Gov. Frank Murkowski picked a Fairbanks mining executive with a reputation for getting projects moving to head the state Department of Natural Resources on Jan. 17.
Tom Irwin, a former executive with Fairbanks Gold Mining Inc. who also served on Murkowski's postelection transition team, will oversee the state's oil, gas, mining and timber resources.
Murkowski said that agency will play a key role in balancing the state budget and it needs a commissioner who understands the industries it oversees.
In making the selection, Murkowski ended a guessing game on who would be chosen that has engaged the state's resource community for several weeks. Former House Speaker Gail Phillips and Harry Noah, who was DNR commissioner under former Gov. Walter Hickel, were on the list being considered for the job.
So was Marty Rutherford, the current Deputy Commissioner, who is well regarded because of her experience and knowledge of the department. Rutherford took her name out of the running recently when she decided to leave state government to work in private industry.
Murkowski was also under pressure to appoint someone from Interior Alaska to a cabinet-level position. Previous cabinet appointments have been to people from Southeast Alaska.
"Tom Irwin has the knowledge and the experience and the management abilities to bring the department into the 21st century," Murkowski said.
Irwin, 56, was also president of the Alaska Council of Producers and served along with other industry executives on a panel that examined the inner workings of the DNR for Murkowski following his election. The Republican governor campaigned on a pledge to promote mining and timber activities in the state and vowed to increase oil production by 3 percent annually in the first two years of his term. Murkowski also said he would reduce the time it takes for mining operations to get permits.
Irwin said he looks forward to the job. "We are going to work on generating more new wells," Irwin said. "I take this job very readily.'"
Judy Brady, executive director for the Alaska Oil and Gas Association, said Irwin is well suited to "untangle" what she characterized as lengthy permitting requirements in Alaska.
"This is a person who has a very fine reputation as a developer, well within the environmental standards in this state," Brady said.
Steve Borell, executive director of the Alaska Miners Association, said, "Tom has permitted, built and operated major projects. His experience is very valuable in this. When someone talks with him about permit delays, he will understand how devastating this is."
"He won't cut corners, but he will inject a sense of urgency in his people in finding solutions," Irwin said.
But environmentalists who have clashed with Irwin over his past mining operations fear they will have a more difficult time fighting bad projects.
"In our worst moments we felt the Department of Natural Resources was in bed with the mining industry," said Mara Bacsujlaky, of the Alaska Environmental Center. "And now Tom Irwin sort of legitimizes that."
Bacsujlaky was part of a group that fought Fairbanks Gold Mining and the state over right-of-way permits at the True North Mine, located about 30 miles north of Fairbanks.
"He did not deal up front with the people and the public process was not well served with him," she said. "It's a bit of a disappointment."
Other critics, speaking off the record, have noted that Irwin has had no prior experience in government or involvement in public affairs beyond permitting for expansion of mining around the Fort Knox Mine.
However, they acknowledge that the mining company, under Irwin, has an excellent environmental record and has gone to great efforts to develop and train its workforce from the nearby Fairbanks community.
As commissioner of DNR, Irwin will immediately be faced with developing a plan to jump-start the petroleum industry. Encouraging the industry to explore and find more oil is a key part of Murkowski's plan to increase economic growth and stave off a fiscal crisis for state government when cash reserves used to cover recurring state deficits are depleted.
Irwin will also immediately face several thorny issues. These include the state's position in court appeals over a Regulatory Commission of Alaska order to trans-Alaska pipeline owners that they halve tariffs they charge for transporting oil to destinations within Alaska, and a series of complex proposals expected from the major owners of North Slope natural gas for state legislation to simplify and add certainty to gas tax and royalty administration.
Irwin has served as vice president of operations and of business development for Fairbanks Gold. He was operations manager and general manager for Fort Knox and True North mines from 1996-2001.
Irwin came to Alaska in 1992 after serving as general manager of an Amax Gold Inc. mine in Nevada. He has a bachelor's degree from the Colorado School of Mines.
Journal reporter Tim Bradner contributed to this article.
