AOGCC nominee Jesse Chmielewski tells House Resources Committee federal grants and carbon‑storage primacy are top priorities

Jesse Chmielewski, nominated to the petroleum‑engineer seat on the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission, told the Alaska House Resources Committee on March 17 that during his six years with the AOGCC he helped establish the state's orphan‑well plugging and abandonment program, led grant efforts that have yielded substantial federal funding, and is pursuing state primacy to regulate Class VI carbon‑storage wells.

Chmielewski said the commission has been awarded $50,000,000 in federal grants with an additional $43,000,000 potentially available and that part of the funding will pay to plug nine wells in the Southcentral region this year. "The AOGCC serves a vital role in safeguarding the public interest in the exploration and development of Alaska's oil, gas, and geothermal resources," Chmielewski told the committee. He said securing and managing federal grants, staffing the agency to handle an expanded workload, and advancing carbon capture, use and storage (CCUS) work are top priorities.

Committee members pressed Chmielewski on grant stability and the agency's statutory responsibilities. Representative Sadler asked whether managing large federal grants and continuing the commission’s regulatory mission were the commission’s biggest near‑term challenges. Chmielewski replied that staffing and the expanded scope of work are the two main challenges, noting that four months ago the commission hired another engineer and plans to hire a geologist. Representative Fields asked specifically whether the commission factors oil and gas prices or operator profitability into its decisions under its enabling statutes. Chmielewski said it does not: "Economics don't come into play in our decisions," he said, describing the AOGCC's role as protecting the reservoir and preventing waste.

On CCUS, Chmielewski described a $1,900,000 EPA grant to support an application for Class VI primacy and said the AOGCC has drafted regulations that were submitted to the Department of Law and to the EPA for review. "We should be going out for public notice in a couple of months," he said, and estimated EPA action on a primacy application could take "at least a year, maybe two years." He added that interested parties can still pursue Class VI permits through the EPA while a state primacy application is pending.

Committee members asked about a temporary pause in grant reimbursements after recent Executive Branch actions. Chmielewski said Department of the Interior (DOI) reimbursements were paused for about four weeks when executive orders were issued but that DOI had indicated states could again withdraw funds and that the agency is using prior legislative money for current work while federal grant processes are reconciling.

The committee set Chmielewski’s appointment aside for later consideration. The AOGCC nominee noted his prior work representing Alaska to the Interstate Oil and Gas Compact Commission and serving on the Groundwater Protection Council.

Ending: The committee recorded public testimony on appointees will be scheduled at a later date; no confirmation vote took place on March 17.