As the state prepares to take a larger role in the Alaska LNG gas line project, its leadership team is once again in flux.
The changes are bringing new attention to the salaries involved — including one negotiator who has been paid about $120,000 a month since June.
Rigdon Boykin is a South Carolina-based attorney who has been serving as the state’s lead negotiator on the Alaska LNG project. In that role, he has overseen discussions with the state’s three main partners, Exxon Mobil, BP and ConocoPhillips, and coordinated among the alphabet soup of state agencies involved in the gas line.
Boykin isn’t a state employee. As a consultant with the Alaska Gasline Development Corporation, his contract called for a salary of $120,000 a month from June through October — and $100,000 for the month of November.
AGDC President Dan Fauske is slated to make $366,000 plus benefits this year. For comparison, the governor makes $145,000 a year.
Meanwhile, the state has ended its contract with another highly paid contractor, Texas oil and gas consultant Audie Setters.
A department spokesperson said via email that the state has decided it needs a permanent employee in the role. The legislature approved funding for that position during the recent special session.
The estimated salary? About $1.1 million a year, plus benefits.
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