Today, June 16, from 4pm to 6pm, the Kenai Peninsula community will hold a rally in support of the Alaska LNG pipeline project.
The rally will be attended by Mayor of the Kenai Peninsula Borough Pete Micciche, Mayor of the City of Kenai Mayor Henry Knackstedt, Representatives Justin Ruffridge and Bill Elam, Glenfarne Vice President of Pipeline Construction Doug Fletcher, Regina Davis of David Block & Concreate, and other community leaders, business owners, labor representatives, and Alaska LNG supporters from across the Kenai Peninsula.
According to a press release: “The Kenai Peninsula has been at the center of Alaska’s energy industry for decades, and the Alaska LNG project represents a significant opportunity to build on that legacy. The project can create thousands of construction jobs, generate new opportunities for businesses and support long-term economic growth. As policymakers continue discussions about the future of Alaska LNG, the rally provides an opportunity for Kenai Peninsula residents to show their support for a project that could benefit Alaska families, businesses and communities for generations.”
After the Legislature failed to pass a gasline bill by the end of the regular session, Governor Dunleavy called a 30-day special session focused on the Alaska LNG and passing a tax restructuring bill aimed at pushing the project forward. On June 12, the House passed HB 381, which provides a property tax abatement but institutes a new alternative volumetric tax (AVT) along with other provisions. The bill is now being considered in the Senate Finance Committee.
Proverbs 25:2 says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honor of kings is to search out a matter.” This verse instructs each of us to put away the need for instant gratification and easy answers, and truly search out what God wants us to know.
St. John Paul II explains it this way: there is no “competition” between reason and faith— faith does not shut off the search but enables it within its proper scope.
We have grown accustomed to information served to us on a platter. If we want to know something, we hop on the information highway and ask our question. This process involves no real effort, just ask your question and some search engine provides you with an answer.
God operates differently. He does not spoon-feed us the answers; He hides them, like precious jewels buried beneath layers of earth, waiting to be dug up by those with the courage to put some honest work into it.
God’s glory is not in making things simple; it is in making them profound. He does not reveal all things all at once. He lifts the veil ever so slowly, like a sunrise gradually painting the sky with colors you could never imagine were possible.
Is God playing a game of hide-and-seek? No. He invites us to intimacy. He calls us to follow Him with an unyielding passion, to search the Scriptures like a treasure hunter seeking the treasure of all treasures.
It is a matter of “seek and you shall find.” (Matt. 7:7)
Just like the Magi who followed the star to Bethlehem (Matt. 2:1-12), we must also set off on a quest for knowledge, a relentless pursuit of understanding. We are not called to be passive observers of God’s truth. We are called to be the seekers, the active participants in the discovery of His mysteries.
This though, cannot be a quest for intellect alone. To seek God’s truth means to desire not just “information” but God Himself. It is coming to know God more intimately. It is about jumping in with both feet, head long, into the depths of His Word, allowing it to challenge us, and its truths to transform our hearts and minds.
It is about discovering the hidden treasures that await those who seek Him with all their heart (Jeremiah 29:13).
The pursuit of Truth is not easy. It requires discipline, perseverance, and a willingness to wrestle with questions that do not always have easy answers. But the rewards are immeasurable.
With every truth that is revealed, your faith will deepen, your love for God will intensify, and your understanding of Him will grow. You will become more like Him, thus, reflecting His glory in your life, and the results will impact the world around you. You will be aligning your will with the will of God.
There is more than enough “surface level” faith going around for you to settle for anything less than true understanding of what God is calling you to and for. The world will offer you the easy way out, telling you that God accepts where you are. Although this is true in some sense, He is not calling you be sedentary, to be a “couch-potato” Christian. He is calling you to action.
As St. Augustine said: “If you believe what you like in the gospels, and reject what you don’t like, it is not the Gospel you believe in, but yourself.”
Dig deep into the Scriptures. Ask the hard questions, especially if you know the answer will stir something in you that will force you to change. Wrestle with the mysteries. And as you do, you will discover a treasure trove of wisdom, a depth of understanding, and a joy that surpasses all earthly pleasures.
In the pursuit of God, you find the ultimate reward, which is a life filled with purpose, meaning, and the unshakeable knowledge that you are loved by the One who is Truth.
So, do not settle for a faith that is only skin deep and merely skims the surface of God’s truth. Seek Him with all your whole heart, mind, and soul, and you will find Him there waiting for you.
“Anyone who really wants the truth ends up at Jesus,” said Johnny Cash.
For Jesus Himself has said it: “I am the Way, and the Truth and the Life; no one comes to the Father, but by Me.” (Jn. 14:6)
The desire for knowledge is so great, and it works in such a way that the human heart, despite its experience of insurmountable limitation, yearns for the infinite riches which lie beyond, knowing that there is to be found the satisfying answer to every unanswered question.
“ASK, (involves prayer) and it will be given you; SEEK, (requires earnest attention) and you will find; KNOCK, (implies persistence) and the door will be opened for you” (Matt. 7:7). This is Jesus’s promise that God truly responds when a person turns to Him with perseverance and faith.
Live your life worthy of HIS Sacrifice. + God bless you + Deacon Dez
In this Must Read Alaska Social segment, host Todd welcomes Natalie Spaulding to introduce the “Service to My Country” series. Created to mark America’s 250th anniversary, the series highlights veteran and active duty stories of service, sacrifice, and the virtues of honor, courage, and perseverance.
Natalie shares how the project began after an op-ed questioning superficial thanks for service and evolved into a platform for real stories. Submissions of up to 1,000 words in first person from veterans and service members are published under the author’s legal name with proper citations and no foul language. Guiding questions prompt reflections on challenges, lessons, and advice for young Americans.
The discussion stresses rebuilding a culture of responsibility and purpose, especially for young men. Powerful excerpts from contributors like Dr. Michael Hanifen and Josh Church highlight discipline, embracing hardship, and voluntary service.
Send your story to [email protected] to help share these vital American experiences.
From Brooklyn to the Flight Line: A Marine’s Unplanned Journey
I was not headed anywhere in particular.
Growing up in Brooklyn in a working-class Italian household, I was a reasonably smart kid. Calculus and physics in high school, but college was not a realistic option financially. Honestly, I could not picture myself there anyway. My father was second-generation American, his family having come over from Sant’Angelo dei Lombardi, Italy around 1900. He had served in the Navy during World War Two. His position on adulthood was straightforward: when you turn 18, you are out. No ambiguity, no negotiation. By the time my high school years split between Brooklyn and Cape Coral, Florida, my horizon had narrowed to renting jet skis on the Gulf Coast. That was the plan, such as it was.
Then one day I walked into a Marine Corps recruiter’s office.
I did not choose the Marines out of some deep knowledge of their history or traditions. I chose them because they had the reputation of being the hardest to get through. I was seventeen, cocky, from Brooklyn, and I wanted to know if I could do it. That was the entire calculation. I signed a Delayed Entry Program contract and shipped to Parris Island, South Carolina a few weeks after graduation.
Boot camp answered my question. Yes, I could do it.
What happened next, I did not expect. I had enlisted on an open contract with no guaranteed job and no guaranteed school. The Marine Corps ran me through their classification process and apparently saw something in the math aptitude scores, because I was sent to NAS Memphis in Millington, TN for aviation electronics training. Basic electricity and electronics. Avionics fundamentals. Advanced avionics. Then specialty training on Electronic Warfare systems, the radar warning receivers and jamming systems carried on Marine Corps aircraft.
I had found my element. The technical curriculum absorbed me completely. What might have been a grind for others was genuinely interesting work. Circuit analysis, signal theory, fault isolation on sophisticated avionics, it connected to something that had apparently always been there, waiting for the right framework.
My first duty station was Military Corp Air Station (MCAS) Iwakuni, Japan, with H&MS-12. I extended my one-year tour to two. From there, MCAS El Toro, California, attached to VMA(AW)-242, the Bats, as intermediate-level Electronic Warfare support, making two deployments back to Iwakuni with the squadron. When Desert Storm began, I deployed to Kuwait and Bahrain with a combat replacement company, then joined H&MS-11 in Bahrain before returning to El Toro in late 1991. In 1988 I had been selected for AVIC7, the most advanced electronics course the Navy ran, eight months of graduate-level circuit analysis with an E5 prerequisite. Twelve years total. I separated as a Sergeant in August 1992 during the post-Cold War drawdown.
The greatest challenge of my service was not a single moment. It was the sustained discipline of performing precise, consequential technical work on deployed aircraft, often in austere conditions, where the margin for error was effectively zero. You learn quickly that competence is not optional and that the standard exists for a reason. That lesson does not leave you.
What the Marine Corps gave me, beyond the technical training, was a framework for approaching complex problems methodically. Gather data, characterize the problem, isolate the fault, resolve it, move on. That framework transferred directly into everything that followed: maintaining public safety radio systems for Motorola, troubleshooting citywide RF interference as a performance engineer at Nextel, designing cellular networks at VoiceStream, and ultimately building optical and network infrastructure to remote Alaskan villages, communities that had no meaningful telecommunications before fiber arrived.
The through line from Parris Island to the Alaskan bush is, in retrospect, completely coherent. A structured technical discipline applied to progressively larger and more complex systems, in environments where self-sufficiency and sound judgment matter more than organizational support.
I did not plan any of it. A Brooklyn kid with no particular direction walked into a recruiter’s office on a whim and the institution saw potential he had not yet seen in himself.
To young Americans aged 18 to 25: Pay attention to where the future is actually going, not where it appears comfortable today.
The technical fields, mathematics, engineering, computer science, electronics, are where civilization’s infrastructure will be designed, built, and operated for the next several generations. Artificial intelligence and automation are not distant concepts. They are already absorbing manual and routine labor at an accelerating rate. My own field, network and optical engineering, will increasingly be automated at the implementation level. What will not be automated, for a long time, is the capacity to design the systems, understand their failures, and operate at the level of genuine technical depth.
The Marine Corps spotted that capacity in me through a standardized test when I was seventeen and I had no framework to recognize it myself. You may have it too. The question is whether you will develop it before the window closes.
Math and science are not obstacles. They are the doors.
We hope to keep this series going all the way to Veterans Day! If you are a veteran or active duty service member, please consider sharing your military story and/or encourage friends and family to submit their stories! We will be publishing submissions in the order they are received, every Monday at 9am.
A recent op-ed by Army veteran Paul A. Bauer inspired this series. Bauer writes: “The problem is not gratitude itself. The problem is shallow gratitude. Many veterans do not need strangers to perform respect with a slogan. They often prefer real curiosity, human recognition, and informed conversation.”
We invite veterans and active-duty service members to send us articles sharing your story. You can use the questions below as inspiration. You do not have to respond to all the questions, and you are not limited to them. Please include the branch you served in and how many years you served.
Guiding Questions
What did/ do you do in the military? How long did you serve? Did anyone else in your family serve? Why did you choose the service branch that you did? What was the greatest challenge you faced during your service and how did you overcome it? What was the most significant lesson you learned during your service? If you could say one thing to young Americans aged 18-25, what would you say?
Requirements
Please follow these requirements for your submission:
Word limit: 1,000 words
Must be written in first person
Must be published with original author’s legal name (no pennames/ ghostwriting)
No foul language
All direct quotes and data points must be cited (a link to source is sufficient)
In this episode of Must Read Alaska’s Energy and Business Edition, host Todd sits down with Marcus Moore of Alaskan Rants for an in-depth look at the special session on the Alaska LNG project. Central to the discussion is House Bill 381, which shifts taxation of pipeline infrastructure from traditional property taxes to an alternative volumetric tax based on gas throughput. Marcus provides sharp analysis on the bill’s implications, including potential tax relief worth hundreds of millions for project backers, new flexibility for municipalities, and provisions like community impact funds and the Fairbanks spur line. He questions whether the project will deliver affordable gas and jobs for Alaskans, highlighting the role of data centers in achieving lower prices and the massive potential revenue from carbon and hydrogen tax credits. The conversation explores governance changes at AGDC, liability issues, and the disconnect between public promises and committee realities. A must-listen for informed Alaskans.
Editor’s Note: This story was originally published on Friday, June 12, 2026, and used the most current available information on HB 381 at the time. However, substantial new information was uploaded to akleg.govafter the publishing of this article (and after the House vote on HB 381). The headline for this article was updated, but the article itself remains unchanged for transparency. SEE HB 381 Revenues Recalculated: Sharp Government Revenue Decrease, Lower Energy Costs for AlaskansFOR MOST UP-TO-DATE ANALYSIS OF HB 381 AS PASSED BY THE HOUSE.
Today, June 12, 2026, the House passed the Alaska LNG gasline bill, HB 381, with a vote of 34 yea, 4 nay, 1 excused.
Prior to the vote, representatives highlighted the bill’s price cap provision, Renewable Energy Grant Fund provision, and the importance of pushing the Alaska LNG project forward. Representatives also repeatedly attributed the urgency of passing gasline legislation to supposed natural gas shortage in Alaska’s Cook Inlet. However, Alaska-owned producer HEX, LLC stated in a press release, May 29, 2026: “According to U.S. Geological Survey, the Cook Inlet has 19 Trillion Cubic Feet (Tcf) of natural gas, which is about 244 years of consumption at today’s energy-use rates.1 The Cook Inlet basin has the critical energy infrastructure supplying the 100% of Railbelt natural gas demand.”
Despite claims perpetuated by Senators Bill Wielechoswki (D-Anchorage) and Scott Kawasaki (D-Fairbanks) that HB 381 gives producers a “90% tax break,” the actual analysis provided by the Department of Revenue’s Acting Tax Director Brandon Spanos and Chief Economist Dan Stickel reveals no more than a 22.8% State revenue decrease and up to a 13.5% revenue increase for municipalities under the version of HB 381 passed by the House.
Senator Wielechowski sticks closer to the facts, claiming that HB 381 gives a “90% property tax break for 30 more years;” however, Wielechowski only tells half the story and fails to inform the public of the alternative volumetric tax provided in HB 381 that offsets the property tax break. This is not a tax abatement bill that simply gives corporate producers tax breaks, but a tax restructuring that replaces property tax burdens with an AVT.
Thursday, June 18th, the Anchorage Republican Women’s Club is hosting a gubernatorial debate. The debate will be at the Loussac Library, beginning promptly at 6pm.
Must Read Alaska will provide coverage of the debate.
Yesterday, June 10, 2026, the House Finance Committee moved House Bill 381 version T As Amended out of committee and on to the House floor. If the House passes the bill, it will move on to the Senate for review, possible amendment, and voting before being returned to the House. HB 381 provides a revised tax structure for the Alaska LNG project and related revenue allocations.
HB 381 enables municipalities to “partially or totally exempt from taxation or provide an alternate tax rate for all or some property related to a natural gas project for a designated period.” Municipalities may also negotiate for an equity interest in lieu of property tax. Rather than the State deciding to unilaterally forego property taxes and institute an alternative volumetric tax (AVT) such as suggested in Senate Bill 2001, the House bill allows municipalities to decide the tax structure that works best for them.
According to a presentation by the Department of Revenue (DOR), the “bill is a tax decrease, the magnitude of which depends on municipal decisions, increasing uncertainty.” Although the bill does not provide absolute certainty regarding the tax structure, it does promote local government, placing the tax structuring power firmly in the hands of municipalities.
To be eligible for a potential property tax exemption and AVT, owners of property related to the gasline must commit to the following: 1) deposit $40 million into a designated community impact fund and reimburse impacted municipalities for the impacts of pipeline construction, 2) negotiate a project labor agreement for construction of the gas pipeline, and 3) construct a Fairbanks spur line.
In addition to municipal tax decisions, the State will institute an AVT of $0.15 per 1,000 cubic feet of throughput in place of state property taxes levied on property related to the gasline project. The State would then distribute 100% of the AVT revenue to municipalities, half of which would be distributed in proportion to the miles of pipe laid in those municipalities and the other half on a per-capita basis. The State would retain the unorganized borough’s portion of the revenue, an estimated 31% of the AVT revenue for the pipeline component and zero for other project components.
HB 381 also repeals the Affordable Energy Fund and enables the Legislature to appropriate 20% of certain royalty gas revenue remaining after payment to the Alaska Permanent Fund to the Renewable Energy Grant Fund (established by AS 42.45.045(m)).
The bill potentially creates a new fund, but it would need voter approval: the Alaska Education Fund. The establishment of the Alaska Education Fund would be through a constitutional amendment and therefore requires voter approval. If Alaskans approve the fund, the Alaska Education Fund would receive all remaining state revenue associated with a North Slope natural gas project after payments to the Permanent Fund, to municipalities and communities under the AVT, and to the Renewable Energy Grant Fund.
The analysis provided by Acting Tax Director Brandon Spanos and DOR Chief Economist Dan Stickel estimates state and municipal revenues under current tax law, under HB 381 as introduced, and under the version of HB 381 that passed out of committee. HB 381 as introduced decreased both state and municipal revenues to the same degree as SB 280 as introduced. The version passed out of committee (version T) reduces state revenue, but not as much as the original draft of the bill. Conversely, version T increases rather than decreases municipal revenues.
Here is the math put simply:
State Revenues
Revenue increase with HB 381 as introduced ($)
Revenue increase with HB 381 as passed out of committee ($)
2042
-2.6 billion
-2.3 billion
2052
-4.9 billion
-4.2 billion
2062
-7.2 billion
-4.6 billion
Municipal Revenues
2042
-5 billion
0.5 billion
2052
-9.2 billion
1.6 billion
2062
-13.3 billion
2.1 billion
Spanos and Stickel concluded that the bill as passed onto the House floor “would not materially decrease the cost of gas or make the project more attractive to investors,” but it provides “significant benefits for communities.”
With HB 381 version T, the House shows Alaskans a willingness to decrease the State’s own revenues rather than optimizing State revenue as seen in the Senate’s actions with SB 280 during the regular session. Furthermore, the House prioritizes municipal revenues and local government power.
However, the bill also shows the House’s prioritization of renewable energy projects above education funding. The Alaska Education Fund, which requires voter approval, would only receive whatever is left after appropriations to municipalities, the Permanent Fund, and the Renewable Energy Grant Fund. The appropriating of 20% of certain royalty revenues from the gasline project to the Renewable Energy Grant Fund would not require voter approval.
The House Finance Committee includes 5 Republicans, 4 Democrats, and 2 non-affiliated representatives, and the resulting bill passed out of committee reflects a mixture of those political persuasions.
In summary, the bill reflects the conservative priority of local governance mixed with the progressive priority of pursuing renewable energy projects. The bill does not significantly burden investors, but it also does not significantly enhance the project’s attractiveness to investors. If the bill passes, Alaskans will need to consider whether or not the State ought to maintain an Alaska Education Fund, funded by leftover revenue from the gasline project.
The following is a reprint in full of the public notice available at the State of Alaska’s Online Public Notices.
REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP): The State of Alaska, Department of Transportation and Public Facilities requests proposals for the non-exclusive rights and obligations to Concourse C Amenities Concession ADA-32658 in the South Terminal of the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport.
NATURE OF RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS: The Concourse C Amenities Concession seeks the non-exclusive right to redevelop, renovate, lease and management of a service(s), a retail venture, or a food and beverage concession, located in the Concourse C, serving airline passengers, Airport employees, and other users of the Airport. The Premises will be made available “as-is.”
CONCESSION SPACE: Room SB2040 consisting of 988 sq. ft.. TERM: 5 YEARS (October 1, 2026 to September 30, 2031.)
FEES: The Concessionaire shall pay the State percentages of the Concessionaire’s monthly gross revenues, based on submitted proposals and subsequent negotiations between the State and the Concessionaire; plus additional rent for the build-out period and for any support space(s). The Airport may also require a Minimum Annual Guarantee from the Concessionaire as part of the negotiated Concession Agreement.
CAPITAL INVESTMENT: The successful proposer will be required to make a commitment to its proposed investment in the Amenities build-out and as Proposed in the RFP.
MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Within the past five (5) years, at least twenty-four (24) months of experience in high-volume service(s), retail or food and beverage establishment. Furthermore, all proposers must demonstrate that whether as an individual, an entity, or through an employed/contracted local manager, they possess the knowledge and experience to coordinate and execute any proposed design and build-out of the renovated Amenities Concession in C Concourse.
Copies of the RFP, Sample Concession Agreement, and other pertinent documents are available between the hours of 9:00 AM and 5:00 PM (AKST), Monday through Friday, from Nathaniel Zacharzewski, by emailing [email protected] or calling (907) 474-2579. Request for copies of any documents will be subject to a fee, the posted rate of $0.25 per page. All addenda and amendments will be posted online to the OPN Public Notice.
An optional Pre-Proposal Tour will be held at 12:00 PM (AKST) on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. Interested participants will meet at the Airport Staff Offices, 3rd Floor check in desk. The Administrative offices are located in between the North and South Terminals, at 5000 West International Airport Rd, Room C3890, 3rd Floor. Access Door to elevator is located off Tower Road or off the connector hall between North and South Terminal. Parking at the North Terminal is recommended. There is also a $5,000.00 deposit required with each proposal; the Airport will fully refund the deposits of unsuccessful proposers. Comments, questions, and requests for information may be submitted in writing to: Nathaniel Zacharzewski ([email protected]), Leasing Office, Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, PO Box 196960, Anchorage, Alaska 99519-6960, and must be receivedby 4:00 PM (AKST) on or before July 8, 2026. Proposals must be received by 2:00 PM (AKST) on or before July 27, 2026.
DOT&PF complies with Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. Individuals with disabilities who may need auxiliary aids, services, and/or special modifications to participate in public meetings or who require special accommodations while gathering information on this file, should contact Nathaniel Zacharzewski at [email protected] or TTY Alaska Relay 711. Requests should be made at least 5 days before the accommodation is needed to make any necessary arrangements.
The Department reserves the right to correct technical defects in lease language, the premises’ description, lease term, or the purposes of the lease, and to reject any or all applications when doing so is in the best interests of the Department.
Public notice provided by Ted Stevens International Airport and posted at https://aws.state.ak.us/OnlinePublicNotices/Notices/View.aspx?id=224171. In accordance with 17 AAC 42.400(a), the notice is to be published June 11, 2026, through August 10, 2026 (60 days) in the Alaska Online Public Notice System.
