Administrative Order 360 & DEC's Regulatory Reform Plan
In response to Governor Dunleavy's AO360, DEC is doing a complete review of its regulations, guidance documents, and permitting processes. DEC has identified reforms that clarify and streamline regulations without reducing protections for human health and the environment. All proposed regulatory changes will undergo a full public process, including opportunity to comment. DEC welcomes your input throughout this process.
The Plan
About Administrative Order 360
In August 2025, Governor Dunleavy issued Administrative Order 360 (AO360). This order directed each state agency, including the Department of Environmental Conservation, to:
- Review existing regulations, guidance documents, and materials incorporated by reference to identify provisions that are outdated, redundant, or unclear
- Develop proposals for the revision, repeal, or streamlining of the regulations, guidance documents, and materials incorporated by reference identified above
- Reduce the number of regulatory requirements by 15 percent by December 31, 2026, and 25 percent (cumulative) by December 31, 2027
Additionally, AO360 directs state agencies to improve the efficiency and responsiveness of Alaska's permitting systems, and to support responsible resource and economic development while protecting environmental and public interests. Accordingly, these agencies are directed to:
- Review and revise permitting procedures to eliminate unnecessary steps, reduce duplicative reviews, simplify application requirements, streamline internal workflows, and clarify interagency roles to reduce inefficiencies and delays
- Adopt, in regulation, clear timelines and deadlines for permit application processing, review of milestones, and final decision making, including provisions for automatic approval if deadlines are not met
- Ensure transparent processes by making permit application statuses, timelines, and decision rationales available to applicants and the public, to the extent allowable by law
- Promote predictability in decision-making by applying regulatory standards consistently
- Leverage technology, such as artificial intelligence, to support digitization, automation, and public access to permitting information
DEC's Approach
In response to AO360, DEC conducted a division-by-division review of its regulations to identify opportunities to repeal, consolidate, streamline, and modernize regulatory requirements. Collectively, the regulatory reforms proposed in this plan will result in meaningful reductions in regulatory burden, improved clarity and predictability for the regulated community, and a deliberate recalibration of discretionary authority to ensure DEC regulations do not exceed what state or federal statute requires.
Across divisions, DEC has prioritized reforms that:
- Reduce unnecessary approvals, delays, and compliance costs;
- Improve flexibility for homeowners, small businesses, and local governments;
- Maintain environmental and public health outcomes while reducing socio-economic impacts on Alaskans; and
- Reflect the Governor’s directive to err on the side of humans where discretion exists
DEC’s baseline count establishes 13,000 discretionary regulations. This plan includes 40 proposed regulation packages; these represent a reduction of more than 2,600 requirements, or 20%, in the number of requirements alone. DEC’s plan further specifies actions for reducing costs to Alaskans; simplifying, streamlining, and modernizing regulatory requirements that are appropriate to retain; and codifying guidance documents that belong in regulation and removing ones that are no longer applicable. Lastly, DEC anticipates additional reductions in 2026-2027 with continued review of regulations, permit processes, and guidance documents.
Timeline
- August 2025: Governor Dunleavy signs Administrative Order 360
- August-December 2025: DEC conducts an initial scoping and public outreach phase
- DEC offered opportunity for public and stakeholder input on potential regulatory reforms. See Stakeholder Outreach section of the full plan for details
- December 2025: DEC drafts the Regulatory Reform Plan
- January 2026: DEC's Regulatory Reform Plan is approved to move forward
- February 2026: DEC launches the Regulatory Reform Plan
- February-December 2026
- DEC moves forward with proposed reforms. Proposed reforms include regulatory packages, guidance document review/removal, permit reforms, and ongoing review for improvements
- Proposed regulatory reforms are detailed by division and quarter in the detailed plan
- Additional reforms may be proposed due to the iterative nature of DEC's review process
- All proposed regulatory packages will have a full public process, including opportunity to comment
- Once regulatory packages are drafted, info will be updated regularly on this page
- October-December 2026: Regulatory Reform Plan for 2027 is drafted
Contact
Questions, comments, concerns and input are welcome. Contact DEC's Agency Regulatory Liaison, Jessalynn Rintala, jessalynn.rintala@alaska.gov, 907-465-5061.
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