Pat Pourchot named Natural Resources commissioner

Former legislator came to Alaska in 1972 with federal government, has also worked in state, private, Native sectors

Petroleum News Alaska Staff

Pat Pourchot was named commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources by Gov. Tony Knowles Aug. 29. Pourchot succeeds John Shively who resigned in July effective Sept. 8 to spend more time with his family.

Pourchot has been Knowles’ legislative director for the past six years.

“Pat Pourchot has both the needed background in resource management and the experience in dealing with the Legislature to know how to make things happen,” Knowles said in a prepared statement. “As my legislative director for the past six years, Pat has been a trusted friend and advisor and it will be good to continue to work with him as he returns to his roots in responsible resource management.”

Born in Illinois, Pourchot earned his master’s degree in public administration in management and natural resource policy from Harvard. He came to Alaska in 1972 as a natural resource specialist for the U.S. Department of Interior and later worked as a legislative assistant on resources and the environment for Sen. Mike Gravel; land manager for the Alaska Federation of Natives; staff assistant to the state Senate Resources Committee; and as resource manager for the NANA Regional Corp.

Pourchot was elected to the state House of Representatives in 1984 and served two terms, followed by one term in the state Senate where he served as chair of the State Affairs Committee and co-chair of the Finance Committee. After eight years in the Legislature, Pourchot served as executive director of Commonwealth North, an Anchorage-based bi-partisan public policy group. Knowles named him as his legislative director shortly after taking office in December of 1994.

Pourchot said in a prepared statement that he believes the governor has “struck the right balance” in actively pursuing development of the state’s natural resources, “while insisting that we ‘do it right’ and protect the environmental values that we as Alaskans hold dear.

“I look forward to working with the dedicated employees at DNR to continue to make sure that resource decisions look out for the state’s best interests and are based on sound science, good management, and an open, public process.”