Heinze steps down as ANGDA CEO

The head of the Alaska Natural Gas Development Authority is stepping down.

CEO Harold Heinze announced his resignation to the board of directors of the public corporation on Nov. 21, saying he planned to pursue other business opportunities.

Heinze became the first and only CEO of ANGDA in 2003, shortly after its formation by voter mandate. Prior to taking the position, Heinze worked as an engineering manager during the initial development of Prudhoe Bay, held the position of president at ARCO Alaska and served as the commissioner of the Department of Natural Resources.

ANGDA began as an entity to facilitate the construction of a natural gas pipeline from the North Slope, but almost immediately found itself struggling to reconcile its voter-mandated mission with the priorities of the gubernatorial administrations it served within, leading both to creative ventures and to occasional consternation from policymakers.

Through its efforts to aggregate utility demand, ANGDA recently became a “shipper” on behalf of the Alaska Railbelt utilities in the open season for the Alaska Pipeline Project.

“ANGDA has made many contributions to advancing Alaska’s interest in bringing North Slope gas to market and allowing Alaskans to share in that opportunity. The focus has always been to assure that Alaskan’s had natural gas, including propane, for heat and generation of electricity. We’ve worked diligently to attract large industrial or export companies to anchor an in-state natural gas transportation system,” Heinze said.

The future of ANGDA is uncertain. In addition to Heinze’s departure, the agency does not currently have the four appointed board members it needs to hold a quorum.

—Eric Lidji