Latest news with #MikeDunleavy
Newsweek
6 hours ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Alaska Governor: Why the Alaska LNG Pipeline Matters for South Korea's Energy Security
Advocates for ideas and draws conclusions based on the interpretation of facts and data. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. In his March joint address to Congress, President Donald J. Trump highlighted the strategic importance of the Alaska LNG Pipeline. "My administration is working on a gigantic natural gas pipeline in Alaska, among the largest in the world, where South Korea and other nations want to be our partner," he declared. "It will be truly spectacular. It's all set to go." The significance of the president of the United States calling out an individual LNG project during such an occasion was historic. It speaks to the critical need for the initiative that is receiving backing from both President Trump and Seoul. South Korea stands as a cornerstone of America's Indo-Pacific strategy, and energy cooperation presents an opportunity to deepen their alliance. Just as importantly, it creates a platform for collaboration on environmental innovation, especially in emissions reduction and clean energy technology, ensuring that our shared energy future aligns with climate goals as well as strategic ones. Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy delivers remarks to service members, first responders, and their families on the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on September 11, 2023. Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy delivers remarks to service members, first responders, and their families on the 22nd anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson in Anchorage, Alaska, on September 11, 2023. SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images Following President Trump's address, our two nations established a specialized working group during the Washington summit to examine Korean participation in the Alaska LNG Pipeline—demonstrating a serious commitment to this potentially transformative project. South Korea currently imports nearly 90 percent of its energy, making it the world's third-largest LNG buyer. It is important that the source of this energy comes from nations with the same democratic values and strategic vision that define the U.S.-South Korea partnership. Alaska's vast resources can provide a more aligned alternative. When democratic allies fuel each other's economies, both nations benefit from enhanced security and stability. With construction permits approved and development underway, the Alaska LNG Pipeline will connect the North Slope's substantial reserves—estimated at 35 trillion cubic feet—to tidewater, facilitating shipments across the Pacific. Recent geopolitical developments, from tensions in the Taiwan Strait to Russia's weaponization of energy exports, underscore the importance of reliable partnerships. Alaska provides a direct Pacific route that bypasses traditional chokepoints, offering Seoul a more secure supply line from a trusted ally. History shows that economic ties shape strategic relationships. The European experience with Russian energy has demonstrated the risks of dependency on unreliable suppliers. For South Korea, with its manufacturing-intensive economy and limited domestic resources, diversification represents a national security imperative rather than simply an economic preference. Our energy partnership has deep historical foundations. After the Korean War, American aid in rebuilding power infrastructure helped launch the nation's remarkable journey from devastation to becoming a technological powerhouse. The Alaska LNG Pipeline offers an opportunity to write the next chapter in this shared story of progress and cooperation. Thanks to the 2012 U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA), the U.S. has already granted South Korea privileged access to American energy exports, including LNG. With the Alaska LNG Pipeline, this landmark trade agreement can transform from a theoretical framework into a powerful mechanism delivering real energy security for the Korean peninsula. South Korea brings exceptional strengths to this partnership. Companies like KOGAS possess world-class expertise in LNG operations, while South Korean engineering firms excel in energy infrastructure development. South Korea is also a global leader in environmental and emissions reduction technologies. As both nations work to balance energy security with climate responsibilities, collaboration on cleaner LNG production, carbon capture, and methane abatement technologies could ensure that this project supports environmental goals alongside strategic ones. Cooperation in these critical technologies would not only reduce the carbon footprint of LNG but also align with South Korea's broader climate ambitions—ensuring the partnership is resilient, forward-looking, and sustainable. A long-term, secure LNG supply paired with technology collaboration can provide Seoul with the energy stability it needs, while enhancing regional decarbonization and alliance cohesion. To maximize mutual benefits, both administrations should prioritize this project's advancement. The United States and South Korea share fundamental commitments to democratic governance and market economies. We have collaborated for decades to promote regional stability and prosperity. By securing a reliable, sustainable energy corridor between our nations, we strengthen these enduring bonds. As competition with non-democratic powers intensifies across multiple domains, strategic investments between trusted allies become increasingly vital. The Alaska LNG Pipeline is more than an energy project—it's a foundation for deeper economic integration, stronger security cooperation, and lasting prosperity across the Indo-Pacific. Governor Mike Dunleavy is the 12th governor of Alaska. The views expressed in this article are the writer's own.
E&E News
2 days ago
- Business
- E&E News
Trump's energy team heads to Alaska amid gas pipeline push
Sustainable energy may be getting top billing at a conference in Alaska this week, but much of the focus will be on a sprawling pipeline and natural gas export project. Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy (R) is scheduled to sit down at the confab with CEO Brendan Duval of the Glenfarne Group, the lead developer of the Alaska LNG project. Glenfarne assumed the role of top developer earlier this year, roughly five years after federal agencies approved the project and its planned exports. Three high-profile members of President Donald Trump's National Energy Dominance Council are also making the trek to Alaska — Interior Secretary Doug Burgum, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin. And although a news release from Dunleavy's office didn't directly mention the Alaska LNG project, Burgum and Wright said Trump is taking a different approach than former President Joe Biden on the issue of Alaskan resources. Advertisement 'While the last administration tried to shut down Alaska at nearly every turn, President Trump understands that unleashing Alaska's energy potential is critical to restoring American energy dominance,' Wright said in the May 12 announcement released by Dunleavy's office.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Will Dunleavy's freeze on new regulations affect paid sick leave for Alaskans?
The Alaska and American flags fly in front of the Alaska State Capitol on Tuesday, April 22, 2025. (Photo by James Brooks/Alaska Beacon) Two weeks ago, Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy announced a hiring freeze for most state agencies, paused new state regulations, and restricted state workers' travel. The governor's administrative order arrived amid growing concerns about state spending, and much of it is similar to orders issued during the COVID-19 pandemic emergency and the oil price shock of the mid-2010s. But this order has a new wrinkle: a pause on new state regulations. 'In order for agencies to focus their attention on the State's core mission of providing essential services to Alaskans and maximizing operational efficiency, there is, effective immediately, a freeze on the promulgation of new regulations by all agencies. This freeze does not apply to regulations currently out for public notice,' the governor's new order states. If laws enacted by the Legislature and governor are the building blocks of state government, regulations are the mortar that holds them together: Regulations, proposed by state agencies or boards and commissions, cover the details that laws don't, prescribing how state agencies should implement those laws. 'Governor Dunleavy issued Administrative Order 358 to ensure we are spending wisely and living within our means. This temporary pause on new regulations gives agencies time to evaluate priorities and reduce unnecessary regulatory growth,' said Jessica Bowers, a spokesperson for Dunleavy. Since Dunleavy's order, the state's public records system shows only one new regulations package has been posted for public comment. In the same period last year, the online public records system shows seven. There were three during the same stretch of 2023 and five during that stretch of 2022. This year, one of the biggest items affected by the governor's order is a packet of regulations that would fully implement last year's Ballot Measure 1, which requires paid sick leave and a minimum wage increase for workers starting July 1. The measure, which was approved by 58% of participating Alaska voters last year, also forbids 'captive audience meetings,' in which employees must listen to an employer's views on religion, politics or unions. New regulations require a 30-day comment period where the public can suggest changes to the final draft, and those regulations typically don't become effective until 30 days after the final version is signed by the lieutenant governor. In March, Adam Weinert, a special assistant to state Department of Labor Commissioner Cathy Muñoz, said that 'the regulation packet is currently with the Alaska Department of Law, and we intend to have the packet out for a 30-day public comment in the near future.' More than two months later, the packet still has not been published for public comment. The Department of Labor has not answered multiple requests for further information. The delay has alarmed some of the measure's supporters, who think it could be part of a national pattern. In Nebraska and Missouri, voters also passed paid sick leave ballot measures last year. In both places, state legislators proceeded to overturn those ballot measures this spring. Here in Alaska, five Republican members of the state House introduced a bill that would roll back Alaska's voter-approved law. 'As those issues have won at the ballot box, really since 2016, we have seen an escalation of attacks to direct democracy and voter-approved initiatives,' said Chris Melody Fields, executive director of the Ballot Initiative Strategy Center, a national progressive organization. 'We've seen that especially on the economic justice ballot measures that were passed in 2024,' she said. The Alaska bill lacks the support needed to pass the House or Senate and may be unconstitutional, which leaves regulatory hurdles as the last obstacle before it becomes effective. Bowers, in the governor's office, cited the text of the governor's administrative order and said that agencies 'can submit a waiver to move forward with paused regulations if the regulations are necessary to protect the safety of the public or to meet other essential State responsibilities.' By email, she confirmed that the Department of Labor has submitted a waiver request and that it is under review. The Alaska Department of Law, which has been examining the regulations package for more than two months, did not answer a question on Friday seeking information about the status of that review. Joelle Hall, president of the Alaska chapter of the AFL-CIO, a federation of 63 national and international labor unions, said that regardless of what happens with the regulations, Ballot Measure 1 will become law on July 1. She supported the measure and has been tracking its implementation with interest. 'Those regs need to have a 30-day comment period … they should have been out 90 days ago, so they could have taken in public comment,' she said. Without regulations, Alaskans will still be entitled to sick leave and a higher minimum wage, but employers might not know how to keep track of that sick leave and report it properly, she said. She noted that the Department of Labor has an FAQ about the measure. Other organizations, including the Foraker Group and the law firm Landye Bennett Blumstein have also published detailed explanations on the new law going into effect. Attorney Scott Kendall said that a regulations package could still go forward after the law becomes effective. But Hall said that still leaves employers guessing. 'You're going to have a lot of employers who are confused about how they're going to track things,' she said. Of the state's decision to wait on releasing regulations, she said, 'I'm not sure what they think they're doing aside from confusing people.'
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Alaska Legislature votes to limit high interest rates and fees for payday loan lenders
A payday advance neon sign is seen in this undated photo. (Photo) On the 120th and last day of Alaska's annual legislative session, the state House passed a bill that would curb high interest rates and fees for payday loans of $25,000 or less. The Senate passed Senate Bill 35 in late April, and the House passed the bill Tuesday by a vote of 24 to 16. The bill now is set to be transmitted to Gov. Mike Dunleavy's desk. If the bill becomes law, it would remove payday lenders from an exemption in state lending laws and cap interest rates and fees at an annual percentage rate, or APR, of 36% for loans of $25,000 or less. Anchorage Democrats Sen. Forrest Dunbar and Rep. Ted Eischeid sponsored the legislation in the Senate and House. 'This bill closes a harmful special exemption that has allowed lenders to charge outrageous interest rates on small loans,' Dunbar said in a statement after the vote. 'With this change, Alaskans will have the same consumer protections that apply to other loans, reducing the risk of debt traps and keeping more money in our communities.' An estimated 15,000 Alaskans take out a payday loan each year, according to research by the nonprofit Alaska Public Interest Research Group. Payday loans are short-term, high-cost loans, often for small amounts that are meant to be paid back on the borrower's next pay day. Interest rates can range from 194% to 521%, and advocates of the bill said it's a consumer protection measure that could help borrowers avoid becoming trapped in a cycle of debt and repayment of more payday loans. 'Instead of fixing a problem, this exception to the Small Loans Act has been more like giving a thirsty person a glass of salt water,' Eischeid said on the House floor ahead of the vote. 'It doesn't help in the long term.' Eischeid pointed to the Military Lending Act, which already established a cap at 36% total annual percentage rate for loans to military service personnel. 'Veterans, on the other hand, do not have similar protections and are targeted by payday lenders and are vulnerable to these excessive fees and interests,' Eischeid said. 'We should provide safeguards in the marketplace, so Alaskans aren't the victims. It's time to remove the loophole to payday loans and protect Alaskan families from predatory lending practices.' Rep. Jamie Allard, R-Eagle River, opposed the bill. 'This is government overreach. Individuals should be able to take loans as they wish, at whatever percentage rate. And frankly, there's credit cards that have a higher interest rate than what we're doing right now, today, and I don't see that in this bill,' she said. High interest loans can present dilemmas regarding governance and oversight. One day after the Legislature passed the bill, the Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica published an investigation spotlighting a tribal lending business, Minto Money, based in the small community of Minto outside Fairbanks. The story details how online lending at high interest rates is highly lucrative, but highlights ethical concerns, community divisions and questions around who benefits. While the company does not lend to people in Alaska, the investigation found, there is an effort to attract other Alaska villages to the lending industry. 'Tribes in America are in demand as business partners because they can claim that, as sovereign entities, their operations are exempt from state interest rate caps,' the authors wrote. 'Critics of such lending partnerships have called them 'rent-a-tribe.'' Dunbar said the legislation was developed before he became aware of the lender. He responded to the story's findings in an email on Friday. 'I applaud the investigative coverage of the ADN/ProPublica on a particular payday lender who appears to have engaged in the kind of practices that highlight why reform was necessary. Without clear limits, too many Alaskans have faced a lack of safe borrowing options and have often been left with only predatory choices.' He said it's notable that every registered payday lending company that operates in Alaska is based outside of the state, and the vast majority of these transactions are done online. The bill includes a provision to prevent companies from evading state interest-rate caps. 'I am glad that the bill included an anti-evasion clause and provisions to limit 'rent-a-bank' practices,' Dunbar said. Once transmitted to Dunleavy, he has 20 days excluding Sundays to sign the bill, veto it or allow it to become law without his signature. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Yahoo
24-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Superintendents across Alaska urge Gov. Mike Dunleavy to keep school funding boost intact
May 23—Alaska superintendents are welcoming a school funding increase approved by the Legislature this session that they say is desperately needed, while urging Gov. Mike Dunleavy to keep that funding boost intact. After almost a decade of flat state funding, lawmakers on Tuesday voted to override Dunleavy's veto of House Bill 57, which saw the comprehensive education package become law. Legislators said the vote was "historic," resulting in a 12% boost to school formula funding. Now, Alaska's 53 school districts are hoping to share in an additional $184 million per year from an increase to the Base Student Allocation — the state's per-student funding formula — and a boost in student transportation funding. At the same time, they stress that it is not sufficient after years of high inflation and rising costs. The superintendent of Mat-Su schools said the increase in HB 57 still amounts to a reduction after years of flat funding, and that districts have faced "death by a thousand cuts." Kenai school administrators are planning on cutting dozens of positions, even with the funding boost approved by lawmakers. School administrators in a Western Alaska district said it would be a "disastrous situation" if school funding is further cut. Still, school administrators say the $700 BSA increase is critical, particularly because it is intended to be predictable, stable and reliable each year. Additionally, if Dunleavy vetoes school funding from the budget, superintendents warn that deeper and damaging cuts will be inevitable. The successful override vote was the latest chapter in a yearslong, tortuous effort by lawmakers and education advocates to significantly increase state school funding. Lisa Parady, executive director of the Alaska Council of School Administrators, said superintendents are feeling "gratitude" to the Legislature. "I know our members across the state are breathing a collective, baby sigh of relief that it passed," she said about HB 57. "Because they're in such need of that kind of stability." The BSA was established in 1999 as a core component of the state's annual public school funding appropriation. Since then, school districts have received school funding each year following the formula set out in state statute. At a May 19 media conference, Dunleavy said he would be prepared to use his line-item veto power to reduce school funding in the budget. Such a veto would likely come in June as districts try to finalize their own spending plans for the school year ahead. Legislators passed a budget this session with a projected $57 million surplus. However, Dunleavy said that a funding veto could be needed as Alaska's fiscal situation has worsened due largely to diminished oil revenue. He said school administrators should be "prudent" and prepare for "a worst-case scenario." "Because if that doesn't happen, then you have money that you can carry over and save," the governor said. Legislative leaders have said they are not planning to hold a special session this year. That means a potential budget veto override vote would likely be held in January when the Legislature reconvenes its next regular session. 'Going backwards' In the Mat-Su, where Dunleavy lives and previously served as school board president, school administrators are welcoming the funding in HB 57. But they emphasize that it is not enough. Earlier in the year, the nonpartisan Legislative Finance Division estimated a BSA increase over $1,800 per year would be needed to match the formula to inflation since 2011. In an interview the day after the veto override, Mat-Su Superintendent Randy Trani was careful to emphasize that the funding increase approved this year was not really an increase. "When you account for all the costs, we're going backwards under House Bill 57," he said. The Matanuska-Susitna Borough School District, the second-largest in the state, has made deep reductions this year, cutting the equivalent of 157 full-time positions. Trani stressed that no jobs were lost, but he said spending reductions were achieved by cuts in discretionary spending, displacements and attrition. Some valuable programs are set to be scaled back, he added. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Trani said, the district established the 4Cs program, which helps high school students who are falling behind to ensure they graduate. That program has helped Mat-Su schools achieve their highest graduation rates in 25 years, Trani said. Even with the $700 BSA boost, the district can no longer afford to provide that program for all students in the Mat-Su, so it will become optional, he said. Trani added that it was "unfortunate" it is set to be cut back. HB 57 came with a suite of policy changes, including limits on cellphones in schools and provisions intended to expand charter schools. The package also funds career and technical education and grants for reading initiatives. But they would only be paid if a measure becomes law this year that would raise state revenue by applying corporate income tax on out-of-state businesses that operate online. Dunleavy has been opposed to tying reading initiatives to a revenue-raising bill. He has suggested he would veto that measure, too. Trani said if that occurs, Mat-Su schools would miss out on roughly $3 million in funding. More cuts would be likely, he said. The planned cuts in the Mat-Su assume the district receives its total funding following the BSA formula. Like superintendents across Alaska, Trani encouraged Dunleavy not to veto school funding from the budget. "Any further reduction in what House Bill 57 appropriates is going to result in more cuts in Mat-Su, and I'm sure everywhere else in the entire state," he said. Preventing 'a fire sale' It's a similar story for Alaska's other big four urban districts — in Anchorage, Fairbanks, the Kenai Peninsula and Juneau. Facing uncertainty about state funding, school administrators tentatively balanced their budgets by planning for a funding boost of a certain size. They are now waiting to see what they get. Last year, districts received $174 million in additional one-time school funding, which administrators said had limited utility due to its temporary nature. That funding increase was equivalent to a $680 BSA boost. Anchorage school leaders assumed they would receive a $560 BSA increase this year, which totals almost $40 million. The school board recently reversed cuts to gifted and talented programs, middle school sports and dozens of educator positions based on that higher funding figure. [Despite passage of 'historic' education bill, Anchorage School District leaders anxious about potential budget veto] Clayton Holland, superintendent of the Kenai Peninsula Borough School District, said the school board had assumed status quo funding. With the $700 BSA boost, 116 positions are still set to be cut at the district, he said. The funding in HB 57 is "preventing us from basically having a fire sale on everything," he said. In Fairbanks, the district also based its budget on a $680 BSA increase. That resulted in $16 million in cuts, three schools being closed, the elimination of over 165 positions, and an increase in class sizes, district officials said. Luke Meinert, superintendent of Fairbanks schools, said "extraordinarily difficult decisions" have been made this year. If Dunleavy vetoes the $700 BSA increase, the district would need to make deeper cuts, he said. "These would further impact our ability to provide the high-quality education that our students deserve and that our community expects," he added. In Juneau, HB 57 equates to a $5.4 million increase in school funding. That funding has been earmarked to restore positions and programs, such as expanded summer school options. Juneau Superintendent Frank Hauser thanked legislators for the first "meaningful" BSA increase in more than a decade. "While the $700 increase does not fully keep pace with inflation or the rising costs of delivering quality public education across our vast and diverse state, it represents the most substantial investment in our students and schools in many years and introduces new, bipartisan-supported policies," he said in a prepared statement. 'Disastrous situation' Outside of Alaska's urban centers, the funding in HB 57 has gotten a mixed reception. Cyndy Mika, superintendent of Kodiak schools, said it would be a "game-changer" and give the district some "breathing room." She said roughly half of the $3.4 million in additional funding would go to salary increases for Kodiak educators. Like districts across Alaska, Kodiak schools have made cuts. In the past three years, Mika said the district had eliminated 72 positions. She emphasized that the funding increase approved this year "is not going to save us. It's only going to keep us afloat for a year." If Dunleavy vetoes the entire $3.4 million appropriation for Kodiak, Mika said the district would need to cut roughly $10 million from the budget next year, which she said would be an "almost impossible feat." "We're cutting every year. It's just not been enough to get us out of the hole," she added. In Tok, it's a similar story. Patrick Mayer, superintendent of Alaska Gateway School District, said it has become the "new norm" to make cuts each year. The district does not have a PE teacher, an art teacher or a music teacher, he said. "That really negatively impacts the ability to offer diverse, rich course offerings to students," he said. Mayer said a $700 BSA boost would equate to around $1 million in additional revenue each year for the district. He said that would not allow "for any major new investments," but it "does enable us to maintain current staffing levels and programs." In Akiachak, a remote Yup'ik village on the Kuskokwim River, sits the head office of Yupiit School District. The district's student population is 99% Alaska Native. Superintendent Scott Ballard described the stark outlook he is facing. Without a $700 BSA boost, the district would be in "a disastrous situation," he said — layoffs would be inevitable and school facilities would be less safe for students. Some of the district's three schools use diesel-generated power year-round, 24 hours a day. "If we have an emergency and we can't keep the lights on, or if the water system fails, like it has in the past, we will not have any extra money to make those kind of repairs," Ballard said. However, he said with the funding increase in HB 57, the district still cannot afford a fire alarm system for a school in Akiak, which would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. When announcing his veto decision, Dunleavy emphasized that Alaska's test scores rank in the bottom of the nation. He said that he could not support the Legislature's education package because "there is no evidence that a permanent increase in the Base Student Allocation will improve educational outcomes." Ballard said that is "a false argument" and that school districts have been "starved." It is a "pretty ridiculous" idea "that you're going to keep holding schools responsible for declining academic performance when you're not funding them adequately," he said.
