Dear readers,
Have you emailed your PFD testimony to us yet? We want to hear your story!
We are building a case to stop the PFD steal. If you have been following the Great Debate series, you know that your right to the PFD is based on long-standing, continuous, reliable use. The Legislature thinks it can reappropriate your money. We disagree. Share your PFD testimony with us!
Email your PFD testimony to [email protected]. Please tell us how you/ your family has been impacted by the PFD and why you believe in Alaskans’ right to a full PFD.
We appreciate the generous Alaskans who keep this conservative voice alive! Thank you for being a subscriber to Must Read Alaska.
Visit our website at www.mustreadalaska.com. Also find us on X and Facebook.
Table of Contents
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Reaching All Nations
By Natalie Spaulding
Must Read Alaska is all about the news that matters most. No news matters more than the Good News that God became man, died, and rose again to save all who believe in Him from their sins. At Christmas time, millions of Christians across the globe pause to honor and reflect on the beautiful paradox that the eternal and omnipotent God became a poor, defenseless baby born in a manager.
Throughout Alaska, hundreds of churches host Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services each year. Nearly every Alaskan had the opportunity to hear the gospel preached either in person or online this Christmas.
The Christmas Story is so widespread in our communities that it is often taken for granted. The “reason for the season” has become cliche, a joyful reflection to some, but just an annoying maxim to others.
Alaska Industry
New Report: Ambler Road’s Impact on Alaska’s Caribou Herds
By Todd Lindley
An update for resource development in northern Alaska: the Alaska Industrial Development and Export Authority (AIDEA) released findings from a new scientific review asserting that the proposed 211-mile Ambler Road would pose minimal threats to the Western Arctic Caribou Herd (WAH). The announcement, made on December 23, 2025, highlights the road’s potential to access rich mineral deposits while safeguarding wildlife, amid ongoing debates over environmental and subsistence concerns.
The report, authored by biologist Matthew A. Cronin, Ph.D., and completed on October 28, 2025, analyzes caribou data in relation to the Ambler Road project. It estimates the road’s footprint at less than 0.005% of the WAH’s 92.2-million-acre range, with only 3-4.8% of collared caribou crossing the alignment in fall and winter from 2010-2022…
Alaska Politics
House to Confirm Steve St. Clair and Garret Nelson
By Natalie Spaulding
On December 24, Governor Dunleavy appointed Steve St. Clair, of Wasilla, and Garret Nelson, of Sutton to serve as House Representatives for Districts 26 and 29. Next week, House Republican leaders will meet to confirm the appointments.
Steve St. Clair is a retired Military Police First Sergeant who has spent 7 years in Juneau as a legislative staffer. He ran for Senate in 2016 but was defeated by Shelley Hughes. His values include returning to “God, family, and country,” seeking protections for disables veterans, protecting life from conception, promoting limited government, and honoring the State and National Constitutions.
Garret Nelson is the chair of the Sutton Community Council.
All I Want for Christmas is… Constitutional Fidelity!
By Edward Martin, Jr and Natalie Spaulding
There is a temptation in public life to treat the Constitution as a ceiling to press against, bend around, or quietly ignore when it becomes inconvenient rather than a compass that guides Alaskan policy. Moral values, such as those written in Romans 12, challenge us to sober judgment, honest accounting, and a renewal of the mind that prioritizes truth and integrity over expediency. Alaska’s treatment of the Permanent Fund Dividend fails to live up to those standards.
Article IX, Section 16 of the Alaska Constitution contains one of the clearest fiscal directives written into our governing document. The statue begins: “Except for appropriations for Alaska permanent fund dividends…” —expressly exempting Permanent Fund Dividend appropriations from the constitutional spending limit…
Public Comment Requested Regarding Establishment of New Kenai Peninsula State Forest
By Natalie Spaulding
On January 6, 2026, the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and the Division of Forestry & Fire Protection (DFFP) will meet in person at the Kenai Peninsula College to discuss the potential establishment of a new state forest on the Kenai Peninsula.
Currently, Alaska maintains 3 state forests: Haines State Forest (286,000 acres), Southeast State Forest (46,592 acres), and Tanana Valley State Forest (1.8 million acres). On May 2, 2025, Governor Dunleavy referred House Bill 218 and Senate Bill 188 to the Legislature. These bills propose the expansion of the Tanana Valley State Forest by 600,000 acres. The bills remain pending in committee.
Alongside the pending legislation to expand the Tanana Valley State Forest, DNR and DFFP also express interest in creating the Kenai Peninsula State Forest with the primary goals of…
Alaska’s Statehood Design and the Land System that Never Fully Took Root
By Edward Martin, Jr.
Alaska did not enter the Union by accident. It entered under a specific design.
When Congress admitted Alaska as a state, it understood something fundamental: Alaska had no private land base, no established property tax system, and no realistic way to support self-government using the same tools as other states. Therefore, Congress chose a different model: instead of funding Alaska through ongoing federal support, statehood was structured around land.
Alaska was given the right to select vast amounts of federal land over time— land meant to support communities, enable local government, and form the economic foundation of a self-governing state. This land was not symbolic. It was intended to function as Alaska’s substitute for the internal improvement grants and revenue mechanisms earlier states had relied upon.
Land was how Alaska was expected to grow up. That design matters because it explains many conflicts Alaskans argue about today.
Deep Pockets Shape Policy: The Dark Money Infecting the Last Frontier
By Natalie Spaulding
Despite Alaskan Republicans outnumbering Alaskan Democrats 2:1, liberal ideology appears rampant in Alaska’s public schools, government decisions, and non-profit industry. Time after time, Alaskans see ballot measures, lawsuits, and media campaigns pushing policies resembling those drafted in Portland. At the heart of the issue, like every political issue, is money.
On Nov. 12, the American Accountability Foundation (AAF) launched the Alaska Influence Pipeline. This online hub traces how wealthy, out-of-state advocacy networks fund a liberal agenda in Alaska. Disguised behind seemingly benign nonprofits and nonpartisan brands, out-of-state plutocrats are pushing progressive politics into Alaska.
Facts and Figures
Alaska Beats the Lower 48…
In coastal land! Alaska’s 33,900 miles of tidal shoreline exceeds the shoreline of all other states combined.
In lakes! Alaska’s 3 million lakes far exceed the number of lakes in any of the lower 48 states.
In mountains! Alaska’s Mt. Denali boasts the tallest peak in all of North America.
Key Industry Numbers
Alaska Oil: ~$61.2 per barrel
Henry Hub Gas: ~$4.24 per mmBTU
Alaska North Slope Production: ~480,390 barrels per day
Permanent Fund (Principal + Earnings Reserve): ~$87.6 billion
Community Meetings
Do you want to know more about what is going on in your local community? Consider showing up to a local political or utilities meeting, learn the details for yourself, and add your own voice to the conversation.
Download the pdf below to see upcoming community meetings happening this week in Alaska!
No community meetings found this week.
In Pursuit of Wisdom
At statehood we knew this, that we are responsible for ourselves and our families and our future…We'd roll up our sleeves, and we would diligently sow and reap, and we can still do this to carve wealth out of the wilderness and make our living on the water, with strong hands and innovative minds, now with smarter technology.
It is what our first people and our parents did. It worked, because they worked. We must be prudent and persistent and press for the people's right to responsibly develop God-given resources for the maximum benefit of the people.
Must Read Alaska Show
We hope to get our podcast back up and running in the near future. Plus, we are continuing to develop our sortable audio-files for easy listening of our stories.
Submit Your Feedback
Do you have story ideas? Do you want to submit an op-ed for consideration? Or perhaps you have feedback for us on how we can improve your experience. If that’s you, please reach out to us at [email protected]. We love to hear from our readers!
Thank you for reading! Until next time,
The MRAK Team
A Force for Good