The mask-shamers are out in full force in the nation’s capital, now that the Senate is back in session. One of them ran into the buzzsaw that is Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan on Monday.

Sullivan was presiding over the Senate when Sen. Sherrod Brown, an Ohio Democrat, was winding up to disparage a Trump nominee he doesn’t like. But he began his remarks by criticizing the presiding officer’s lack of face attire.

“I start by asking the presiding officer to wear a mask,” Brown said to Sullivan.

“I don’t wear a mask when I’m speaking,” Sullivan interrupted. “And I don’t need your instruction.”

The mask that Sullivan usually wears was in his hand in front of him when Brown asked him to put it on. It was a display of public bullying on Brown’s part, something not usually seen on the Senate floor, where decorum is valued.

In Congress, lawmakers almost always remove their masks when they are at a microphone. But just as many of them don’t handle their masks properly. Brown is an example of poor mask hygiene. While he was pacing and speaking during his several minutes at the microphone, he kept his mask on but repeatedly handled it and put his hand alongside the edge where his breath was ventilating, as he lectured Sen. Sullivan about not having his mask on his face.

The irony is that Sullivan wears a mask in public wherever possible and only removes it for limited periods of time, mainly when at a microphone or when he needs to be heard.

Brown, fiddling with his mask, continued complaining about having to be in Washington, D.C.:

“We have a majority leader who calls us back here to vote on an unqualified nominee and, at the same time, to vote for judge after judge after judge, exposing all the people who can’t say anything … and expose all the staff here. The majority leader just doesn’t seem to care.”

After Brown’s speech, Sullivan took off his mask, adjourned the Senate, and then put his mask back on.

Don Young feels better and is not in the hospital, although he had been admitted over the weekend.

He quipped, “The only person unhappy about this is Alyse Galvin,” according to the source.

“There has been much speculation in the media on my current condition, and I want Alaskans to know that their Congressman is alive, feeling better, and on the road to recovery. As you know, last week, I tested positive for COVID-19. Over the weekend, I was admitted to Providence Hospital for treatment and monitoring,” Young said in a statement.

“The team at Providence did an outstanding job, and their commitment to patient care is to be commended. I have been discharged and continue recovering and working from home in Alaska. Very frankly, I had not felt this sick in a very long time, and I am grateful to everyone who has kept me in their thoughts and prayers.

“Unfortunately, a lot of what you may have heard about my condition was based on speculation in the media that did not respect my privacy.

“This is irresponsible, and I do not want any Alaskans to be scared of seeking testing or treatment out of privacy concerns.

“COVID-19 is a serious virus, and its recent surge in our state has made this a critical moment. I encourage all Alaskans to continue following CDC guidelines: practice social distancing; use a mask; avoid crowds whenever possible.

“The economy, in both Alaska and our entire nation, has been devastated by this virus. This is not just a public health emergency, but an economic crisis as well. Today, we received encouraging news that a second COVID-19 vaccine candidate has shown to be successful. This development represents tremendous potential, but we must continue looking out for one another. Fighting the spread of this virus is crucial if we are to recover.

“We cannot hunker down forever, but I sincerely believe that we will be successful in fighting COVID-19, so that we can restore our economic health in the present, and secure a bright future for all Alaskans; our children and grandchildren are depending on us. Stay safe, and may God Bless Alaska and our frontline workers.”

Former Sen. Jerry Mackie and longtime political professional Michael Pawlowski have formed a new lobbying and strategy group.

Pawlowski is coming back to Alaska after having served as chief of staff for Sen. Lisa Murkowski for five years. The announcement was made today by Murkowski to her staff during their Monday staff meeting.

Mackie was born and raised in Ketchikan and raised in Craig, and is a Haida Alaska Native. At the age of 27, was elected to the Alaska State House in 1990 and the Alaska State Senate in 1996, the only known person in U.S. history to serve as both the Democratic leader of the House and the Republican leader of the Senate. 

His connection to the Alaska Native community was an asset as an elected official, and as a lobbyist for Alaska’s Native entities.

He has been a registered lobbyist since 2002, representing a wide range of clients including Alaska Native corporations, medical and health, housing, transportation, tourism, telecommunications and resource development entities.

Pawlowski, whose nickname is “Fish,” grew up in West Anchorage, the fifth generation in his family to live in Alaska. His deep connection to the state and devotion to public service have helped him navigate many of the challenges Alaska has faced over the last 20 years. Working for numerous elected officials at the state and federal level, he has experience on issues from renewable energy policy to traditional resource development and from fiscal policy to healthcare. 

Starting in 2003, Pawlowski spent the better part of a decade as an aide to three different Alaska legislators, working on everything from budgets to energy policy and other initiatives.

In 2012, he joined Gov. Parnell’s administration to develop a new approach for the reform of the oil and gas production tax. He became the Deputy Commissioner of Revenue in 2013 and was one of the architects and lead negotiators for the enabling legislation and commercial agreements that established the Alaska LNG Project.

He also served on the Board of the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority and as staff with the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority. 

In 2015 he began as Sen. Lisa Murkowski’s Senior Policy Advisor on the Energy and Natural Resources Committee. There he worked to develop policies to support the development of the Keystone Pipeline, promote offshore oil and gas development and other vital energy-related issues. 

Must Read Alaska has learned that the new business entity, called Strategy North Group, will be assisting Sen. Lisa Murkowski in her run for reelection in 2022 and will be actively lobbying for clients in Juneau.

There’s no word on who will be the next Murkowski chief of staff.

Bureau of Land Management Alaska will publish a notice Tuesday calling for nominations and comments on 32 tracts covering all 1.6 million acres of the Coastal Plain along the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to consider in its upcoming Coastal Plain oil and gas lease sale.  

The Washington Post said officials are aiming “to sell drilling rights to the pristine wilderness’s coastal plain before the president-elect takes office.”

“The move would be a capstone of President Trump’s efforts to open up public lands to logging, mining and grazing — something Biden strongly opposes,” The Post reported. “A GOP-controlled Congress in 2017 authorized drilling in the refuge, a vast wilderness that is home to tens of thousands of migrating caribou and waterfowl, along with polar bears and Arctic foxes.”

The notice announces a 30-day period in which parties may nominate  or comment on tracts proposed in an upcoming oil and gas lease sale. The BLM Alaska State Office said in a press release today the deadline for input is Dec. 17.

Bloomberg News quoted David Hayes, a former deputy secretary at the Interior Department who is part of the Biden transition team:

“Everyone has to be vigilant over the next 60-odd days because the administration can create more work for the people coming in,” said Hayes, who now leads New York University’s State Energy and Environmental Impact Center. “They can take additional actions here that will put sand in the gears of the early Biden administration.”

“The 11th-hour regulatory race underscores the extent to which federal agencies are anticipating Biden’s swearing-in as U.S. president on Jan. 20 even as President Donald Trump refuses to concede the election. It also reveals a widespread effort by Trump officials to leave their imprint on federal policy and — at least temporarily — tie the hands of their successors,” Bloomberg reported.

The Post described the backlash that major companies might face if they dare touch the leases:

“Any company thinking about participating in this corrupt process should know that they will have to answer to the Gwich’in people and the millions of Americans who stand with us. We have been protecting this place forever,” Bernadette Demientieff, executive director of the Gwich’in Steering Committee, said in a statement to the Post. The reporter described her as someone “whose people have traveled with the caribou on the refuge for thousands of years.”

Earlier this year, five major banks announced they would not lend to any company drilling in ANWR. Morgan Stanley, Wells Fargo, Goldman Sachs, JPMorgan Chase, and Citigroup all took the side of the environmental industry.

But smaller companies might be willing to take the risk against the expected backlash. Some Alaska Native corporations are interested.

Arctic Slope Regional Corporation, a major company in Alaska and an Alaska Native corporation, has favored a lease sale, and in a statement in September says it strongly believes “exploration and production can incorporate cultural and environmental protections while providing for the nation’s energy security. This economic driver will provide opportunities for our people and our region, as well as the rest of the state and nation for years to come.”

After the December deadline, a Federal Register Notice of Sale that considers this input, solicits bids, and announces the lease sale date will be published at least 30 days prior to the sale date. 

“Receiving input from industry on which tracts to make available for leasing is vital in conducting a successful lease sale,” said BLM Alaska State Director Chad Padgett. “This call for nominations brings us one step closer to holding an historic first Coastal Plain lease sale, satisfying the directive of Congress in the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and advancing this administration’s policy of energy independence.” 

The opening of ANWR came with the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, passed by Congress and signed into law by President Trump Dec. 22, 2017, a year after he was elected. The first Coastal Plain oil and gas lease sale will offer at least 400,000 acres of high-potential hydrocarbon lands for bid.

For 30 years prior, ANWR’s coastal plain, which had been set aside for oil and gas development, was undeveloped as environmentalists, presidents, and congresses failed to act, in spite of numerous efforts by Alaska’s congressional delegation.

A map showing potential lease tracts and additional information is available at the BLM Alaska Oil and Gas Lease Sale web page.