AKLNG Legislative Update: With 10 days left in session, AKLNG bills are getting daily hearings. After fast, thorough work by the House Resources Committee, HB 381 has emerged as the clearest path forward and will be worked on in House Finance this week. Meanwhile, SB 280 remains stuck in Senate Resources — caught in a cycle of hearings, revisions, and more hearings.
Alaska’s gasline: Facts vs. the ‘Failure Crowd’
Mike Chenault, Alaska Landmine, May 8, 2026
Gaslighting the Gasline
Kevin McCabe, May 9, 2026
The cost of waiting on Alaska LNG is already showing up
George Wuerch, Mark Begich, Dan Sulivan, Dave Bronson, Anchorage Daily News, May 10, 20266
Alaska’s economic development agency, AIDEA, wants to conduct geologic testing on its existing oil leases — and to bid on new ones — in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The state of Alaska could spend nearly $200 million on oil exploration, leasing in Arctic refuge
Max Graham, Northern Journal, May 11, 2026
Alaska’s industrial development agency this week is set to vote on spending $190 million on controversial plans for oil exploration in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
The budget, drafted by staff and still pending approval by the agency’s governor-appointed board, includes up to $175 million for advanced geologic testing, plus as much as $15 million to bid on new areas of the refuge in an upcoming federal lease sale.
If approved, the plans from the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority, or AIDEA, could represent a major step toward development in the refuge. They could also represent a massive expenditure, as $190 million exceeds the yearly general fund budgets of more than half of Alaska’s executive branch agencies.
AIDEA’s proposed spending is outlined in a resolution that the authority’s board is set to discuss at a meeting Wednesday. The state published a notice about the meeting on Sunday.
The geologic work, known as seismic testing, involves searching for oil deep underground by using sound waves — a technique that geologists liken to an ultrasound of the earth.
