Alaska Commissioner of Natural Resources
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Current officeholder
The current commissioner of natural resources is Daniel S. Sullivan, appointed by Governor Sean Parnell on November 18, 2010. As the commissioner of natural resources serves at the pleasure of the governor, Sullivan does not serve a fixed term.[1]
Before becoming commissioner, Sullivan served as state attorney general from 2009 to 2010. He was also a U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Economic, Energy, and Business Affairs from 2006 to 2009. Before entering public service, he was an attorney for the firm Perkins Coie, LLP. Sullivan earned his B.A. in Economics from Harvard University and his J.D/M.S. from Georgetown University Law Center.
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 prescribe 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
As head of the 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."[5] He or she appoints and oversees the directors of the eight divisions of the department -- see, for example, Alaska Director of Agriculture.
The commissioner has additional 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
The Department of Natural Resources contains eight separate divisions, each of which is responsible for developing some particular natural resource or group of resources. Each division is run by a director who reports to and is appointed by the commissioner. The divisions include:
- Division of Agriculture
- Division of Coastal & Ocean Management
- 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
The commissioner of natural resources also oversees a number of smaller offices, including:
- Joint Pipeline Office
- Mental Health Trust Land Office
- Public Information Center
- Office of Boating Safety
- Office of History & Archaeology
- Office of Project Management & Permitting/ACMP
- State Historic Preservation Office
- Recorder's Office/UCC
Compensation
In 2010, the commissioner of natural resources received compensation in the amount of $135,000.[6] The commissioner's 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]
Contact info
Address:
550 W. 7th Ave., Suite 1260
Anchorage, AK 99501
Phone: (907) 269-8400
Fax: (907) 269-8901
See also
External links
References
- ↑ Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 39.05.030," accessed June 5, 2011.
- ↑ Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 44.37.010," accessed June 1, 2011.
- ↑ Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 39.05.050," accessed June 1, 2011.
- ↑ Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 39.05.020," accessed June 5, 2011.
- ↑ Alaska Department of Natural Resources, "About DNR," accessed June 6, 2011.
- ↑ The Council of State Governments, "Book of the States 2010, Table 4.11," accessed May 20, 2011.
- ↑ Alaska Legal Resource Center, "Alaska Statutes 39.20.080," accessed June 1, 2011.
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