Rep. Mark Neuman, R-Big Lake, said he requested the audit of the public corporation because energy is one of the biggest issues the state is facing. The Legislative Budget and Audit Committee ordered the audit in an Anchorage meeting on Monday.
"One of the most important issues we're facing is energy and deliverability of that energy," Neuman said. "We're trying to make sure we're getting the most information we can."
The authority was created by voters through an initiative in 2002. It is charged with getting North Slope natural gas to market and to Alaska communities, or looking at liquefied natural gas or other options. The corporation has an independent board of directors and is funded by the state.
The office of Gov. Sean Parnell and staff within other departments are all looking at gas development issues, as well as the independent Alaska Gasline Port Authority.
Rep. Mike Hawker, R-Anchorage, supports an audit. He said he wanted to know how much money has been appropriated, where it's been spent and how the Natural Gas Development Authority's actions fit into other efforts in the state. Executive director Harold Heinze was traveling, but Kirsten Sikora, the authority's administrative officer, said it welcomed the audit.
"We're looking forward to working together to solve the state's energy crisis," she said.
One of the authority's efforts is to find ways to develop the North Slope's natural gas as propane for use in Alaska, especially rural Alaska.
The work on the audit will likely begin next March.
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