Parnell appoints members to royalty board

Gov. Sean Parnell has appointed Dana Pruhs, Norman Rokeberg, and Chuck Wiegers to the Alaska Royalty Oil and Gas Development Advisory Board, the governor’s office said Aug. 21. The board advises the Department of Natural Resources on approval or disapproval of new royalty agreements with the state.

The board has eight members, five of whom are public members who serve at the pleasure of the governor for five-year staggered terms. The commissioners of the departments of Community and Economic Development, Natural Resources and Revenue are also members of the board. The board elects the chair from the public members.

Pruhs, of Anchorage, is a lifelong Alaskan and the owner and operator of Pruhs Construction, Quality Sand and Gravel, Meridian Investments, and Harr Technologies. He currently serves on the Municipality of Anchorage Planning and Zoning Commission, and is a former member of the Alaska Board of Game and the Anchorage Development Authority. Pruhs earned a bachelor’s degree in civil and transportation engineering from California Polytechnic State University and is appointed to a public seat.

Rokeberg, of Anchorage, represented the Sand Lake area of Anchorage in the Alaska House of Representatives from 1995 to 2007. A longtime member of the professional real estate industry, he is currently the owner and broker of The Rokeberg Co. He also co-owned Powerhouse Gym of Anchorage from 2001 to 2008. He earned a bachelor’s degree in political science from Willamette University and is a member of numerous organizations such as the Anchorage Chamber of Commerce and Commonwealth North. As a member of the House, Rokeberg sponsored oil and gas legislation that created areawide leasing, modified royalties for marginal fields (leading to more than $1 billion in North Slope investment by independent producers), and major tax credits for Cook Inlet production in 2006. He is appointed to a public seat.

Wiegers, of Fairbanks, is the president of A&A Roofing Co., where he has worked for more than 20 years. In 2012, Wiegers received the Alaska Construction Academy Employer of Excellence Award. He has worked in the construction industry his entire career, and attended the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Pikes Peak Community College, and the University of Colorado. Wiegers is a member and past chair of the Associated Builders and Contractors, and a member of the Associated General Contractors and the Fairbanks Chamber of Commerce. He is appointed to a seat reserved for a member of the public.

—Petroleum News