A New Capitol, A New Opportunity for Alaska LNG
The Alaska Gasline Development Corp. plans to ask state lawmakers for $2.5 million next year as it prepares to renew its push for a proposed trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline in 2027.
Alaska’s State Gas Corporation to Seek $2.5 Million to Revive Trans-Alaska Pipeline Effort
Pipeline Technology Journal, September 9, 2026
Frank Richards, president of the state-owned corporation, announced the funding request last week Thursday during a board of directors meeting.
The funds would support a previously announced program designed to allow local residents to invest directly in the major infrastructure project in which Texas-based developer Glenfarne holds a 75% stake, while AGDC owns the remaining 25%.
“It will be something that we’ll have to go to the legislature next year to be able to say, ‘Here’s the program. If the state is interested, then these are the funds necessary for us to be able to accomplish this work,’” Richards said.
The board meeting marked the first gathering since the Alaska House voted down a compromise tax-cut bill meant to move the project forward.
The defeated legislation aimed to replace the state’s standard petroleum property tax on the pipeline and related facilities with a tax on gas transported through the line.
However, the measure stalled over a Senate-backed provision that would have levied a corporate income tax on certain privately held oil and gas producers, with Gov. Mike Dunleavy and many House members opposing the tax increase on private producers.
Although Dunleavy offered a middle-ground proposal during a special legislative session this summer, lawmakers failed to take up the compromise, leaving the pipeline’s fiscal framework in limbo.
Despite the legislative setback, AGDC officials are looking toward political shifts in the capitol to build fresh momentum for the line.
A new governor will take office in December, followed by newly elected legislative majorities taking office in January.
“Next year we’ll have a new administration. Next year we’ll have — certainly — a newly elected legislature, and they’ll be starting again from scratch,” Richards said. “Hopefully, looking at tax relief in some way or form for the project.”
USGS Cooperative National Geologic Map 2.0 brings Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories into a standardized national framework.
A more detailed look at Alaska geology
Shane Lasley, North of 60 Mining News, September 7, 2026
The search for minerals and metals critical to the United States now has a nationwide geologic framework that includes Alaska for the first time.
“Mapping our nation is critically important to identify and access the energy and mineral resources we need to support and grow the American economy,” said Assistant Secretary of the Interior Andrea Travnicek.
The detailed mapping needed to better understand America’s energy and mineral resource potential took a major step forward with the Cooperative National Geologic Map 1.0 unveiled by USGS last August.
That original version compiled more than 100 preexisting geologic maps from various sources into a single cartographic resource that provides users access to multiple layers of standardized geologic data across America’s contiguous 48 states.
Version 2.0, released by USGS on Sept. 3, expands that standardized coverage to Alaska, Hawaii, and most U.S. territories.
“This comprehensive digital map now covers the geology of nearly the entire nation,” said USGS Director Ned Mamula. “Alaska’s extraordinary geologic resource potential is included for the first time.”
Because Alaska hosts some of the nation’s most compelling geology for discovering and developing domestic sources of energy and minerals critical to the nation’s economy and defense, incorporating America’s Last Frontier state into the national map was a priority for the USGS.
Alaska’s vast size, remoteness, and geologic complexity, however, have long made it one of the most difficult regions in the country to map comprehensively.
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BLM Extends Scoping Period on Next Chapter for Trans Alaska Pipeline System
The Bureau of Land Management will provide the public an additional week to comment on a proposed 30-year right-of-way renewal for Alaska’s famed Trans Alaska Pipeline System. With this extension, the scoping period, which began on Aug. 26, 2026, now closes on Sept. 17, 2026.
This scoping period is a key step in the environmental review process analyzing the potential renewal of the 800-mile pipeline’s right-of-way. Earlier this summer, the BLM received a 30-year right-of-way renewal application from Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, which operates the pipeline on behalf of its three owner companies: Harvest Alaska, LLC; ConocoPhillips Transportation Alaska Inc.; and ExxonMobil Pipeline Company LLC.
The Trans Alaska Pipeline System was first authorized in 1974 and constructed between 1974 and 1977. Since construction, the pipeline has transported over 19 billion barrels of oil from Alaska’s North Slope to in-state refineries and the Valdez Marine Terminal. In 2025, the Trans Alaska Pipeline System transported an average of 463,000 barrels per day.
This effort builds on the Department of the Interior’s extensive work to unleash Alaska’s resource potential under Executive Order 14153 and Secretary’s Order 3422, Unleashing Alaska’s Extraordinary Resource Potential, and Executive Order 14154, Unleashing American Energy. Actions taken have improved regulatory certainty and streamlined permitting in the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska and the Coastal Plain of Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, resulting in successful lease sales and increased production in the future.
For more information on this project and how to comment during the scoping period, visit the BLM National NEPA Register (NEPA Number: DOI-BLM-AK-9410-2026-0009-EA).
