NEW YES MAN TAKING OVER AT DNR
Sources are confirming that Acting DNR Commissioner Marty Rutherford will depart state service on June 30, over ethical disagreements with Governor Bill Walker.
The governor and attorney general Craig Richards are said to be pushing DNR officials to act in an unethical if not illegal manner related to the Prudhoe Bay Plan of Development. The governor, it is rumored, wants to leverage the unit holders, which are the major producers, to be more cooperative in his AK-LNG gasline efforts.
Must Read Alaska is hearing that the governor already chosen Rutherford’s successor: PT Capital’s Andy Mack. Mack has been working as a consultant to Walker on Arctic issues. PT Capital has Alaska Dispatch Publisher/Owner Alice Rogoff as a senior consultant, which makes Mack beholden to Rogoff.
Rutherford and Governor Bill Walker grew up together in Valdez and have known each other most of their lives. This separation between Walker and Rutherford is profound, in that they have been friends since childhood.
Sources say that Gov. Walker grew impatient with the pushback he received from Rutherford regarding his attempts to use DNR in an unethical manner.
ATTORNEY GENERAL CRAIG RICHARDS RESIGNED
Attorney General Craig Richards last day is today. He is also resigning his role as a board member of the Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. Sources are now saying that Richards may be put on contract with the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, a move that is hinted at in the announcement below.
