President Trump has appointed Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy to a seat on the U.S. Arctic Research Commission.
The commission promotes Arctic science and establishes priorities for funding research projects in Alaska and the international Arctic.
This is the first time a sitting governor has served on the commission, according to USARC Executive Director John Farrell, and the appointment takes effect immediately.
Dunleavy’s spokesman did not answer questions about how much time or travel he expected the position to take.
Mead Treadwell, who chaired the commission before he was elected lieutenant governor of Alaska, said the position is important, especially since the U.S. gained a lot of Arctic territory in 2023 by laying claim to the extended outer continental shelf.
“We just got two Californias worth of land north of Alaska, and ... you get that much land, you kind of need a Lewis and Clark program to figure out what we got," Treadwell said.
The position will also allow Dunleavy to press the Interior Department to advance energy and critical minerals projects in the Arctic, Treadwell said. Another priority, he said, might be to resolve questions about Alaska's fishery disasters.
The governor issued a statement saying it was an honor and listed priorities he intends to pursue only in general terms, such as "stengthening America’s leadership in the Arctic." Dunleavy’s term as governor ends in early December.
Commissioners are not granted salaries but can be compsenated for travel and receive per-diem pay for a maximum of 90 days per year.
The Trump administration has reoriented Arctic policy, shifting money away from climate research and the National Science Foundation while emphasizing national security, icebreakers and resource development.
While the appointment of a sitting state governor is new for the USARC, it's not new for the Trump administration: Trump named Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry as his special envoy to Greenland in December 2025.
