By SUZANNE DOWNING
June 17, 2026 – With just two days remaining in the special session, the fate of Alaska’s long-awaited natural gas pipeline legislation may come down to a simple question: What happens if the Alaska Senate never takes a final vote?
The answer is that the fight is unlikely to end Friday.
If the Senate fails to pass House Bill 381 before the current special session expires on June 19, Gov. Mike Dunleavy has another tool available to him: He can immediately call lawmakers back into another special session focused on the same subject.
In fact, many Capitol insiders believe a new proclamation may already be drafted and waiting.
The current special session was called by Dunleavy specifically to address tax and regulatory provisions designed to improve the economics of the Alaska LNG project, the proposed 807-mile pipeline that would bring North Slope natural gas to Alaskans and export markets.
The legislation passed the House with bipartisan support and now sits before a Senate majority that appears unwilling to advance it.
Read more about how they plan to delay it here:
Suzanne Downing: How the Senate Majority plans to kill the gasline without leaving fingerprints
If Senate leaders choose not to move the bill, they may win a battle, but not necessarily the war.
Under Article II of the Alaska Constitution, the governor has the authority to call the Legislature into special session. The governor’s proclamation specifies the date, location, and subject matter lawmakers may consider.
Once called, legislators must convene. They cannot simply ignore the governor’s summons.
They can, however, employ procedural maneuvers that have become familiar in Alaska politics.
Lawmakers can gavel into session, satisfy the constitutional requirement to convene, and then recess for days or even weeks. Legislative majorities in the past have used that tactic when they disagree with a governor’s agenda but wish to avoid directly voting on controversial measures.
The governor cannot force lawmakers to pass a bill. He cannot compel committees to meet or require floor votes. Legislative leaders still control committee schedules and the daily calendar.
What the governor can do is keep calling them back. A special session may last up to 30 days. If lawmakers adjourn without resolving the issue, the governor can issue another proclamation and start the process again. But not until they adjourn in that 30-day window. They may simply just recess and hold “technical sessions” that are mandated “check ins.”
It’s a political dilemma for senators who may be hoping the issue simply disappears so they can go about campaigning for another term. Half of the Senate is up for reelection, including many who are in the Senate Majority that is trying to kill the gasline.
The Alaska LNG project remains one of the governor’s top priorities. Glenfarne, the private developer leading the project, continues to sign agreements with utilities, labor unions, and potential customers. Just this week, Chugach Electric Association signed a letter of intent to negotiate for future North Slope gas supplies from the pipeline.
Every month of delay weakens Alaska’s position in the race to secure buyers, financing, and construction commitments.
There is also another political risk. The longer the Legislature remains deadlocked, the more attention shifts from the details of the legislation to the question of who is preventing a vote. For senators trying to avoid taking a position, repeated special sessions may only increase public scrutiny.
The Alaska Constitution gives the Legislature considerable freedom in how it conducts business. But it also gives governors significant leverage when they believe an issue is important enough to demand continued attention.
The question may be how many special sessions Alaskans are willing to watch before the Senate finally decides whether to vote yes or no.
5 thoughts on “What happens next if the Senate runs out the clock on the Alaska gasline bill?”
Suzanne – might the Trump administration seek to apply pressure on the Senate Majority Caucus members in advance of the Special Session ending??
Senator Bert Stedman will kill the gas line. He has killed some bad ideas over the years – like the latest defined-benefits program – but a lot more good ideas. He represents Ketchikan and Sitka who benefit from State-financed hydro power. Although his constituents might benefit from an uptick in State revenues from the gasline, the more important point for Senator Stedman is to maintain his position in the Senate, handing out money and goodies to those he favors and punishing those he does not like or even know. A gasline might change that; he prefers the current stagnation and decline in Alaska. Others in the Senate are pursuing a similar strategy.
It might really upset 84 year-old Senator Gary Stevens if the Governor were to inflict maximum pain through maximum vetos of capital budget items for obstructionist Senators. Why not?
I wonder if we did not have RCV, we might have a different legislative membership…one that treated the state’s business in an adult manner.
Alaska GOP and AkDemocrats voters have been electing government dependent leaders since 2002 since I became more aware of who voters were sending to the state house and state senate as well as the US Senate and US House
(whom our passed away US Senators and Representative encourage Alaskans government dependency by their race who can bring the most pork home);
The biggest hurt to AkGOP has been since the passing of the open primary, campaign donation limits. mail in ballots, and now most recently RCV the most recent assault against AkGOP voters to send Actual Republican neighbors to represent the Right and their district voters who voted for a more Republican form of government
If AKGOP knew how to play politics like Democrats This would become the deciding factor who Alaskan voters would vote for in August and November for Governor and legislature races IF AKGOP knew how to sell it to the voters why the Republican Governor and legislature will build the gasline as long the voters don’t elect any bi partisan Republicans….