Sen. Kelly Merrick of Eagle River has publicly blasted the Dunleavy Administration and the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation for signing an agreement with the Glenfarne Group.
In a Senate Finance Committee she made it clear that she is a “no” vote on state support for the Alaska LNG project with the private developer signed on to take over ownership of it. The state, through its independent development agency the Alaska Industrial Gasline and Export Authority, has a $50 million stake to get the $44 billion project going.
“Looking for answers? So am I! AGDC President, Frank Richards, has inked a deal with Glenfarne for the AKLNG project BEFORE examining all proposals on the table. This is a complete abdication of his duty to Alaska. Mr. Richards is the highest paid state employee at nearly $500k/year and refuses to answer questions posed by legislators. The only real answer I could get was from Co-Chair Hoffman! (Watch the final 10 seconds). Alaskans should be outraged and demand answers!” Merrick wrote on her official Facebook page.
Merrick did not disclose that her husband Joey Merrick, along with former Gov. Bill Walker, and former AGDC President Keith Meyer launched a private company to take over the project in 2020.
This, after Walker and Meyer had signed deals with the communist Chinese to take over the project in 2017.
When the new company Alaska Gasline & LNG LLC was formed, the new management at AGDC, led by Frank Richards, had no appetite for dealing with the prior Walker Administration and Joey Merrick, the thuggish head of Laborers 341. The company dissolved in 2021, but the company website is still standing, showing Merrick as the president of the company.
Sen. Kelly Merrick, in her current outrage, cut off AGDC President Richards during a Senate briefing last week, and then accused him of not answering questions.
Since Gov. Mike Dunleavy cancelled Walker’s deal with the communist Chinese in 2019, AGDC has conducted a public, multi-year market search for an experienced lead developer with the financial, technical, and operational resources necessary to successfully advance an energy infrastructure project as large and complex as Alaska LNG on a timeline that best serves the needs of Alaskans, AGDC said in a statement.
“We engaged with numerous parties and evaluated every written and documented proposal submitted during that time, independently and in consultation with advisors such as Goldman Sachs, in a thorough due diligence process,” AGDC reported to Must Read Alaska.
Must Read Alaska raised concerns in January about Glenfarne’s financial strength and whether it would have Chinese investors, but since then, AGDC hired a third party to do the “due diligence” investigation of the Houston and Australia-based company, and came away satisfied that the company has the wherewithal to build the Alaska gasline, and no communist Chinese skeletons in its closet.
“Glenfarne presented a comprehensive project development plan and engaged with AGDC in hundreds of hours of information sharing which culminated in an exclusive development negotiation and term sheet agreement. Once the AGDC-Glenfarne agreement was finalized, numerous other parties stepped forward with new or renewed interest in Alaska LNG. A project of Alaska LNG’s scale will offer numerous opportunities for additional investors and developers to participate,” AGDC’s statement to Must Read Alaska said.
In other words, after Glenfarne expressed interest and the negotiations were well under way, other parties wanted to see if they could play too.
But they were companies that were Johnny-come-lately entrants, and AGDC moved ahead with Glenfarne, rather than starting over.
Sen. Merrick may have just signaled that she will lead the charge to kill the Alaska Gasline project that is now moving toward the “final investment decision” phase. She is parroting the words of her husband, who has also trashed the AGDC project in public.
For Merrick, it may be a case of “If my husband can’t own it, no one can.”
Sen. Merrick may also be mad at Gov. Dunleavy for backing her opponent, Jared Goecker, in her 2024 run for reelection. She could be out for revenge.
Alaskans have waited for generations for the gasline to be built. The promises started with Alaska Gov. Frank Murkowski and time and again, the project has ended in disappointment.
So it’s a fair question to raise: Is Kelly Merrick this year’s “Lucy,” the one who is going to pull the football out from under the gasline project?
Times are changing, and Alaska has a chance to prosper. Will the anti-oil & gas people stop it, or will the pro-Alaskans support economic growth? It is the question of the day.
‘https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6waF3mJb2c
When are we going to ever learn that Communist China is not our friend?
Apparently, Guv grew a pair.
What is happening in Eagle River for them to vote for this corrupt parasite? You guys ok over there?
Didn’t you notice the part about Labor union ties?? Kelly is backed by deep somewhat nefarious pockets. She has been a Rino at best….
Yes, the smell of an obvious “conflict of interest” is quite pungent.
It broke my heart to learn there were so many sheeple in ER that weren’t actually researching their candidate choices. Her winning margin was narrow, but not narrow enough. I didn’t vote for her…
I commend AGDC and Glenfarne for negotiating a good contract. Before condemning a project that has all the appearances of getting through FID and then construction, let’s see if it works. There will be plenty of union opportunities and Alaskan jobs unless these dumb asses kill it thus having to start all over again. Walker had nothing for all the years he tried to sell it as a Valdez, port authority project and didn’t do any better as Governor. Speaker Chenault and Rep. Hawker led the charge to get a gasline moving by legislation giving AGDC authority to get through permitting and construction. Let’s not fuck this up now because of pettiness!
Having a union boss as a partner is a huge conflict of interest. Actually that’s worse than the fox watching the hen house, it’s literally the fox in a position to demand toll when ever he’s hungry, just for some of the chickens to get in the hen house 😎
~”but since then, AGDC hired a third party to do the “due diligence” investigation of the Houston and Australia-based company, and came away satisfied that the company has the wherewithal to build the Alaska gasline, and no communist Chinese skeletons in its closet.”~
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She’s making it quite clear that she, Walker, and her husband want to deal ONLY with the CCP, and really really want the CCP embedded inside Alaska.
We MUST rid ourselves of RCV so that we can clean these treasonous Leftists out of Juneau.
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With our natural resource abundance, there is no reason that Alaska should not be the richest state in the union with the highest standard of living for its residents…..but we keep getting knee capped by Leftists and
back stabbers.
The real slide into our current state of affairs began when Palin stabbed the state in the back by knifing Parnell in the back by endorsing CCP candidate Bill Walker for governor, and tacitly endorsed Mark Begich for Senate by stabbing Ted Stevens in the back and calling for him to resign his seat……ONE WEEK before that election.
We’ve never recovered from those debacles.
Then we allowed RCV into our state, and things really went to hell…
Palin ….. the worst, lib, governor ever.
Agreed to pay for state workers homosexual partners medical.
Gave PF money away like water.
Supported Walker and Peltola, as opposed to Parnell and Nick Begich.
And perhaps her tax policies made BP walk away.
And now she lives in (blue soup) Manhattan …… they can have her (hope the Rangers never win another Cup)
More proof that politicians game the system for personal gain rather than uphold their oath of office.
You keep electing her, Eagle River.
People, groups, families… tradesman, businesses, leaders(politicians). Positioning and jockeying for the day “it” comes into being…. Alaska and its resources are always going to provide a hedge for that time when “it” gets realized… looks like someone’s been planning for “it” for along time… hurts more when you’re not selected… transparency moving forward please?
Wow! Great article with good background information. I can’t imagine turning such a huge project over to Bill Walker or Joey Merrick. Talk about a conflict of interest! Too bad Senator Merrick is so outraged over this instead of all the shenanigans going on with her Democrat friends in charge. After visiting Juneau early March I was truly appalled of what I saw going on. Republicans in both house and senate minorities were basically locked out in most negotiations concerning ANYTHING before the majorities. Where was Merrick”s outrage then?
Sounds like a Democrat tantrum, and something someone like Pelosi would have advised her to do.
Surprised to see that Kelly is a registered Republican instead.
Senator Merrick, this is unacceptable behavior. You are expected to do better, and NOT publicly show us how politicians are getting rich while in office. Thank you for turning the light on though!
She is blowing smoke they couldn’t generate $44 billion if they wanted to. You have had the last 10 years to get it done Kelly what’s the problem???
Kelly Merrick is disgusting. Shame on Eagle River for electing this clown.
Who the h— does Merrick thinks she is…enough said!
I have to admit, I did not know how HOT Alaska LNG was for the Chinese.
But its not surprising….. Hunter’s side bar in 2014, regarding LNG, with Bill Miller, included Oregon LNG.
The CHINESE want ALL US Natural Resource assets under their control. AND we have ignorant or criminal public officials attempting to sell out the entire US for a song. Sounds if your ex-governor needs time in a prison to think over his life choices. And that may include your current loudmouth Senator Murkowski. The dim witted “lawyer” that is a Democrat by vote, but then again, we got a lot of RepubliCONS like her doing likewise.
WOW! Merrick looks like a great grandma. How did she age 25 years in only 5 or 6? Is she sick?
I notice that Joey Merrick’s Company’s website has the same physical address as the Laborer’s Union in Anchorage.
Any politico who puts a wrench in this project or a kibosh on this deserves to be fed to the McNeil River bears just out of hibernation. Dealing with the ChiComs is not the answer… ever!
“Keep the sunlight going Suzanne, we need the heat of day to remain vigilant. Will there be a open conflict of interest, or is there already such. if so, then future voting must be abstained where this issue is up for such.
Your doing a yeoman’s job Lady.” Cheers, Johnson-Ketchikan.
Ethics and associated laws apply to the little people and apparently not Kelly M. and immediate family members.
Chapter 60. Standards of Conduct Article 2. Standards of Conduct. Sec. 24.60.040. Contracts or leases. Universal Citation: AK Stat § 24.60.040 (2023)
(a) A legislator or legislative employee, or a member of the IMMEDIATE FAMILY of a legislator or legislative employee, may NOT be a party to or have an interest in a state contract or lease unless the contract or lease is let under AS 36.30 (State Procurement Code) or, for agencies that are not subject to AS 36.30, under similar procedures, or the total annual amount of the state contract or lease is $5,000 or less, or is a standardized contract or lease that was developed under publicly established guidelines and is generally available to the public at large, members of a profession, occupation, or group.
A person has an interest in a state contract or lease under this section if the person receives direct or indirect financial benefits. A legislator or legislative employee who participates in, or who knows or reasonably should know that a family member is participating in, a state contract or lease that has an annual value of $5,000 or more shall disclose the participation to the committee [Select on Legislative Ethics, I presume. note they don’t disclose it to the PUBLIC] by the date required under AS 24.60.105. FYI, don’t blame me I did not vote for her, I voted for anyone but Kelly.
Sen. Kelly Merrick perfectly represents an Alaska Republican politician and what our legislature is, incompetent and corrupt.
They serve themselves and their prime donors, period, and are open about it. Why not be? Alaska voters will do nothing about it and continue to accept being dominated by incompetent local and state governments and federal over reach.
Have we developed new roads and railway extensions in the past 50 years? Has one oil well been placed in operation in ANWR?
We are not a sovereign state amongst 50. We are a colony to be exploited and wealth exfiltrated, as Washington does to all its’ territorial holdings and vassal states termed “allies” worldwide.
Like I’ve said “ a prostitute and a politician are used for the same thing in Alaska . Basically one in the same . Yes , that’s activities in Juneau during session . Don’t throw rocks when you temporarily reside in a glass house . The latest deal signed has no legs and no credibility as does not involve the producers and owners of gas . It’s a real pipe dream and no politician or head of a Labor organization has ever produced a drop of oil or gas in Alaska . Glenfarne project lacks any credibility what so ever . However I do believe a credible effort to design and build a gasline is in the planning stages at this time . Credible people are engaged right now in this process . We should know something here shortly . First order is contract to build the pipe . Second contract will be the equipment required to handle the massive joints of pipe. This is what happened in 1969 to build TAPS . First two steps . In my mind this pipeline will have to be built in 36 months and it’s possible . Glenfarne could be a part of this process , however I doubt it .
Has anyone in Eagle River started a recall on her yet? Seems like an excellent time to break out some petitions.
LET this be a lesson to the people who you vote for. This is what the left is all about, whoever has the deepest pockets will be their bed partner …. The devil is in the details.
The phone number for the outfit has a 691 prefix – isn’t that Eagle River?