{"id":451,"date":"2026-06-18T20:06:26","date_gmt":"2026-06-18T20:06:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=451"},"modified":"2026-06-18T20:06:26","modified_gmt":"2026-06-18T20:06:26","slug":"gas-pipeline-deadlock-continues-in-alaska-senate-as-special-session-nears-end","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=451","title":{"rendered":"Gas pipeline deadlock continues in Alaska Senate as special session nears end"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

The 14 members of Alaska\u2019s Senate coalition majority met behind closed doors twice on Wednesday to decide the fate of a multibillion-dollar tax break for the proposed trans-Alaska natural gas pipeline.<\/p>\n

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The state House voted 34-5 on Friday to approve the break, which also has the approval of Gov. Mike Dunleavy and pipeline developer Glenfarne, but the tax break won\u2019t become law unless it also has the approval of the Senate.<\/p>\n

For several days, the Senate\u2019s majority has been stymied by an internal rule that requires 11 of the majority\u2019s 14 members to agree on a bill before it is presented to the full Senate.<\/p>\n

As of Wednesday afternoon, there were not 11 majority votes for the bill, which would replace a 2% property tax on the project with a tax on gas pumped through the line.<\/p>\n

Under current law, the pipeline would generate $47 billion for the state and boroughs along the route through 2062, according to figures from the Alaska Department of Revenue.<\/p>\n

The House-passed bill would drop that figure to about $31 billion. The $16 billion difference is the result of the switch from a property tax to a gas tax. The state would still collect production taxes, royalties and other fees.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers are also interested in lowering natural gas costs for Alaska residents. If built as planned, the pipeline would provide in-state gas to the Railbelt at a rate cheaper than imports.<\/p>\n

In a newsletter, Sen. Loki Tobin, D-Anchorage, became the latest lawmaker to voice opposition to the House\u2019s version of the bill.<\/p>\n

\u201cA 90% tax cut for Glenfarne raises concerns that our state and local governments may not have enough funds to support essential services such as sanitation, schools, and roads, which directly impact our communities and families,\u201d she wrote in part, referring to the property tax cut.<\/p>\n

Glenfarne has said the bill is critical in order to obtain financing for the Alaska LNG project, which would build an 807-mile pipeline from the North Slope to Cook Inlet and major processing plants at either end of the line.<\/p>\n

Senators are considering amendments to the House bill that could ease the bill\u2019s passage in the Senate, but Glenfarne has warned the Senate Finance Committee against making big changes.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re encouraged by the House progress and strong outcome and are optimistic the Senate will pass a bill that works for Alaska by helping enable this project,\u201d said Tim Fitzpatrick, a spokesperson for Glenfarne.<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, the Senate majority canceled a scheduled meeting of the full Senate and two scheduled meetings of the Senate Finance Committee, which is considering changes to the bill.<\/p>\n

Read more Crisis response teams free up Anchorage police and emergency services, officials say<\/a><\/p>\n

The next meeting of the full Senate is scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday.<\/p>\n

Lawmakers are in a 30-day special session that ends at 11:59 p.m. Friday. If they don\u2019t pass the tax-break bill by that deadline, the bill will die.<\/p>\n

Dunleavy could call legislators into another special session, and while the governor\u2019s office declined to say whether he is prepared to do so, the six members of the Senate\u2019s all-Republican minority caucus said they have seen a draft special-session proclamation.<\/p>\n

In separate interviews, all six said they support the House version of the bill, with only minor technical fixes needed.<\/p>\n

Sen. Robb Myers, R-North Pole, said that while the pipeline isn\u2019t guaranteed to happen if the bill passes, it\u2019s guaranteed to happen if the bill doesn\u2019t pass.<\/p>\n

Sen. George Rauscher, R-Sutton, offered a similar position.<\/p>\n

\u201cGlenfarne has to have numbers that work, or they can\u2019t build it. We can ask for anything we want \u2014 we can demand all the taxes \u2014 but in the end, if it isn\u2019t built, we don\u2019t get anything,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Senate Minority Leader Mike Cronk, R-Tok, called the majority\u2019s 11-vote rule \u201cpathetic.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should all have the ability to cast a yes or no vote on this,\u201d he said, noting that collectively, the minority\u2019s six members represent more than 180,000 Alaskans.<\/p>\n

Cronk said he believes the Senate will ultimately vote on the issue.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m hoping we all get our chance to say yes or no. That\u2019s what Alaskans expect. It shouldn\u2019t be dictated by 11 people,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Cronk and Sen. Cathy Tilton, R-Wasilla, observed that the Senate Majority already broke its 11-vote rule during the regular session by calling up a pension bill, a medical licensing bill and a bill pertaining to gambling.<\/p>\n

Despite Wednesday\u2019s lack of action, Sen. Robert Yundt, R-Wasilla, remained optimistic, saying he believes the Senate will ultimately bring the pipeline issue to a vote.<\/p>\n

\u201cA majority of the state depends on natural gas. We\u2019re either going to be using our own or importing, and when all is said and done, I think we\u2019re going to be using our own,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Read more Sterling wildfire not fully contained but bounded, after multi-agency response<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Members of the Senate\u2019s controlling majority caucus canceled meetings Wednesday and debated behind closed doors.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nGas pipeline deadlock continues in Alaska Senate as special session nears end - Alaska Moving Network<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=451\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Gas pipeline deadlock continues in Alaska Senate as special session nears end - Alaska Moving Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Members of the Senate\u2019s controlling majority caucus canceled meetings Wednesday and debated behind closed doors.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=451\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Alaska Moving Network\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-06-18T20:06:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/?p=451#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/?p=451\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4e09896005b88414084eb4bd3215ab0a\"},\"headline\":\"Gas pipeline deadlock continues in Alaska Senate as special session nears end\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-18T20:06:26+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/?p=451\"},\"wordCount\":849,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/?p=451#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/af936294af38d947b3f93ce98ecfff5b.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"News\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/?p=451#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/?p=451\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/?p=451\",\"name\":\"Gas pipeline deadlock continues in Alaska Senate as special session nears end - Alaska Moving Network\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/?p=451#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/?p=451#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/af936294af38d947b3f93ce98ecfff5b.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-06-18T20:06:26+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/4e09896005b88414084eb4bd3215ab0a\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/?p=451#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/?p=451\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/?p=451#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/af936294af38d947b3f93ce98ecfff5b.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/06\\\/af936294af38d947b3f93ce98ecfff5b.jpg\",\"width\":1500,\"height\":1125,\"caption\":\"Senate Minority Leader Mike Cronk, R-Tok, listens to a speech by Rep. 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