Over 30 people gathered in front of the Alaska State Capitol on Saturday to protest the proposed Alaska LNG pipeline, a massive natural gas project backed by Gov. Mike Dunleavy and private developer Glenfarne.

The demonstration was organized by Alaska Youth for Environmental Action chapters at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé, alongside 350 Juneau. Protesters held signs opposing fossil fuel expansion and urging lawmakers to advocate for the planet.

The rally came as Glenfarne moves forward with plans for the long-discussed pipeline. The private energy company signed a new agreement last week advancing the project’s first phase. Dunleavy pointed to that development in his State of the State address, saying the pipeline was “closer to reality than ever.”

Atagan Hood, co-president of the Yadaa.at Kalé chapter of Alaska Youth for Environmental Action, spoke to the crowd, arguing that the state should not move ahead with a large fossil fuel project during a climate emergency — particularly in Alaska, where some regions are warming at rates up to four times faster than the national average.

“Amidst the unpredictable impacts of climate change and an economy shifting to renewable energy, now is not the time to double down on the industries of the 20th century,” Hood said. “We need to recognize that Alaska’s greatest resources aren’t just buried in the ground. They’re our clean water, our healthy salmon runs and our stable climate.”

The project would require hundreds of new access roads, fragmenting natural habitats. At the southern end of the pipeline, in Nikiski, Hood said the large liquefaction plant and marine terminal could threaten the endangered Cook Inlet beluga whale.

Last month, Dunleavy said he plans to introduce legislation at the start of the session that would provide tax cuts to LNG developers, further fueling criticism from pipeline opponents.

Hood urged attendees to contact their legislators and speak out against the project.

“Tell them you want to see our state’s wealth invested in a clean energy future, not a 30 year carbon bond,” Hood said.

Kevin Nye was the sole attendee openly supporting the project, holding a sign that read, “Build the Pipeline.” Nye said in an interview after the rally that the pipeline would provide a much-needed economic boost and he believes that concerns about climate and impacts on wildlife have been overstated.

“You know, we have an oil pipeline that did not destroy it,” Nye said. “You should go online and look at photos of the caribou gathered around the oil rigs on the North Slope, caribou walking underneath.”

Nye said he sees a double standard when it comes to opposition to the LNG project and support for the Alaska Marine Highway System. Some of AMHS’ larger vessels burn over 350 gallons of fuel per hour.

“That’s what it takes to make these things work, you know?” Nye said. “And they’re really expensive, too. I don’t embrace man-caused climate change. I do embrace economic development in the form of our natural resources, which we are awash in. We have it, and so I say we should use it.”

Senator Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, took to the steps during the rally, reading his favorite Upton Sinclair quote: “It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his salary depends on him not understanding it.”

“We live in a state where somewhere between a quarter and a third of the state’s revenues comes from oil,” Kiehl said. It is difficult to get someone to understand something when their income depends on them not understanding it, and this is a challenge we face.”

Fossil fuels, he said, have long been tied to prosperity and survival, providing energy for transportation, heating homes and supporting economies around the world. That dependence, he said, makes it harder for people to confront the role fossil fuels play in driving climate change.

“But nothing about that difficulty changes the facts. Nothing about that difficulty changes the fact that burning of fossil fuels pushes the costs off onto everyone else, and we see it around the world today.” Kiehl said.

Among the attendees was Leah LaBar, who said she has been involved in activism since the Vietnam War. She said she came specifically to support the youth organizers leading the protest, as a member of an older generation.

“We’ve known about climate change for a long time, but didn’t really think about the future,” LaBar said. “So I feel badly that we’re leaving them with this huge mess, and I just wanted to show support.”

Sen. Jesse Kiehl, D-Juneau, speaks during a student-led protest against the LNG pipeline on Jan. 24, 2026. Dozens of Juneauites gathered outside the Alaska State Capitol building to participate in the demonstration.

Larri Spengler holds a sign reading “PFDs don’t work if the ocean is polluted” during an anti-LNG pipeline protest led by the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé chapter of Alaska Youth for Environmental Action outside the Alaska State Capitol on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.

Chloe Anderson / Juneau Empire Felix Dean protests alongside his grandmother, Shar Fox, during an anti-LNG pipeline demonstration outside the Alaska State Capitol on Saturday, Jan. 24, 2026.

Atagan Hood, co-president of the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé chapter of Alaska Youth for Environmental Action, speaks during a student-led protest on Jan. 24, 2026. Dozens of Juneauites gathered outside the Alaska State Capitol building to protest the LNG pipeline’s advancement.

Photos by Chloe Anderson / Juneau Empire Members of the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé chapter of Alaska Youth for Environmental Action gather outside the Alaska State Capitol building to protest the LNG pipeline on Jan. 24, 2026.

Dozens of Juneauites gather on the steps of the Alaska State Capitol building on Jan. 24, 2026 to participate in an anti-LNG pipeline protest led by the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé chapter of Alaska Youth for Environmental Action. (Chloe Anderson / Juneau Empire)