Dunleavy removes Democrat as Oil and Gas Commission chair

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Republican Gov. Mike Dunleavy has removed a former Democratic state senator from the chairman’s seat of a state oil and gas oversight group, saying he was terminated for cause.

Dunleavy spokesman Matt Shuckerow released a letter Tuesday evening from the governor to Hollis French, dismissing him from his post at the Alaska Oil and Gas Conservation Commission.

French was once tapped as Democrat Byron Mallott’s running mate during the 2014 gubernatorial campaign, before Mallott became Bill Walker’s running mate in the “unity ticket” that defeated then-Gov. Sean Parnell, a Republican.