Dunleavy’s deputy chief of staff moves to state oil board

Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s deputy chief of staff has been named to the public seat on the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission and will leave the governor’s office, the administration announced Tuesday evening.

“He will be vacating his position in the governor’s office in order to fulfill that vacancy,” Dunleavy press secretary Matt Shuckerow said by phone.

When he takes his new job, Price will become chair of the three-person commission.

Price’s appointment continues a shakeup among the governor’s top advisers. Since the start of August, the governor has replaced his chief of staff and budget director as well.

Price will earn $140,000 per year as a commissioner, the standard salary for the position, Shuckerow said by phone Wednesday. He had earned $135,000 per year as deputy chief of staff. Price will start his new job Monday, and his appointment is subject to legislative confirmation.

Price, an Anchorage resident, grew up in the Interior town of Salcha. He previously worked for U.S. Rep. Don Young, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the American Petroleum Institute and the Alaska chapter of Americans for Prosperity before Dunleavy named him his deputy chief of staff after his November 2018 election victory.

The AOGCC is an independent, quasi-judicial agency that oversees oil and gas drilling across the state. Its mission is to ensure Alaska’s oil and gas are properly developed to ensure maximum benefit for Alaska while minimizing harm to other natural resources.

“Jeremy Price shares my vision for a state that is both economically competitive and protects the interest of Alaskans,” the governor said in a prepared written statement. “I welcome him into this new role as chair of AOGCC and look forward to his work to prevent waste of our natural resources while ensuring our regulatory environment yields greater recovery of Alaska’s oil, gas, and geothermal potential.”