Rep. Bill Elam

It’s not every day that Alaska’s natural gas potential takes center stage in the Oval Office. President Trump’s announcement of plans for roughly $54 billion in South Korean investment in Alaska LNG is a significant development for our state, and especially for the Kenai Peninsula, where the proposed export facility would be built in Nikiski.

This project could bring North Slope gas to Alaskans, create jobs, and open opportunities for our children to build their futures here at home. I appreciate President Trump and Alaska’s leaders for their work to move it forward.

Alaskans have worked toward this opportunity for decades. Today’s announcement brings fresh momentum to that effort, with the Kenai Peninsula positioned to play a central role. I’m excited about what this could mean for our communities, and I’ll keep working to turn that opportunity into reliable, affordable energy and lasting prosperity for Alaskans.

It was an honor to join Representative Justin Ruffridge in presenting legislative citations to two Kenai state championship teams!

The Kenai Central girls volleyball team won the 2025 Class 3A state title, and the 12U all-girls Kenai Ice Hawks won the 2026 12UB state hockey championship. The Ice Hawks made history as the first all-girls team in Alaska to win a coed state hockey tournament.

Congratulations to the players, coaches, and everyone who helped them get there. You’ve made the Kenai Peninsula proud!

This is a helpful resource for anyone needing assistance with public benefits, applications, renewals, paperwork, or case updates.

Beginning today, Division of Public Assistance representatives will be available at Central Peninsula Hospital on the third Thursday of each month from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

Assistance is provided on a first-come, first-served basis, so please arrive early and bring any documents related to your case. More information is included in the post below.

Need help with public assistance benefits, paperwork, or your case? You can now meet with a DPA representative right here in Soldotna.

Beginning Thursday, September 17, Central Peninsula Hospital will host representatives from the Alaska Department of Health, Division of Public Assistance (DPA) to provide in-person assistance to members of our community.

DPA representatives will be available at CPH on the third Thursday of each month from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

📍 Central Peninsula Hospital
250 Hospital Place, Soldotna
Borealis Conference Room, located off the hospital cafeteria

Representatives can help with general questions about public assistance programs, applications and renewals, paperwork, onsite interviews, and case updates.

Services are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Because space is limited, we encourage you to arrive early. A sign-up sheet will be available near the admissions waiting area before entering the cafeteria.

📄 What to bring:
If applicable, please bring applications or renewal forms, proof of income, proof of expenses, identification, and any other documents related to your case.

No need to travel farther for in-person assistance. Whether you have questions about your benefits, need help completing paperwork, or are looking for an update on your case, DPA representatives will be available to help right here at CPH.

For more information about Division of Public Assistance programs and services, visit the https://health.alaska.gov/en/division-of-public-assistance/

Alaska DOT&PF has released the Draft 2027–2030 Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan for public comment.

Several important Kenai Peninsula projects are included, such as the Kenai Spur Highway rehabilitation, the Sterling Highway Safety Corridor improvements between Mileposts 82.5 and 94, and continued work on the Sterling Highway Milepost 45–60 project, including the Cooper Landing Bypass.

These projects affect roads many of us travel regularly. I encourage residents to review DOT’s post below and share their comments before the October 29 deadline.

! The Statewide Transportation Improvement Plan (STIP) is Alaska’s four-year transportation program for capital improvement projects on roads, highways, and the Alaska Marine Highway System.

The Draft 2027-2030 STIP is now available, and we want to hear from you! 🗨 Public Comment is open through October 29, 2026.

This is your opportunity to share your thoughts on the health and future of Alaska’s transportation system. Review the Draft 2027-2030 STIP and provide your feedback.

Submit Comments:
ONLINE at https://dot.alaska.gov/links/pdp/
- or -
EMAIL: [email protected]
VOICEMAIL: 1 (855) 925-2801, use Project Code 10968
TEXT: 1 (855) 925-2801 (Type "STIP" to start your message)
TTY: 711 or 1-800-770-8973 to reach the Alaska Relay
MAIL: STIP Team, Alaska DOT&PF, 550 W. 7th Avenue, Suite 295, Anchorage, AK 99501

More information in the press release: https://dot.alaska.gov/comm/pressbox/arch2026/PR26-0025.shtml

I was talking with some of our staff today about September 11th and had one of those moments that catches you a little off guard. I realized that several of them weren’t even alive when it happened.

It’s hard to believe it has been 25 years.

Like many who lived through that day, I can still remember where I was and watching the events unfold. We remember the nearly 3,000 people who lost their lives, the first responders who ran toward danger, and the families whose lives were forever changed.

But there is something else I hope we don’t forget.

In the days and weeks that followed, Americans came together. We didn’t suddenly agree on everything, and we certainly weren’t a perfect country. But for a while, the things that divided us seemed smaller than the things we shared.

Twenty five years later, we could probably use a little more of that.

We don’t have to agree on everything to care about one another, to treat each other as neighbors, or to remember that we share a country and a future.

For those too young to remember September 11th, I hope we pass along more than the story of what happened that day. I hope we also pass along something about how Americans responded to one another afterward.

May we never forget.

Today, the House and Senate Resources Committees met jointly to discuss Cook Inlet natural gas and the challenges facing Southcentral Alaska.

As a member of the House Resources Committee, my priorities are straightforward: make sure Alaskans have the gas we need to heat our homes and keep the lights on this winter, while developing Alaska’s resources for a reliable and affordable long-term energy supply.

There was encouraging news. Hilcorp continues to invest $400–$500 million annually in Cook Inlet and plans to drill more than 26 wells this year. HEX is also investing heavily and expects to more than triple its firm gas sales next year.

There is still a real concern this winter. If we experience another winter as cold as last year, our utilities could face a natural gas supply shortfall. Residential customers are prioritized, and we heard today that producers and utilities have options to strengthen winter supply. Those conversations need to happen now, not when temperatures are below zero.

Something that really stood out to me today is that we can’t ask companies to invest hundreds of millions of dollars developing Cook Inlet, drill more wells, and help solve our natural gas shortage while at the same time looking for ways to significantly increase their taxes. We need to understand how those decisions affect investment, production, and ultimately the energy bills Alaska families pay.

We may need imported LNG to get us through the next few years, but that cannot be the long-term answer for a state with the resources Alaska has.

This winter, Alaskans need reliability. For the future, we need resource development and affordable Alaska energy.

Please tune in to the joint meeting of the House and Senate Resources Committees today at 1:00 PM.

We’ll hear updates on Cook Inlet gas production from DNR, Hilcorp Alaska, HEX Energy, and Chugach Electric Association.

Watch live at AKL.tv

Earlier this year, I introduced House Bill 318 to put safeguards in place to protect Alaska’s children from addictive social media features and give parents more control.

This week, Meta agreed to a landmark multistate settlement — including Alaska — over allegations that Facebook and Instagram were designed in ways that kept young users hooked.

Many of the safeguards in the settlement closely mirror what we proposed in HB 318: limits on addictive feeds and excessive use, restrictions on notifications during school and nighttime hours, stronger age verification, and better parental controls.

This settlement reinforces what parents and policymakers across the country have been saying: we need to take the impact of social media on our kids seriously.

Parents need better tools to protect their children, and social media companies should not be allowed to put profits and engagement ahead of the health, safety, and privacy of kids.

I’m encouraged to see these protections moving forward nationally, and I look forward to continuing this work for Alaska’s families.

https://law.alaska.gov/press/releases/2026/082626-BigTech.html

At some point, Alaska has to move from talking about our problems to actually doing something about them.

We’re facing an energy crisis in Southcentral, continued outmigration, and a need for good paying jobs and new economic opportunity.

AKLNG gives us an opportunity to change that.

This is a generational project with the potential to create thousands of jobs, attract tens of billions of dollars in private investment, provide long-term energy for Alaskans, and dramatically change Alaska’s economic outlook.

Yet we’re apparently prepared to let another special session expire without fully working the Governor’s gas line legislation.

I have a hard time reconciling that.

In July, I voted against a conference committee bill that had grown from 7 pages to 45 and included major changes to Alaska’s tax policy without adequate time, analysis, or public process.

My vote was not against AKLNG. I said then: Alaska needs a clean pipeline bill.

Now we have HB 4001 before us, and we’re being told “the votes aren’t there.”

Yesterday, I joined my House Minority colleagues in formally asking the Speaker to gavel us back in, hold the hearings, provide the Department of Revenue analysis, allow amendments, and bring the bill to a vote.

If the votes aren’t there, prove it on the floor.

Nobody can guarantee AKLNG reaches a Final Investment Decision. But this project will never get the chance to prove whether it’s viable if Alaska can’t provide the tax certainty necessary to attract private capital and move it forward.

We’re not being asked to guarantee this project succeeds.

We’re being asked to do our job so we can find out if it can succeed.

Maybe the bill passes. Maybe it doesn’t. Maybe amendments make it better.

But a project that could change Alaska’s future for generations shouldn’t die in a press release.

Let’s do the work.

Let us vote.

Tomorrow morning, the Alaska Gasline Caucus will hear from local leaders, employers, and energy experts about what the Alaska Gasline Project could mean for our communities and our state.

If you have an interest in Alaska's energy future, I encourage you to tune in or stop by the meeting.

Thursday, August 6
9:00 AM

You can attend the meeting in-person at the Anchorage Legislative Information Office (1500 W. Benson Blvd.) or watch the meeting on Gavel Alaska. https://www.ktoo.org/gavel/