Dunleavy’s illegal appointment to Arctic Research Commission

Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s appointment to the Arctic Research Commission by President Donald Trump is clearly illegal.

Dunleavy, who may see this part-time gig as a way to keep his name in circulation in advance of a 2028 campaign against Sen. Lisa Murkowski, should admit he can’t serve on the commission and resign.

Dunleavy and three other commissioners must be “individuals from academic or other research institutions” with Arctic expertise. Dunleavy is not connected to an academic or research institution. He is ineligible to serve. Here is the law.

Instead of confessing this violation, Dunleavy has forced shameless state publicity man Jeff Turner to come up with one of the lamest lies in the history of the Dunleavy regime—that Dunleavy is a researcher because the state employs researchers.

“Governor Dunleavy oversees state agencies directly involved in Arctic research including the Alaska Department of Fish & Game, which for example conducts extensive biological research through programs like the Arctic Marine Mammal Program,” Turner said in a statement to Alaska’s News Source.

“The governor also appoints Alaskans of the UA Board of Regents. The university, which is part of the state government, has numerous Arctic research programs at UAF.”

By this logic, Dunleavy is also a doctor because of the health department, a ferry captain because of the transportation department, an accountant because of the revenue department and a general because of the military department.

“I think we have a lot of great research,” Dunleavy said at the Arctic Encounter event last week.

“I think the next step is gonna be for us, I hope on the Arctic Commission, how do we rationalize this so that policymakers, investors, etc. understand the best approach to produce and build this infrastructure,” he said.

“Part of what I want to have the discussions with fellow commissioners is rationalizing all the great research, all the great ideas and all the great policy. But then wrapping it into an execution plan,” said Dunleavy.

Federal law says that “A member of the commission not presently employed for compensation shall be compensated at a rate equal to the daily equivalent of the rate for GS-18 of the General Schedule under section 5332 of title 5, United States Code, for each day the member is engaged in the actual performance of his duties as a member of the Commission, not to exceed 90 days of service each year.”

Sen. Lisa Murkowski questioned the appointment at first because she had thought that Dunleavy was named to the commission seat that is supposed to be filled by an indigenous person. The seat he was named to is for a researcher, Alaska’s News Source reported.

Thomas Emanuel Dans of Sugarland, Texas is Trump’s chair of the Arctic Research Commission.

Dans was dubbed “Trump’s man in Greenland” last year by media on the island, talking up the Trump scheme to take the island.

“The Greenland portfolio was a perfect fit. Few MAGA stalwarts could truly claim to know their way around the far north, and an establishment figure might hesitate to follow Trump’s instincts on a policy destined to antagonize NATO. But Dans had the background to deal with a complex Arctic issue — and the MAGA bona fides to prove that he wouldn’t back down from Trump’s fight. (Trump seemingly rewarded Dans in December, naming him the chairman of the U.S. Arctic Research Commission, which advises Congress on scientific research in the far north.),” the website responsiblestatecraft.org reported.

Dunleavy’s appointment comes after Elizabeth Cravalho, a NANA executive, was terminated last November from the commission. She had held a seat reserved for industry.

David Kennedy of Madison, Virginia, has served since 2020 though his term expired more than a year ago. Deborah Vo of Anchorage is also serving though her term expired more than a year ago.

The other members are geologist Mark Myers of Anchorage, Larry Mayer of New Hampshire and Jackie Richter-Menge of New Hampshire.

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