By SUZANNE DOWNING
May 19, 2026 – With the regular legislative session set to end Wednesday night, Gov. Mike Dunleavy has officially called lawmakers back to Juneau for a special session beginning Thursday morning focused solely on the Alaska LNG tax legislation that has collapsed in the final hours of the regular session.
In an executive proclamation signed Tuesday afternoon, Dunleavy ordered the Thirty-Fourth Alaska Legislature into its second special session beginning May 21 at 10 am in the Capitol chambers in Juneau.
The special session call is narrowly tailored to one subject: House Bill 381, the complex natural gas pipeline taxation bill tied to the Alaska LNG project. This is the companion legislation to the bill that failed in the House on Monday night.
The proclamation specifically references legislation “relating to the taxation of certain natural gas pipeline property; relating to municipal taxation limitations; establishing an alternative volumetric tax on natural gas throughput; and relating to the allocation of revenue from the alternative volumetric tax.”
The move comes after days of legislative turmoil surrounding the gasline package, which had become entangled in broader political fights over oil taxes, defined-benefit pensions for state workers, education funding amendments, and internal House coalition tensions. At one point, the House Republican Minority Leader DeLena Johnson crossed over and voted with the Democrats on an amendment that killed the gasline bill.
The Alaska LNG legislation is a major economic-development package intended to improve the competitiveness of the long-discussed North Slope gasline project. By the final week of session, the measure had morphed into a Christmas tree with all kinds of ornaments hanging from it. Amendments unrelated to the gasline were layered onto the legislation, ranging from education funding provisions to attempts at state-controlled gas pricing and infrastructure spending.
One especially controversial amendment added language allowing certain boroughs to negotiate tax terms directly with the project developer, Glenfarne. Gov. Dunleavy had already warned such provisions would trigger a veto.
Meanwhile, Democratic-led majorities in the House and Senate were also using the defined-benefit pension bill, HB 78, as leverage during the gasline negotiations. That bill itself became the subject of a failed veto override effort Monday.
The governor’s special session proclamation signals that despite the collapse of negotiations during the regular session, the administration intends to continue pushing for passage of a tax framework viewed by supporters as critical to advancing the Alaska LNG project.
The timing also keeps lawmakers immediately back in Juneau just hours after adjournment, extending what has already become one of the most contentious and chaotic legislative endgames in Alaska history.
Under the Alaska Constitution, the governor may call lawmakers into special session and limit the subjects they may consider. The Legislature can only take up matters germane to the call unless expanded by a two-thirds vote.
Whether lawmakers can quickly untangle the political knots that sank the measure during regular session remains uncertain. But the governor’s message Monday was unmistakable: The fight over the gasline is not over.
18 thoughts on “Governor calls a special session for gasline”
Legislature: Stop buttering your own bread and do what is best for the citizenry. FAFO…
Apparently, they prefer coleslaw.
Governor Dunleavy’s office can feed them chicken and coleslaw at their special meeting
Put them all in a boat and send them to Gustavus or Pelican for the entire summer. No one will miss them. No one!
I’ll miss them, because they are the only ones who read my blog. If they don’t donate to me, I’ll have to blow my load of bullsh*t onto another site and hope enough donations come in so I can stay drunk for another 10 days. They are the only readers who are loyal to me. I’ve trained these dumb legislators my way…….pepper them with small doses of gratitude for fighting Trump and Dunleavy, then salt them down into believing they are the real deal. It’s a form of mind control. A Marxist approach to brainwashing the weak and then steering them into chaos so they come to me for help. Aren’t I brilliant? And Suzanne never gives me any credit.
I’m still Snorting and Farting From Alaska.
Dermutt.
Comedy gold.
Indeed!😆
Keep them all locked down in Juneau.
For the entire summer. Brilliant move, Big Mike. New candidates can start their campaigns now, at home. As for Cole, who really pays any attention to him? He’s an over the hill bag of wind, waiting for his place on birch hill.
His brother is waiting too.
“……….Governor calls a special session………..”
Gee, what a surprise.
I wonder how long this circle jerk will last? I can’t get the feeling out of my mind that, if this last ditch hurrah fails yet again, we’ll just start this ride through Fantasyland all over again in January. Again.
Nothing to stop the governor from calling multiple special sessions one right after another until they give him somrthing positive to sign. With any luck, it will be a long, hot summer for legislative incumbents. Cheers –
Don’t forgive local property taxes – defer them for 5 years. That would be a win, win for everyone!
Call a special session on the road system, and make them face the public. Have the troopers bring them in kicking and screaming, then padlock the doors shut. Let them dine on saltines and water until they hammer out a plan. This is such an embarrassment, and showcases the grand ineptitude of those elected to represent us.
LoL! Lets be a little more generous and roll in one of last years giant rotting cabbage to enhance the smell of a chambers full of lawyers and liars :).
And just as I thought I’d never get real honest work again. Thanks, Big Mike.
Working for you on payroll sure beats the hell out of getting more free government money from a defined benefit package controlled by the unions. I’m really staring to get it. Democrats and Rep. Kopp just can’t be trusted.
Mark, your as bad as nephew. Both traitors to the Begich legacy. Just for that, I’m going to name Cathy Giessel as my running mate. Think about that.
A Unity Ticket for the ages. Tom’s life expectancy just got shorter.
This is peak dysfunction. Due to Trumps’ historically stupid unprovoked war on Iran, and the damages done to global oil/gas supply chains, the demand for gas is certain. As it is, damages to infrastructure in our empires’ vassal Gulf despotic Arab states will take years to repair. Inflation is going to spike. The one positive for Alaska is the gas project. This illustrates the degraded state of Alaska’s residents, to continue sending corrupt fools to Juneau.