New Administrative Orders on Resource Development Betray Everyday Alaskans Who Fish, Hunt, and Sustain Family Businesses on Natural Resources
JUNEAU, AK– New Administrative Orders from Governor Dunleavy published this week, Dunleavy administration eyes grants to NGOs for possible cuts in Alaska budget, negatively impacting every Alaskan who hunts, fishes, and depends on wild salmon in favor of outside interests whose sole objective is increasing billionaire bank accounts and lining the pockets of far off investors.
The new AOs, announced Tuesday, would weaken and complicate the permitting process for extractive development projects in favor of outside extractors while reducing protections for our fishing, hunting, and outdoor recreational industries here in Alaska.
“Dunleavy says we need to handcuff our experts and apply arbitrary timelines to development projects in order to compete on the world’s stage; who are we competing with: New Jersey?” says SalmonState Executive Director, Tim Bristol.
This terrible idea comes on the heels of the shocking discovery that the administration only collected $3.1 million in oil tax and revenue settlements in 2024, down from $281 million in 2020. On Saturday, state legislators voted to override Dunleavy’s attempt to keep his giveaways secret from the public. Lawmakers override Gov. Dunleavy’s veto of oil tax transparency bill
“These AOs are the latest installment in Dunleavy’s relentless campaign to deny the Alaska public critical information while working to dismantle the set of checks and balances that help make Alaska the best place to live in America," said Bristol. “We will be counting on the public and our elected officials to stop this,” Bristol concludes.
“It flaunts his disregard for the constitutional separation of powers and ignores countless compromises made, assuming reasonable regulatory balance between those who want to privatize all of Alaska's resources for their own profit and those who appreciate the great benefit of an owner state.” Said Rick Halford, former Republican Senate President and advisor to SalmonState.
Key details of the two new Administrative Orders, AO No. 359 and AO No. 360, include:
Mandates that all natural resource permit applications will be approved automatically if the state misses a deadline to take action.
Mandates that each state agency arbitrarily reduce regulations by 25%.
Additional work and personal requirements are imposed on agencies via an “Agency Regulatory Liaison" that must be designated at every state agency without additional funding or personnel provided.