06/19/2026
HB 381, the Alaska LNG legislation, has passed the House and is now being heard in Senate Finance. If approved by the Senate, the bill is expected to return to the House for concurrence on Friday.
This legislation will not guarantee a gas pipeline will be built. But it is intended to remove the barriers in the State’s taxation system that could cause the project to be clearly uncompetitive.
Should the project get built, a gasline project may eventually solve three problems simultaneously.
· ENERGY Many Alaskans will have lower cost energy; including thousands of Alaskans who will have access to gas for the first time!
· MEANINGFUL JOBS Alaska will be attractive for new industry because of lower-cost energy, diversifying our revenue source and opportunities for Alaskans to work in new sorts of jobs, and growing worldwide sales of our products.
· ONE MORE REVENUE SOURCE Once Alaska is selling gas on the world market, communities and the State of Alaska will see revenue from the sales that will improve our long term fiscal certainty and ability to invest in public safety, education, health and the things that keep Alaskans choosing to live a vibrant life here.
We are currently in a bind for energy. We know from listening to our utility companies that the Railbelt needs a solution to depleting gas development in Cook Inlet and many contracts are ending 2029-2032. We know that we need reliable, certain and redundant energy supplies and the utility companies looked at all opportunities for expanding hydro, solar, wind, tidal, and geothermal and they cannot be built out fast enough and at a cost that Alaskans on the grid can handle to keep us from a shortage of energy within the next 7 years.
The House version of the gasline bill was a compromise between those willing to provide the project sponsor with everything they requested, and those, like me, intending to protect the State’s and Alaska ratepayer’s interests while providing the relief necessary to the project sponsors. Additionally, I wanted to see more support for communities where we knew impacts would occur in areas of public safety, traffic/road use, schools and housing. My primary concerns were satisfied with the House version, but I also recognize the bill can be improved. I’m hoping the Senate accomplishes that task.
Again, if completed, this project will create long-term opportunities for Alaska, strengthen our economy, support jobs, and help ensure a reliable supply of natural gas for future generations.
There is still work ahead, but this is an important milestone in the legislative process. I’ll continue to keep you updated as HB 381 moves through the Legislature during the final days of Special Session.
