{"id":454,"date":"2026-06-19T04:10:50","date_gmt":"2026-06-19T04:10:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=454"},"modified":"2026-06-19T04:10:50","modified_gmt":"2026-06-19T04:10:50","slug":"gasline-bill-remains-stalled-in-senate-as-dunleavy-vetoes-9-bills-threatens-another-special-session","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alaskamovingnetwork.com\/?p=454","title":{"rendered":"Gasline bill remains stalled in Senate as Dunleavy vetoes 9 bills, threatens another special session"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Members of the Alaska Senate\u2019s bipartisan majority caucus spent Thursday in another<\/u> round of closed-door talks discussing a bill that passed the state House offering tax breaks for the Alaska LNG project.<\/p>\n

Read more National Science Foundation reverses decision to dismantle oceans-monitoring network after outcry<\/a><\/p>\n

It was the penultimate day of a special session Gov. Mike Dunleavy called to consider the bill. Dunleavy reiterated Thursday afternoon that he\u2019d call lawmakers right back into another special session<\/u> if they failed to pass the tax bill before the current session expires.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy hope is we can get the work done and a bill passed that works to help move this large gas line project forward before midnight Friday,\u201d he said on social media. \u201cIf not, we will begin the process again Saturday with another special session.\u201d<\/p>\n

Dunleavy and pipeline developer Glenfarne say the bill replacing a 2% property tax with a much smaller tax on gas throughput is essential for the multibillion-dollar project to receive financing. They applauded the bill the House passed by a 34-5 margin on June 12<\/u>.<\/p>\n

But some state senators want major changes. Sen. Bill Wielechowski, an Anchorage Democrat, said he\u2019d like to see the bill include a long-sought change that would subject large oil and gas businesses structured as pass-through entities \u2014 including Glenfarne and oil and gas giant Hilcorp \u2014 to state corporate income taxes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt’s a sausage-making process,\u201d Wielechowski said. \u201cVarious legislators want to see various things in the bill, and (we\u2019re) trying to figure out how we can get to some consensus so that we can get something pushed across the finish line.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawmakers are also considering how long the tax break Dunleavy proposed should last. The House\u2019s version offers three decades of preferential tax treatment. Some majority caucus senators say they would like that to be closer to one or two decades. Glenfarne told legislators it would prefer the longer term.<\/p>\n

The closed-door negotiations have frustrated the Senate\u2019s minority Republican caucus, members said at a news conference Wednesday. The six-member caucus urged the bipartisan majority to bring the House\u2019s version of the bill to a vote.<\/p>\n

Passing the tax cut doesn\u2019t guarantee a gas pipeline will be built, said Republican Sen. Robb Myers of Fairbanks. But failing to pass one means it definitely won\u2019t be built, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cFairbanks is already living Southcentral’s future,\u201d Myers said. \u201cWe’re paying almost 40 cents a kilowatt hour for electricity. Gas to my house is 25 bucks (per 1,000 cubic feet).\u201d<\/p>\n

Read more Gas pipeline deadlock continues in Alaska Senate as special session nears end<\/a><\/p>\n

Importing natural gas is \u201cthe only viable alternative out there right now\u201d to a gas pipeline, he said. Importing gas \u201clocks us into high prices without a path to lower prices, and it locks us into the variability of the world market,\u201d Myers continued.<\/p>\n

Around the Capitol, many legislators on Thursday said they were optimistic they\u2019d find a way to pass the bill before the special session expires at 11:59 p.m. Friday.<\/p>\n

But Wielechowski, a member of the Senate\u2019s leadership team, said it could be difficult.<\/p>\n

\u201cTomorrow is going to be tough,\u201d he said Thursday. \u201cNot impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n

That depends in part on other legislative business, Wielechowski said, including attempts to override Gov. Dunleavy\u2019s vetoes.<\/p>\n

Dunleavy vetoed nine bills Thursday evening<\/u>, many of which passed in wide, bipartisan votes.<\/p>\n

The vetoed bills would:<\/p>\n