By SUZANNE DOWNING
May 25, 2026 – After being called into special session to tackle what supporters call the largest infrastructure project in Alaska history, lawmakers largely disappeared for the Memorial Day weekend, leaving the Capitol quiet, while the future of the Alaska LNG project hangs in the balance.
Gov. Mike Dunleavy called legislators back to Juneau immediately after adjournment of the regular session, specifically to address legislation tied to the proposed Alaska LNG pipeline and gas export project. The project, now backed by majority stakeholder Glenfarne and supported by the administration, would involve an 800-mile pipeline from the North Slope to Southcentral Alaska, with liquefied natural gas exports aimed at Asian markets.
But after a regular session in which gasline legislation spent weeks bogged down in committee hearings and procedural delays, many Alaskans are watching closely to see whether lawmakers are finally ready to act, or whether the Legislature will once again “meeting it to death.”
That criticism has been aimed particularly at the Senate Resources Committee, chaired by a defiant and unyielding Sen. Cathy Giessel, where gasline tax legislation repeatedly stalled during the regular session despite the governor making the project his top legislative priority.
Senate sidelines Giessel as Alaska LNG tax bill bypasses Resources Committee in special session
This week, however, the focus shifts to the House and Senate Finance committees, where lawmakers will begin digging into the financial and tax structure underpinning the project.
The key legislation under discussion would overhaul how major gas pipeline infrastructure is taxed. Supporters argue the changes are necessary to make the project economically viable and competitive globally. Opponents have raised concerns about reducing future tax revenues and the long-term fiscal impacts on the state and municipalities.
Meetings scheduled this week include multiple presentations from GaffneyCline Energy Advisory, a Baker Hughes company that has been involved in analyzing LNG market conditions and project economics.
Here is the schedule for this week’s hearings:
Tuesday, May 26
House Finance Committee
1:30 pm — Anchorage LIO, Denali Room
HB 381 — Oil & Gas Property Tax; Municipal Tax
Presentation by Nick Fulford, Senior Director for Gas/LNG & Energy Transition at GaffneyCline Energy Advisory.
Wednesday, May 27
Senate Finance Committee
9:00 am — Senate Finance Room 532
SB 2001 — Gas Pipeline Volumetric Tax; AGDC; RCA
Presentation by GaffneyCline
Streamed live on AKL.tv.
Thursday, May 28
Senate Finance Committee
9:00 am — Senate Finance Room 532
SB 2001 continued
Presentation by GaffneyCline
Streamed live on AKL.tv.
Friday, May 29
Senate Finance Committee
9:00 am — Senate Finance Room 532
SB 2001 continued
Streamed live on AKL.tv.
The special session comes after months of mounting frustration from project supporters. Alaska has spent decades studying and debating a North Slope gasline while other energy-producing regions moved aggressively to supply global LNG markets.
