The Empty Office Podcast - Season 2, Episode 17

During this episode of The Empty Office Podcast, Sen. Tobin and Mike Mason delve into the energy issues facing the Alaska State Legislature with Sen. Forrest Dunbar from Anchorage. Sen. Dunbar is in his first term in the State Senate and sits on the Senate Resources Committee, which has been working all session on energy policy.  

During the interview, Sen. Dunbar addressed several core pieces of legislation focused on different aspects of energy policy in Alaska, including carbon storage and emissions, electricity transmission upgrades, and royalty relief for Cook Inlet natural gas producers.

• House Bill 50 – Carbon Storage

• Senate Bill 152 – Community Energy Facilities; Net Metering

• Senate Bill 194 – Reduce Royalty on Cook Inlet Oil and Gas

• Senate Bill 217 – Integrated Transmission Systems

• Senate Bill 257 – Electric Utility Regulation

One of the major issues addressed during the interview was the successful effort in the Senate Resources Committee to close the current loophole in Alaska’s tax structure that allows privately held oil and gas companies like Hilcorp to evade approximately $175 million per year in corporate income taxes. Unfortunately, that provision was stripped out of House Bill 50 in the Senate Finance Committee.

Sen. Forrest Dunbar and Sen. Löki Gale Tobin photographed on the Senate floor on May 9, 2023.