Alaska LNG Project Special Session Ends in Failure

Alaska's third special session on the Alaska LNG project ended without any action taken after Governor Mike Dunleavy introduced a compromise bill that included a corporate income tax expansion. The bill gained little traction with lawmakers and was panned by major business groups.

The cost of this special session alone is estimated to be around $76,000, bringing the total cost for all three consecutive sessions to over $1 million. This comes as the state faces a looming natural gas shortage that could lead to rolling blackouts and higher utility costs.

Governor Dunleavy accused legislative leaders of not moving forward with his bill, stating 'So now here's the question. What is the legislature's plan to keep the lights and heat on when Cook Inlet gas runs short?' The governor's proposal would have replaced existing property taxes on the project with a lower tax on the volume of gas shipped through the pipeline.

Juneau Democratic Sen. Jesse Kiehl called the special session 'wasted dollars,' stating that lawmakers had made no effort to gather votes or move opinions forward.