Commissioner Irwin loves where he’s at, has no plans to jump ship

Recent rumors in Alaska’s oil patch suggest Tom Irwin, a key member of the Palin administration, is ready to jump ship, dissatisfied with some of the governor’s policies regarding the state’s oil and gas industry. But Irwin, commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources, says there is no truth to the rumor.

“I couldn’t be more pleased working for, and with, this governor,” he told Petroleum News Feb. 18. “I am part of a great team.”

The Palin administration has “some really good people,” Irwin said, emphasizing it is a team.

“We all get to express our opinions, ask questions. … We’re free to discuss anything, and argue. We, our opinions, are treated with respect by the governor and other members of the administration,” he said.

What’s really “special” about the administration of Gov. Sarah Palin, Irwin said, is that “the underlying message, tone, is we should do what’s best for Alaska. … We’re here to protect Alaska’s business, the State of Alaska’s business,” just as the oil companies doing business in the state have a fiduciary “responsibility to protect the best interests of their company, their shareholders.”

—Kay Cashman