Nick Begich III tells Legislature the good news: Washington is getting out of the way of Alaska progress

By SUZANNE DOWNING

March 10, 2026 – Alaska Congressman Nick Begich III used his annual address to a joint session of the Alaska Legislature on Tuesday to deliver a message: The federal government, he said, is finally moving in Alaska’s direction, and now state lawmakers need to keep up.

Speaking to members of the House and Senate, Begich framed his first year in Congress as a record of legislative productivity and pointed out that Alaska is entering a rare window of opportunity for energy, resource development, infrastructure, and Arctic investment. He told lawmakers that “Alaskans expect results, not symbolic victories,” and said the “promise of Statehood,” including  self-determination, resource development, and long-term prosperity, is now being delivered.

Begich’s speech was both a progress report and a challenge. His office has pushed bills through Congress at a record pace, highlighted measures involving Alaska Native settlement trusts, Native village lands, and Native veteran allotments, and he emphasized the durable wins written into law rather than temporary executive actions.

A major focus of the address was energy policy. Begich said Alaska has spent decades caught in a cycle of federal authorization and obstruction, particularly on Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska, and other resource-rich lands. He argued that congressional action over the past year has changed that by reopening acreage, restoring older management plans, and putting some of those changes into statute.

He pointed in particular to the upcoming federal lease sale in the NPRA as evidence that the new policy direction is already being implemented. In Begich’s telling, that shift means Alaska now has more certainty than it has had in years, which he said is essential to attracting the investment needed for jobs, infrastructure, and long-term population growth.

Begich turned his focus to the Alaska LNG project, describing it as the kind of generational decision that will define whether Alaska seizes or squanders the moment. He compared the opportunity to the boldness that built the trans-Alaska pipeline and warned lawmakers not to let process become paralysis. The federal path, he said, is “largely cleared,” but investors still need state-level certainty on taxes, royalties, and permitting.

“Scrutinize it carefully. Model it thoroughly. But do not become a roadblock,” he said.

Alaska LNG project making steady progress as key decisions take shape

That line captured the larger theme of the speech. Again and again, Begich argued that the Executive Branch has reduced barriers and that the next bottleneck is no longer federal resistance, but whether Alaska’s own political leaders will move quickly enough to match the moment.

He also called for state action on three fronts: fisheries accountability, workforce development, and Alaska LNG enabling legislation. On fisheries, he said the governor’s appointments to the North Pacific Fishery Management Council should better reflect the range of Alaska fishing interests. On workforce, he said Alaska needs more welders, pipefitters, equipment operators, and other skilled workers if it wants Alaskans — rather than Outside labor — to fill the jobs that come with major projects. And on LNG, he pressed lawmakers to provide the fiscal and regulatory clarity that project investors want to see.

Beyond development, Begich touched on a wide range of issues, including aviation safety, Coast Guard and Arctic defense investments, southern border security, fentanyl, and rural health care. He praised what he described as major federal investments in air traffic control modernization, missile defense, military readiness, and rural health access, while also arguing for lower taxes and more affordability for working families.

He also used part of the speech to highlight a new bill he introduced in Congress that would make the Alaska Permanent Fund dividend exempt from federal income tax. Begich said the PFD represents Alaska’s statehood compact and argued that Washington should not take a cut of money intended for Alaskans.

Begich’s remarks also included tributes and acknowledgments closer to home. Begich honored former legislator Craig Johnson, recognized the recent storm damage in Western Alaska, thanked members of Alaska’s congressional delegation, and congratulated several legislators on their new roles.

Still, the central political point of the address was unmistakable. Begich presented himself as a congressman delivering concrete federal victories and cast the Legislature as the body now being tested. “Alaska is unshackled,” he said near the end of the speech. “The obstacles are coming down. The permits are being approved. And we are ready to deliver.”

Whether lawmakers in Juneau agree with that framing, or with Begich’s heavy emphasis on oil, gas, mining, and large-scale development, remains to be seen. But his message to the Legislature was clear enough: Washington, for now, is opening doors for Alaska, and he expects the state to walk through them.

At the end of his remarks, most legislators stood to applause, with a handful just standing and one – Democrat Rep. Zack Fields – slouching in his chair, not participating in the applause. Others, such as Rep. Ashley Carrick, also remained seated, while others, like Rep. Sara Hannan, stood but kept her hands silent.

As the question-and-answer segment started, Senate President Gary Stevens first recognized Democrat Rep. Nellie Jimmie of Toksook Bay, who launched into a three-minute diatribe that she read aloud about the storm damage in Western Alaska, which “triggered the largest airlift in Alaskan history.” And then she continued to complain about the situation.