Alex Gimarc: Enemies of the State in the Alaska Senate

By ALEX GIMARC

June 18, 2026 – The Alaska Story published a column by Suzanne Downing on Tuesday describing the legislative sleight of hand she expects the Senate Majority Caucus to use to kill the natural gas line.  The game as usual for this crowd will take place behind closed doors where they will be “unable” to muster 11 of 14 available majority caucus votes to bring the measure to the floor for a vote.

Too bad.  So sad.  Sucks to be you.

Given this possibility, killing a project that has close to (or over) 80% public support statewide, what do we do about it?

A review of where we are is in order.

The House passed HB 381 Friday, June 12, with a veto-proof 34 – 5 majority and sent it over to the Senate for action.  At the same time, Glenfarne lined up trade union support for the pipeline, with an event Saturday.  Chugach Electric came onboard Monday with a signed letter of intent to purchase North Slope gas through the proposed pipeline.

The Senate, on the other hand resumed its obstruct, deny and delay routine, this time not led by Sen. Cathy Giessel, but by Bert Stedman in Senate Finance. Cathy is in attendance during those hearings, doing her best Nurse Ratched routine whispering in various ears during breaks, haranguing the Senate Finance members.

I was temporarily confused by union support for the project announced last weekend.  One of my readers educated me upon the error of my ways.

There are two groups of unions out there – the trade unions who Glenfarne has on board, and the public employee unions who apparently don’t support the project.  It is the public employee unions who hold the collective leash of the Senate Majority rather than the trades.

The incongruity of Sen. Kelly Merrick’s participation on the anti-gasline side is interesting given her connection to the trades via her husband.

Should that majority kill the project by whatever means, excuses, promises for future action, or anything else, they and those who hold their political leashes formally become Enemies of the State, more interested in their own political welfare, and personal battles with Trump and Dunleavy Derangement Syndrome than in the interest of the rest of the state supports the project.

Should the Senate Majority kill this, I can think of a couple responses.  First and quickest would be the governor to call the entire circus back into session until the Senate Majority passes the legislation.  If the clowns want to have a circus, might as well make them spend the rest of the summer in Juneau.

Second, and longer term, is to go after the circus politically.  Every single member of that majority becomes no longer electable.  If the majority refuses to pass the enabling legislation, remove them from office through your participation in their reelection campaigns for the August primary and the November general elections.

Third, to the public employee unions, I ask:  What have you done for me lately?  You glory on not preparing the kiddos for their future, having turned the public schools into a wasteland.  You are busily trying to bankrupt PERS / TERS via defined benefit, turning a $7 billion deficit into God knows what.  And today, you are pushing your bought and paid for senate majority into killing the most significant resource development project seen in this state for half a century.  On a cost-benefit basis, I see an awful lot of cost and precious little benefit.  Tell me again why we need you?  What positive are you boys and girls bringing to the table?

I would suggest we go scorched earth against the Alaska Senate Majority.  No gasline?  No election or reelection for any member of the majority caucus.  Should simplify the campaigns nicely.

Gubernatorial campaigns best also weigh in with their level of support.

If the Senate Majority and the public employee unions want to screw over the entire state to achieve some unstated political goal, why not return the favor?  Should be fun, and very, very well deserved.

You guys want to play?  We can do that, for you have arrived squarely in FAFO Land.  And playtime is over.

Alex Gimarc lives in Anchorage since retiring from the military in 1997. His interests include science and technology, environment, energy, economics, military affairs, fishing and disabilities policies. His weekly column “Interesting Items” is a summary of news stories with substantive Alaska-themed topics. He was a small business owner and Information Technology professional.