Sen. Rob Yundt of Wasilla on Friday withdrew his support for his own bill, Senate Bill 92, which would create a tax that targets one company: Hilcorp, an oil and gas company doing business on the North Slope and in Cook Inlet.
Although Yundt now is not sponsoring his own bill, Sen. Cathy Giessel quickly adopted it as a bill sponsored by the Senate Resources Committee, which she chairs. The vice chair of the committee is Sen. Bill Wielechowski, who is one of the persons believed to have convinced Yundt to file the controversial legislation.
Thus, the Yundt Tax will continue to be considered by the Senate, although Sen. Yundt will now disassociate himself from the bill, which has growing opposition from his district. Three Republican organizations in the Mat-Su have passed resolutions opposing his tax and the Mat-Su Borough Assembly, which was considering a resolution in support, has turned against it, sources have told Must Read Alaska.
Earlier this month, when Yundt was still defending his bill, he commented, “Poor Suzanne, I’m afraid if brains were dynamite she wouldn’t have enough to blow a fart,” as his description of this author.
Also earlier this month, legislators have said Yundt claimed to have enough votes for his bill to override a veto of the governor.
