Alaska
Many Alaska agencies still counting state regulations after Dunleavy orders rule reductions
Months after Gov. Mike Dunleavy ordered state agencies to begin reducing the number of regulations governing their operations, several have yet to complete a full tally of the baseline number of rules eligible for reduction.
Dunleavy in August issued an administrative order tasking all state agencies with reducing the number of regulations that dictate their operations by 15% by the end of 2026, and by 25% the following year.
In his order, Dunleavy said that reducing regulations was necessary to “attract investment and grow (Alaska’s) economic base.”
But state departments are behind schedule in achieving the initial phase of the order, which entails counting the number of regulatory requirements in each agency. That count was meant to be completed by mid-October, to serve as a baseline for agency reduction goals, according to an instructional document disseminated earlier this year.
According to an undated tally provided by the Department of Law on Wednesday, numerous agencies had been granted an extension until March 2 to count their regulations, including the Department of Administration, Department of Fish and Game, Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, the Department of Revenue, the Department of Transportation and Public Facilities, the Division of Elections and the lieutenant governor’s office.
According to the governor’s plan, agencies have until Jan. 5 to submit a draft outline “setting forth regulations identified for reform based upon stakeholder meetings.”
Among departments that had tallied their regulations so far, the Department of Commerce, Community and Economic Development was leading in the number of tallied restrictions, reporting a baseline of more than 30,000. Its goal was to cut that number to just under 26,000 by the end of 2026, and just under 23,000 by the end of 2027.
That department is charged with overseeing licensing for dozens of professions across the state, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, optometrists, social workers, architects and accountants, among many others. Numerous professions in the state are governed in large part by regulation, rather than statute, allowing for boards and commissions to more easily update their requirements in response to evolving best practices.
The number of regulations varied widely among agencies. The Department of Health — which oversees the state’s Medicaid program, among numerous other responsibilities — reported a plan to reduce roughly 4,000 of its 16,000 regulations in a two-year period.
The Department of Corrections, meanwhile, reported having only 57 eligible regulations for reduction. Its goal was to cut that number to 54 next year and 47 the year after that.
When issuing his order, Dunleavy said he wanted to focus on permitting reform in the Department of Natural Resources — which is aiming to eliminate more than 700 of its 3,000 regulations — and the Department of Environmental Conservation, which planned to reduce more than 3,000 of its 13,000 regulatory requirements. The Department of Fish and Game, also identified for permitting reform, has so far counted 650 regulations but sought an extension to finish its baseline count.
The Department of Law, which is in charge of implementing the governor’s administrative order, did not provide an accounting of its own regulations or how it intended to reduce them.
Attorney General Stephen Cox said in a statement in September that the Department of Law “intends to be a model in this process” by publishing its own reform plans.
Assistant Attorney General Rebecca Polizzotto said last month that some departments had been granted extensions for counting their regulations “because of particular board meetings or how they want to do stakeholder engagement.”
Despite the extension granted, Polizzotto said she still expected “a majority of agencies” would be in “substantial compliance” with Dunleavy’s order by the end of 2026.
As for the following year — that will be up to the next governor. Dunleavy’s time as governor ends next year and he is termed out from seeking reelection. The next governor can keep the order in place, or repeal it.
Dunleavy’s regulatory reform effort follows initiatives from previous governors who also sought to reduce, update and clarify state rules. But Polizzotto said Dunleavy’s order is different.
“As opposed to just issuing the order, he actually has put together a program of how to effectuate that,” Polizzotto said in an interview last month.
Dunleavy’s regulation-slashing effort was launched shortly before he appointed Cox to serve as Alaska’s top attorney in August. Cox, who moved to Alaska in 2021, said he had been previously “involved in regulatory reform efforts at the federal level.” In an interview, he called Dunleavy’s administrative order “a very sophisticated program” that’s “modeled after best practices that have happened in other states.”
Alaska’s effort is modeled after a similar initiative in Virginia, where Republican Gov. Glenn Youngkin earlier this year announced he had surpassed the 25% regulation reduction goal he had set in 2022.
According to a study conducted by the Mercatus Center at George Mason University, Alaska is already one of the least-regulated states in the country. Alaska ranked 44th out of 48 in the 2024 study (Arkansas and West Virginia were not included), with roughly 65,000 regulatory restrictions. For comparison, Virginia ranked 16th, with nearly 146,000 restrictions. California topped the list with 420,000 restrictions.
Polizzotto said that even if Alaska has fewer restrictions on the books, it still has work to do eliminating and updating old regulations that are no longer in use.
“That’s just not good law, and you should not have it on the books regardless of if you have fewer regulations than another state,” she said.
Asked why Dunleavy set a 25% reduction goal for every agency — rather than taking into account the vast variation in the number and scope of regulations in various agencies — Polizzotto the goal was to “strive for consistency.”
To make it easier to hit the governor’s target, the Department of Law is allowing agencies to use a variety of methods to achieve the reduction target, including by reducing the number of requirements for a given professional license, or by reducing the word count or page count in guidance documents for Alaskans seeking information on regulatory requirements.
“I don’t think we’ve come across any doubt that any agency can meet that 25% goal. Some agencies might need a little more assistance, but some agencies might be able to exceed that 25% goal, because they have so much that just hasn’t been cleaned up,” said Cox.
Two US soldiers were wounded by a brown bear during a training exercise in Alaska on Thursday, the US Army stated.
Anchorage Daily News reported that the soldiers were from the 11th Airborne Division, and that the exercise had been a “land navigation training event” near Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
State wildlife officials said that the bear attack seemed to be a defensive one, from a bear which had recently emerged from its den. Staff members from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game collected evidence at the scene in an attempt to learn more about the bear, such as its species and gender.
“The incident is currently under investigation, and we are working closely with installation authorities and local wildlife officials to gather all relevant information and ensure the safety of all personnel in the area,” the 11th Airborne Division said in a statement, reported ABC News.
ABC News also cited an 11th Airborne Division spokesperson, Lt.-Col. Jo Nederhoed, who said that the two soldiers had been seriously wounded, but were receiving care at a hospital in Anchorage, and had shown improvement by Saturday morning.
“We hope both individuals have a full and quick recovery, and our thoughts are with them during this time,” Fish and Game Regional Supervisor Cyndi Wardlow said in a statement reported by Anchorage Daily News. “In this case, having bear spray with them in the field may have saved their lives.”
Both of the soldiers reportedly had and used bear spray during the attack.
The bear’s condition and whereabouts are currently unknown.
Up, up and away … that’s where most travel prices are going.
It’s true. Not only are our nation’s geopolitical thrusts in the Mideast affecting the cost of your fill-ups, every component of your trip from airfares to car rentals and hotel stays are subject to price hikes.
Imagine filling up a jetliner with jet fuel that’s doubled in price. It’s enough to melt your credit card, regardless of the number of points you get for every dollar spent!
Because the price of oil affects everything, higher prices are eating away at your travel budget in many ways.
Bag fees
There’s lots of press on this. All airlines are increasing their checked-bag fees because of the jump in fuel prices.
Back in 2009, Alaska Airlines instituted a $15 fee for the first checked bag and $25 for the second bag. At the time, there was no charge for the first bag and a second bag was $25.
Last week, Alaska Airlines, along with other major airlines, increased its fees to $45 for the first checked bag and $55 for the second bag. Delta Air Lines charges the same.
Even if the cost of oil comes down, I don’t expect bag fees will ever be reduced.
Travelers who live in Alaska are somewhat insulated from the new hikes because both Delta and Alaska Airlines offer two free checked bags, with conditions:
1. Alaska offers two free checked bags for travelers flying to or from Alaska who are enrolled in Club 49. This does not affect other flights on Alaska. Separately, ATMOS credit card holders can get a free checked bag. Also, elite members of the ATMOS scheme get one or two free checked bags systemwide.
2. Delta offers two free checked bags for travelers flying to or from Alaska who are SkyMiles members who live in Alaska. Again, this does not apply to other Delta flights. Separately, Delta American Express cardholders can get a free checked bag.
3. Elite-level travelers with the oneworld airline cartel, including Alaska Airlines, can get one or two checked bags on American, British Airways, Japan Airlines, Qantas or other oneworld carriers.
[Anchorage’s international airport rolls out self-driving wheelchairs]
Main Cabin vs. Basic Economy
The spread between the lowest available price, Basic Economy, and a more flexible ticket, Main Cabin, has increased. While the difference used to be $20-$30 each way when the Basic Economy scheme was introduced in 2018, the round-trip upcharge now can exceed $100.
For example, the lowest Basic fare to Portland is $337 round-trip on Alaska Airlines. The upcharge to Main Cabin, with full loyalty points, pre-assigned seats and more flexibility on changes and cancellations, is $447, a 33% upcharge.
This trend is not specifically attributable to the new Iran War. It’s just a cost that continues to rise.
New fees
I’m impressed at the creativity of airline people who dream up new fees. Here are some of my favorites from Alaska Airlines:
1. Phone reservations: $15
2. Partner award booking fee: $12.50
3. Pet travel fee: $100 in the cabin, $200 in the baggage compartment with a kennel
4. Left on board item return fee: $20
On Condor Airlines, operating the only nonstop service from Anchorage to Europe, travelers can choose from four different bundles in economy class. The least-expensive, Economy Zero, from $840 round-trip, features fees for travelers:
1. Carry-on bag fee, up to 8kg: $35; a small bag like a purse always is included for free
2. Checked bag: $75
3. Airport check-in: $30
All three of these fees are included in the next-highest fare bucket, Economy Classic, from $900 round-trip. It’s cheaper to buy the bundle than it is to buy the components a la carte. Seat assignments are additional, from $25 for economy.
Airfares on the rise
There are a few good deals available for travel to select West Coast/Intermountain destinations in May, including:
1. Anchorage-San Francisco on Alaska Airlines, from $307 round-trip. Fly May 15-28 only. Add $90 round-trip for Main cabin.
2. Anchorage-Los Angeles on Alaska Airlines, from $317 round-trip. May 15-25 only. Add $90 round-trip for Main.
3. Anchorage-Phoenix on United, Delta or Alaska, from $267-$287 round-trip. Fly May 8-June 9 only. Add $90-$100 for Main.
4. Anchorage-Denver $357 round-trip on Delta. Fly May 8-June 9 only. Add $90 round-trip for Main.
For travel to other destinations, or later in the summer, be prepared to pay more.
Flying to Hawaii? Alaska Air’s nonstop prices out at $706 round-trip between May 30 and June 6. Add $110 round-trip for Main.
Nonstop flights from Anchorage to Salt Lake City start at $669 round-trip with Delta on May 17. That’s $100 more than the cost for the same flights last month. Add $90 more for Main.
Hotel costs continue to rise, accompanied by pesky resort fees.
The Outrigger on the Beach in Waikiki is a very nice beachfront hotel. It’s not plush, or the nicest property. But it’s solid. The cost is $334 per night.
But there’s more: a $50 per night resort fee, plus a variety of taxes and charges, totaling $112.55 per night.
Down in Seattle, the Sound Hotel in the Belltown neighborhood is marketed by Hilton. The discounted rate for “Honors” members — it’s free to join — is $313.34 per night for a king room in late May. Taxes and fees add an extra $56.40 per night.
There’s no appreciable bump yet for hotel rates as a result of the oil price surge. Yet. But if these hotel rates seem high, they’re in line with hotel rates in Anchorage this summer. At the Sheraton in Anchorage in June, it’s $450 per night, plus $54 in taxes and fees, when booked at Expedia.
Car rentals are not cheap
My go-to site for car rentals is the Costco site, which compares major brands and automatically includes Costco discounts.
In Las Vegas, for a one-day rental in May, Budget charges $67 per day, which includes taxes and fees of $22.77. In Anchorage, the same kind of car, medium SUV, costs $92.97 with Alamo.
The biggest differences so far in car rental rates seems to be the bill you’ll pay when you fill up the tank before returning. There’s no appreciable jump in prices because of the new war.
When it comes to making travel arrangements for the spring and summer, it’s more risky making completely non-refundable arrangements.
I made the decision to purchase most of my summer travel plans in advance, but only after determining I would not need to change the dates. Particularly with airline tickets, it’s expensive to change your dates.
There’s lots of uncertainty regarding travel arrangements, particularly international travel. As fuel prices go up due to oil shortages, travel companies will look for ways to recoup the increased costs. In most cases, those higher costs will be borne by travelers.
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – The reopening of the Strait of Hormuz has led to a decrease in oil prices nationally, but Alaska’s senior senator said the state faces a different situation that could threaten rural communities.
“If you can’t produce power because you don’t have the diesel or you just can’t pay the prices, your little communities can collapse,” Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said at a Friday press conference at the Arctic Encounter Summit in Anchorage.
The price of oil has been a double-edged sword for Alaska. On one hand, the increased price of North Slope oil brings more revenue to the state, but consumer prices can also rise.
North Slope oil prices were $106.36 a barrel on Thursday.
“This is a very precarious time,” Murkowski said. “Our state has enjoyed a bounty because we have benefited from the higher prices of oil that goes into our treasury, but it’s the Alaskans in … the off-road communities that are threatened to be hit most hard.”
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