per gallon with no pipeline relief in sight.
Alaska Senate panel hears gas line bill with $900M annual tax break
“the Governor is asking for roughly a 90% tax cut. So the estimate was that Under the governor's plan, the taxes would be around $74 million, that's a total of 6 cents per MCF.”
Alaska Legislature fails to override veto of pension bill
“we have the worst retirement system in the nation. The absolute worst. Why are we the worst? Because we're the only state in the entire country where our public employees get no Social Security and get no pension”
Alaska Senate advances sweeping public safety bill with AI child abuse provisions
Alaska Senate unanimously approved an 80-page public safety bill that criminalizes AI child abuse material and raises age of consent to 18. • The bill expands the parole board from five to seven members and creates new crimes including mail theft and airbag fraud. • It costs $413,400 in startup and ongoing funding and now returns to the House for final approval.
Senate panel advances gas pipeline tax bill after 36 hearings
Alaska Senate panel advanced a gas pipeline tax bill Monday after 36 hearings, despite senators saying they lack expert information and the governor's administration has offered no support.
House Finance Committee advances auto-IRA bill for Alaska workers
House Finance Committee advanced a bill creating an automatic IRA program for Alaska workers at businesses without retirement plans, with employees able to opt out.
Gas pipeline bill adds oil tax increase, industry calls process rushed
Alaska Senate passed a gas pipeline bill raising the oil tax floor to six percent starting in 2027, even without the pipeline, over industry objections.
Gas line tax break delivers 20% savings, far less than competing states
Alaska's gas line tax break gives developers a 20% savings, far less than the 65% savings they'd get under a 10-year tax holiday like Texas and Louisiana offer, a consultant told lawmakers Saturday.
Alaska Senate advances university regents reform bill with 2027 start date
Alaska Senate advanced a bill to restructure the University of Alaska Board of Regents, setting it to take effect Feb. 1, 2027, with a sunset review date six years later.
Senate cuts community impact fees for gas pipeline by half
Alaska Senate cut community impact fees for the Alaska LNG pipeline to $500,000 per mile, halving projected municipal payments from $740 million to $370 million during construction.
House panel advances retirement savings program for private workers
Alaska House panel advanced a bill to create a state-run retirement savings program for private workers at small businesses, with automatic enrollment at 5 percent of pay and no cost to employers.
Oil industry opposes gas pipeline tax bill over bundled oil tax increases
Oil industry opposes gas pipeline tax bill over bundled oil tax increases it says lack economic analysis and could deter future investment.
Point Thomson Gas Blowdown Could Cost Alaska 65M Barrels of Condensate
“the condensate at Point Thompson is probably the most valuable substance on the North Slope. It is extraordinarily valuable.”
Senate Panel Advances Bill Tying Hunting Rights to 180-Day Residency
Alaska Senate panel advanced a bill tying resident hunting licenses to a 180-day residency standard, matching Permanent Fund Dividend rules to stop non-residents from claiming cheaper resident tags.
Gas tax hike could net Alaska $590M over pipeline life, analysis shows
Raising Alaska's gas production tax by 1 percentage point could generate $590 million over 30 years once the Alaska LNG project exports begin in 2033, without raising in-state gas prices.
Senate panel debates gas pipeline tax structure in 26th hearing
“my big concern is, is that the point of production is somehow occurring after the gas treatment plant, and that there's— that's going to be an enormously expensive project, and, and the state value would be diminished tremendously.”
Navy eyes return to Adak amid Arctic security concerns
The Navy is assessing whether to reestablish operations on Adak Island as China and Russia increase military activity near Alaska, with no formal decision yet made.
House rejects Senate's $1,000 PFD budget, sets up conference talks
House rejected Senate's $1,000 PFD, sending budget to conference committee before May 20 deadline to resolve $477 million gap.
Alaska Senate Passes Operating Budget With Energy Relief
Alaska Senate passed a $70 per barrel operating budget with $150 energy relief payments, avoiding a major Constitutional Budget Reserve draw that the House budget requires.
Alaska LNG Tax Bill Stalls as Lawmakers Demand Project Cost Data
“It's such an odd and uncomfortable position that I feel we're in, where it feels like the governor is almost doing the bidding of Glenfarm.”
Senate panel proposes doubling Dalton Highway surcharge in gas line bill
Senate committee doubled the Dalton Highway maintenance surcharge to 30 cents per barrel in the gas pipeline bill, but questioned whether $1 billion in tax cuts justify the cost to Alaska.
Alaska Legislature Falls Two Votes Short of Overriding Elections Bill Veto
Alaska Legislature fell two votes short of overriding Gov. Dunleavy's veto of a bill that would have let voters track ballots online and fix envelope errors before rejection.
Senate panel debates $1B tax break for Alaska LNG amid cost secrecy
“I'm not going to vote on a bill without numbers. I'm not going to vote on a bill that's going to take away $1 billion in potential future taxes and revenue from my— from communities across Alaska without having firm numbers.”
House panel advances retirement savings program with PFD deposit option
Alaska House committee approved a retirement savings program for 105,000 workers without employer plans and expanded options to deposit Permanent Fund dividends into existing investment accounts.
Alaska Senate passes bill to ease classic car import registration
Alaska Senate unanimously passed a bill Wednesday letting collectors register legally imported classic cars 25 years or older, aligning state law with federal rules.
Alaska Senate passes bill restoring defined benefit pensions for public workers
Alaska Senate passed a bill Wednesday allowing public workers to choose defined benefit pensions starting July 2027, the first such measure to clear both chambers in 20 years.
Alaska LNG Consultant Flags Potential 50% Return for Developers vs. $1B State Revenue
A consultant warned lawmakers that Alaska LNG developers could net $8 billion annually by 2050. He cautioned his preliminary model may contain errors that require further review.
