Dear readers,

This week’s newsletter features extensive coverage of the 34th State Legislature’s second regular session, which began Jan 20. Here we are providing JUST THE NEWS, no commentary, no fluff. To read op-eds published by Must Read Alaska this week, please visit: Columns - Must Read Alaska.

Quick reminder: Please join us for What’s Happening in Alaska every Thursday night at 7pm. Come share your thoughts on recent topics and news. This a time for us to think out loud together!

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Submit Your PFD Testimony!

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!

docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScTnJ_ioN7jXTWq_jg8mmDGcrIpyS5sRAbzLsHok2KV2mw4lw/viewform?usp=header

Table of Contents

Alaska Industry

Cuts to Biden-era Leasing Regulations Benefit Oil and Gas Industry

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Forest Service has announced revisions to leasing regulations for federal oil and gas resources on National Forest System lands. The revisions establish a clearly defined leasing decision point, reduce duplicative analysis, improve response times to industry requests, reduce backlogs, accelerate lease issuance, and support timely processing of permit applications. The […]

mustreadalaska.com/cuts-to-biden-era-leasing-regulations-to-benefit-oil-and-gas-industry

Who Is Trying to Restrict Alaska's Halibut Fishing? Seattle-based Association Identified

This story follows up on “Seattle-Based Trade Association Attempts to Restrict Alaska’s Halibut Fishing,” published the morning of Jan 27. Recently, a Seattle-based association attempted to change Alaska’s recreational halibut limit from two fish to one fish via the International Pacific Halibut Commission (IPHC). IPHC deferred review to the North Pacific Management Council, who holds […]

mustreadalaska.com/who-is-trying-to-restrict-alaskas-halibut-fishing-seattle-based-association-identified

Alaska Senate Resources Examines LNG Lessons from Canada Amid Glenfarne Push

Alaska’s Senate Resources Committee convened on Tuesday, January 26, to dissect the state’s natural gas export ambitions through the lens of Canada’s LNG Canada project, a rare success story in the North American LNG sector. With developer Glenfarne Group signaling renewed momentum toward a pipeline and export facility from the North Slope to Nikiski, lawmakers […]

mustreadalaska.com/alaska-senate-resources-examines-lng-lessons-from-canada-amid-glenfarne-push

Alaska Elections

Survey Series: Which Gubernatorial Candidates Prioritize Alaska LNG Project?

By Nathaniel Herz

We’re back with the next edition of our recurring survey of the more than a dozen candidates running to be Alaska’s next governor.

This week’s questions revolve around a huge — and hugely expensive — LNG export project pushed by Alaska’s current governor, Mike Dunleavy. We also asked for some book recommendations. Full questions and answers are below.

CONTINUE READING

Education in Alaska

Alaskans Can Now Get $1,700 Tax Credit for Donating to a School of Their Choice

On Monday, Jan 26, Governor Dunleavy opted Alaska into the Federal K-12 Education Tax Credit Scholarship Program. The program was enacted by the President Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act and allows individuals and families to claim a tax credit up to $1,700 a year when donating to a school of their choice. To qualify […]

mustreadalaska.com/alaskans-can-now-get-1700-tax-credit-for-donating-to-a-school-of-their-choice

Opinion: Parents Must Stay Vigilant and Demanding of Government Schooling Systems

By Lars Bauer The opinions expressed here are of the author only. In August 2025, Senior Contributor John Quick made meaningful observations about the posture of homeschooling in small town Nikiski, asking in his column’s title “Can someone like homeschooling and public school?” My family and I appreciated and agreed with his sentiment of two […]

mustreadalaska.com/opinion-parents-must-stay-vigilant-and-demanding-of-government-schooling-systems

More from the Legislative Session

Facts and Figures

Good News for Oil and Gas

On Jan 21, the APA Corporation joined the Alaska Oil and Gas Association (AOGA) after successful North Slope exploration at the Sockeye-2 exploratory well

Key Industry Numbers

Alaska Oil: ~$68.55 per barrel

Henry Hub Gas: ~$4.88 per mmBTU

Residential Natural Gas Price: $13.95/kcf

Alaska North Slope Production: ~469,464 barrels per day

Permanent Fund (Principal + Earnings Reserve): ~$88.6 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.

In Pursuit of Wisdom

❝

No further would I read, nor did I need to do so, for instantly, upon reaching the end of this sentence, I
was illuminated, as it were, by a light that was serenely infused into my heart, and all the darkness of doubt vanished away.

St. Augustine of Hippo | Confessions, Book 8, Ch. 12

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.

Click here to listen to previous Must Read Alaska Show podcasts.

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

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