Alaska Commissioner of Natural Resources
| Alaska Commissioner of Natural Resources | |
 | |
| General information | |
| Office Type: | Nonpartisan |
| Office website: | Official Link |
| Compensation: | $141,160 |
| 2025 FY Budget: | $172,045,100 |
| Term limits: | None |
| Structure | |
| Length of term: | Serves at pleasure of the governor |
| Authority: | Alaska Statutes, Title 44, Chapter 37, Section 10 |
| Selection Method: | Appointed by governor |
| Current Officeholder(s) | |
Alaska Commissioner of Natural Resources John Crowther | |
| Other Alaska Executive Offices | |
| Governor•Lieutenant Governor•Attorney General•Comptroller•Education Commissioner•Revenue Commissioner•Agriculture Director•Insurance Director•Natural Resources Commissioner•Labor Commissioner•Regulatory Commission | |
TheAlaska Commissioner of Natural Resources is a state executive position in the Alaska state government. The commissioner is the principal chief executive of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, which manages all state-owned land and water resources except fish and game.[1] The commissioner is appointed by the governor with the consent of thestate legislature. The position is nonpartisan.
Current officeholder
The acting Alaska Commissioner of Natural Resources isJohn Crowther (nonpartisan). Crowther assumed office in 2025.
Authority
The natural resource commissioner's authority is based in statute, which establishes the commissioner as the principal executive officer of the Department of Natural Resources.[2]
Alaska Statutes, Title 44, Chapter 37, Section 10
| The principal executive officer of the Department of Natural Resources is the commissioner of natural resources. |
Qualifications
Like all principal executive officers in the Alaska government, the commissioner of natural resources must "furnish corporate surety bonds in the instance and amount required by law," the cost of which is paid by the state. Otherwise, there are no special qualifications for the office of commissioner of revenue.[3]
Alaska Statutes, Title 44, Chapter 23, Section 50
| The principal executive officer of each department and subordinate officials shall furnish corporate surety bonds in the instance and amount required by law or determined by the governor upon recommendation of the commissioner of administration. The state shall pay the cost of the bond. The attorney general shall approve the form of the bond. |
Appointments
The commissioner of natural resources, like all Alaska executive department heads, is appointed by the governor and subject to confirmation by a majority of the members of the legislature.[4]
Alaska Statutes, Title 39, Chapter 5, Section 20
| The governor shall appoint the head of each principal executive department in the state government. Each appointment is subject to confirmation by a majority of the members of the legislature in joint session. |
Term limits
There are no term limits for the office of natural resources commissioner. The officeholder serves at the pleasure of the governor.
Vacancies
Alaska law does not outline any particular procedure for dealing with vacancies. It is the governor's responsibility to appoint a new commissioner of natural resources, subject to approval from the legislature.
Duties
- SeeEnergy policy in Alaska for information on the state's energy portfolio and goals.
As head of the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, the commissioner is responsible for "all state-owned land, water and natural resources, except for fish and game, on behalf of the people of Alaska."[1]
The commissioner has additional statutory duties with respect to the development, regulation and promotion of Alaskan agriculture:
Alaska Statutes, Title 3, Chapter 5, Section 10
| (a) The commissioner of natural resources shall (1) direct, administer, and supervise promotional and experimental work, extension services, and agricultural projects for the purpose of promoting and developing the agricultural industry within the state... (2) procure and preserve all information pertaining to the development of the agricultural industry and disseminate that information to the public; (3) assist prospective settlers... desiring to engage in the agricultural industry in the state with information concerning areas suitable for agriculture and other activities... (4) review the marketing, financing, and development of agricultural products inside the state... (5) regulate and control the entry into the state and the transportation, sale, or use inside the state of plants, seeds, vegetables, [etc]... (6) regulate the farming of elk... ... |
Divisions
As of January 6, 2021, divisions within the Department of Natural Resources included:[5]
- Division of Agriculture
- Division of Forestry
- Division of Geological and Geophysical Surveys
- Division of Mining, Land & Water
- Division of Oil and Gas
- Division of Parks and Outdoor Recreation
- Support Services Division
- Commissioner's Office
State budget
- See also:Alaska state budget and finances
The budget for the Alaska Department of Natural Resources in Fiscal Year 2025 was $172,045,100.[6]
Compensation
The Alaska Commissioner of Natural Resources' salary is bound to a range determined by statute; it must be no less than Range 28 of the Alaska executive branch employee salary schedule nor more than Range 30.[7]
2023
In 2023, the officer's salary was $141,160, according to theCouncil of State Governments.[8]
2022
In 2022, the officer's salary was $141,160, according to theCouncil of State Governments.[9]
2021
In 2021, the commissioner received a salary of $141,160, according to theCouncil of State Governments.[10]
2020
In 2020, the commissioner received a salary of $141,156 according to theCouncil of State Governments.[11]
2019
In 2019, the commissioner received a salary of $141,156 according to theCouncil of State Governments.[12]
2018
In 2018, the commissioner received a salary of $141,156 according to theCouncil of State Governments.[13]
2017
In 2017, the commissioner received a salary of $141,156 according to theCouncil of State Governments.[14]
2016
In 2016, the commissioner received a salary of $141,156 according to theCouncil of State Governments.[15]
2015
In 2015, the commissioner received a salary of $137,712 according to theCouncil of State Governments.[16]
2014
In 2014, the commissioner's salary increased to $136,350 according to theCouncil of State Governments.[17]
2013
In 2013, the commissioner was paid an estimated$135,000. This figure comes from theCouncil of State Governments.
Historical officeholders
There have been 22 Alaska commissioners of natural resources since 1959. Three past commissioners—John T. Shively, Pat Pourchot and Tom Irwin—served twice non-consecutively.[18]
| List of officeholders from 1959-Present | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| # | Name | Tenure | |||
| 1 | Phil Holdsworth | 1959-1967 | |||
| 2 | Thomas Kelly | 1968-1971 | |||
| 3 | Charles F. Herbert | 1971-1974 | |||
| 4 | Guy R. Martin | 1975-1977 | |||
| 5 | Robert LeResche | 1977-1980 | |||
| 6 | John W. Katz | 1981-1982 | |||
| 7 | Esther C. Wunnicke | 1983-1986 | |||
| 8 | Judy M. Brady | 1987-1988 | |||
| 9 | Lennie Gorsuch | 1989-1990 | |||
| 10 | Ron Swope | 1990 | |||
| 11 | Harold C. Heinze | 1990-1992 | |||
| 12 | Glenn A. Olds | 1992-1993 | |||
| 13 | Harry A. Noah | 1993-1994 | |||
| 14 | John T. Shively | 1995-2000 | |||
| 15 | Pat Pourchot | 2000-2001 | |||
| 16 | John T. Shively | 2001 | |||
| 17 | Pat Pourchot | 2001-2003 | |||
| 18 | Tom Irwin | 2003-2006 | |||
| 19 | Mike Menge | 2006-2007 | |||
| 20 | Marty Rutherford | 2007 | |||
| 21 | Tom Irwin | 2007-2010 | |||
| 22 | Daniel Sullivan | 2010-2013 | |||
| 23 | Joe Balash | 2013-2014 | |||
| 24 | Mark Myers | 2014-2016 | |||
| 25 | Andy Mack | 2016-2018 | |||
| 26 | Corri Feige | 2018 - 2022 | |||
| 27 | John Boyle | 2023 - 2025 | |||
| 28 | John Crowther | 2025 - present | |||
Recent news
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Contact info
Address:
550 W. 7th Ave., Suite 1360
Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone: (907) 269-8400
Fax: (907) 269-8901
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑1.01.1Alaska Department of Natural Resources, "About DNR," accessed January 6, 2021
- ↑Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 44.37.010," accessed January 6, 2021
- ↑Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 39.05.050," accessed January 6, 2021
- ↑Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 39.05.020," accessed January 6, 2021
- ↑Alaska Department of Natural Resources, "Department of Natural Resources," accessed January 6, 2021
- ↑Alaska Office of Management and Budget, "Department Totals - FY2025," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 39.20.080," accessed January 6, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2023 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed January 15, 2025
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2022 Table 4.11: Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," provided to Ballotpedia by CSG personnel
- ↑Issuu, "The Book of the States 2021," accessed September 22, 2022
- ↑Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2020," accessed January 6, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2019," accessed January 6, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2018," accessed January 6, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "The Book of the States 2017," accessed January 6, 2021
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2016," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries, 2015," accessed August 27, 2016
- ↑Council of State Governments, "Selected State Administrative Officials: Annual Salaries," accessed November 14, 2014
- ↑Alaska State Library, "List of Alaska State Department Commissioners," accessed January 6, 2021
