The state Department of Natural Resources has a new commissioner.
Gov. Bill Walker announced today that Andy Mack, an Arctic policy and development adviser and manager of Pt Capital, a private equity fund based in Alaska, will take over the agency. Former commissioner Mark Myers retired in February.
The announcement came after acting DNR commissioner Marty Rutherford told Walker she plans to retire this month, according to a media release.
Rutherford won’t be leaving the public eye, however, as Walker immediately announced he is appointing her to the board of the Permanent Fund Corporation as of July.
Rutherford did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment and a DNR spokesperson did not return messages requesting an interview with Rutherford.
Anchorage Democratic Sen. Bill Wielechowski said Rutherford’s exit will be a blow to the department’s institutional knowledge.
“It’s a loss for the state, you know, she’s someone who’s been through a number of different iterations on gas line policy and on oil tax issues and so, yeah I hate to see her go,” Wielechowski said.
The DNR commissioner is heavily involved in the state’s effort to build a massive natural pipeline to bring gas down from the North Slope.
A Walker spokesperson said he is traveling and not available to talk about the cabinet shakeup and his new appointments.
It’s the third high-level position change Walker announced today.
Alaska’s Attorney General, Craig Richards, resigned suddenly this morning, saying he needs to spend more time with his family. The state’s deputy attorney general, Jim Cantor, will fill in for Richards while Walker seeks a replacement.
Rashah McChesney is a photojournalist turned radio journalist who has been telling stories in Alaska since 2012. Before joining Alaska's Energy Desk, she worked at Kenai's Peninsula Clarion and the Juneau bureau of the Associated Press. She is a graduate of Iowa State University's Greenlee Journalism School and has worked in public television, newspapers and now radio, all in the quest to become the Swiss Army knife of storytellers.
