Public concerns nix bid for Dalton Highway toll
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schedule overlap is not simply a risk to mitigate, it is an opportunity to sustain a long-term, stable workforce and supply chain in Alaska. STAK is also solving for gas deliverability and reliabil- ity by working through the engineering challenges that arise from major gas sales. Our efforts will pave the way for subsequent developers of this important resource. Q: Do data centers consume power that Alaskans need? A: No. Project Aaka is completely off-grid. We gen - erate our own power on site and consume it on site. We have no connection to Alaska’s public utility grid and no impact on Alaskan ratepayers. Additionally, the gas powering the project is stranded North Slope gas which is a separate resource from the Cook Inlet supply that serves urban Alaska. We do not compete with Alaskan households or businesses for power or for fuel. And in the absence of other alternatives, STAK could help solve for some of the state’s energy needs. Q: What would success look like for this project 10 years after it begins operations? A: STAK is working to open a new industry in Alaska through in-state utilization of our gas supply for a locally driven project. We hope Alaska’s future is transformed with a thriving ecosystem of Alaska contractors, suppli- ers, and operators supporting ongoing operations. Sustained revenue flowing to the state and local gov - ernments creating an Alaska where future generations have the opportunity, stability, and a path to thrive and call Alaska home. Project Aaka will stand as proof that Alaska’s stranded resources can anchor entirely new in- dustries, opening the door for the next generation of in- state development. Success is Alaska’s resource working for Alaska’s people, providing lasting value and opportu- nity decade after decade across the state. “Project Aaka represents the next chapter: converting a resource that has never been monetized into long- term, value-added economic activity. The gas produced stays in Alaska. The power is generated in Alaska. Jobs, contracts, and revenue stay in Alaska. This is in-state development delivering in-state benefit, and it opens the door to industries that have never been possible here.”
resources and keep the benefit local build durable wealth. The most important lesson is that energy comes first. Tech - nology investment follows reliable, affordable, and scalable power. Alaska does not need to chase the technology indus- try. It needs to build the energy foundation, and the indus- try will come to where the power is. Q: Is Alaska disadvantaged by how quickly we can de- liver a project? A: The short answer is no, and in several respects, Alaska is directly advantaged by an accelerated delivery timeline. However, there are real execution consider- ations that must be managed to ensure the speed of deliv- ery translates into maximum in-state benefit rather than bypassing Alaska’s business community. STAK Energy has been engaging with Alaska-based contractors, so they are bid-ready when scopes are released, not discovering the opportunities afterwards. STAK sees maximizing Arctic knowledge and innova- tion as the only way to successfully deliver this project on time. It’s going to take all hands-on deck to deliver this mega project in Alaska. From a fiscal standpoint, earlier commercial operation means earlier tax revenue, earlier royalty flows, and ear - lier job creation in permanent operations roles — all of which accrue to Alaska rather than being deferred. Competitively, Alaska is in a race for data center and compute infrastructure investment that other states are also pursuing. A demonstrated ability to permit and de- liver complex power-generation projects on aggressive timelines is a differentiator, not a liability. Q: Is there a workforce or resource capacity issue if data centers happen at the same time as the gasline, or are there synergies? A: When multiple large projects are under construc- tion simultaneously in Alaska or on the North Slope, the workforce requires more deliberate coordination. The last several years demonstrated this firsthand — with mul - tiple large North Slope projects running concurrently alongside routine maintenance and smaller scopes, the workforce was stretched. Contractors responded with creative solutions, includ- ing cross-training skilled labor from adjacent industries and bringing in out-of-state crews for peak pushes. Those learnings have not been lost; contractors have since im- plemented stronger workforce development and training programs that continue to build Alaska’s craft capacity. Concurrent projects can also be complementary. STAK has evaluated current project schedules and plans to phase its work to avoid direct conflicts with similar project scopes running in parallel, allowing established workforces a more continuous flow of work across proj - ects rather than competing for the same crews at the same time. Supply chains stood up for one project can similar- ly carry over to support the next. Managed deliberately,
A controversial bill that would have imposed a toll on oil and gas vehicles using the Dalton Highway was set aside by state lawmakers in mid-May during the regular session of the Legislature after public concerns that it would target a single industry and raise costs for Alaskans. Sen. Scott Kawasaki, D-Fairbanks and the sponsor of SB 286, introduced the bill in an effort “to offset maintenance costs of the 414-mile long highway that runs from Liven- good, north of Fairbanks, the the oilfields of Prudhoe Bay.” “We are trying to find ways to balance this budget where the cost causers are the cost payers,” he said in early May. The bill would have set up a toll on two miles of the highway near Deadhorse for vehicles transporting person- nel or goods for oil and gas companies. The Alyeska Pipeline Service Company, the company that operates the 800-mile long Trans-Alaska Pipeline System between Prudhoe Bay and Valdez, would be exempted from the toll under the leg- islation. The bill would require oil and gas companies to reimburse operators who pay the toll within 30 days of a request for reimbursement. The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities currently invests approximately $16.5 million in maintenance on the Dalton Highway each year, with ap- proximately one-third of that funding coming from the federal government. The goal is to keep the road safe and passable, thereby supplying key North Slope fields with equipment and support. Mitigation efforts must adapt to meet these seasonal needs. Daily maintenance activities for DOT&PF along the entirety of the highway’s length include filling potholes, road grading and/or snow plowing and weather monitoring. While the bill aimed to raise funds to maintain the Dal- ton Highway, funds raised from the toll would go into the general fund and be subject to appropriations by the legis- lature annually. Members of the trucking and oil and gas industries voiced their opposition during a committee meeting in mid-May. Robb Christenson, director of sales and pricing at Sour- dough Express, expressed concerns about government overreach. “If we begin carving out small sections of public infra- structure and charging users based on industry, where does it stop? Today it’s two miles on the Dalton Highway, tomor- row it’s roads that access mining, timber or other resource development,” he said. Cody Hyce, owner of Specialized Transport and Rigging in Wasilla, told legislators that the economic, legal and op-
erational hurdles created by the bill would outweigh the benefits to the state. “We should be looking for efficiencies in our transpor - tation budget, not nickel and diming the very workers and resources that ensure the state’s energy independence,” he said. According to Andy Mills, legislative liaison to the Depart- ment of Transportation and Public Facilities, Alaska does not have authorization from the federal government to establish a toll facility on the highway. The Senate State Affairs com - mittee set the bill aside.
— Haley Lehman and Fireweed Strategies
TEMSCO
Serving all of Alaska since 1958 HELICOPTERS, INC.
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TEMSCO Helicopters, Inc PO Box 5057 Ketchikan, Alaska 99901 Phone 907-225-5141 • fax 907-225-2340 • www.TemscoAir.com
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THE LINK: The Official Magazine of the Alaska Support Industry Alliance | SUMMER 2026
www.AlaskaAlliance.com
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