Why It Matters

Transitioning to renewable, price-stable energy sources is a statewide challenge, but nowhere are the stakes higher than in rural Alaska. In small communities off the state’s road network, energy costs can be three times that of Alaska’s urban centers. High energy costs in rural Alaska affect all aspects of life, burdening households and constraining the business and economic development that’s needed to create more sustainable, more self-reliant communities. Investing today in renewable energy sources promises to pay economic dividends far into the future.

I spearheaded important first-of-its-kind policy work to tackle Alaska’s inevitable energy challenges while serving in the Alaska Senate, knowing there was much more work to be done. We are blessed with an unprecedented opportunity to partner with the federal government, innovative Alaskans, electric utility boards and their members, independent power producers, and leaders at the state and local level. Please join me in helping create a vibrant, growth-oriented, energy secure future.

My family and I live and work in King Salmon, where the cost and availability of energy is a real threat to our survival. I serve on our local electric board and I am excited about Alaska’s once-in-a-generation opportunity to avail ourselves of more thoughtful investment in Alaska’s energy future.

Building a clean energy maintenance software business here in Alaska has given me a first-hand view of the incredible opportunity renewable energy gives Alaskans to grow our economy and create new jobs. Alaska already has among the longest operating experience and the highest per capita penetration of Battery Energy Storage Systems in the country and more renewable microgrids than anywhere else; this has created a unique knowledge base of high-value talent. If we can scale this by building out even a fraction of our renewable energy potential, there will be opportunities up and down the value chain to leverage this knowledge into high-paid consulting and field tech jobs and to bring locally-made tools and systems to market, not just within Alaska, but nationally and internationally.

We’ve had windmills for some time now, and I can definitely say that everyone saves a bit of money when the bill comes each month. It would be good to see more sources of renewable energy in our rural Alaska communities. More windmills, solar panels, even utilizing our ever flowing rivers, whether it’s for the whole community or house by house. Less reliance on diesel to power a village should be the goal.

Back in 2011 I took part in Phase 1 of the Lower Snake River wind energy project in Washington State. As someone who works in construction, this was the kind of job you hope for. The project was completed in 2012 with 149 wind turbines that produce up to 343 megawatts of renewable energy, enough to power 70,000 homes. The project also provided jobs and commerce to the local economy and beyond. Now, it’s Alaska’s turn. It’s time to contribute to our energy independence, creating high-paying jobs, and boosting our economy.

I owned and operated businesses on the North Slope, Anchorage, Juneau and King Salmon. Affordable, reliable energy was always a threat to our bottom line. Now, in retirement on a fixed income, I am fearful that our failure to make energy available and affordable will threaten my ability to retire in the state I love near family and friends.

When our hydro turbine is out of action, we spend $22,000 per month on fuel to power our town of 104 residents. When it is operational, we only spend $5,000 per month. Reliable, affordable energy is essential for rural communities – renewables can provide that. Our whole community wants to be off diesel as soon as possible. Later this year, we will build a solar array, and next year we will add wind turbines. Right now, it is difficult for small communities like ours to develop these projects, but it is the right path forward. We don’t want to be dependent on expensive outside sources of fuel; we have all the resources we need to generate clean, cost-effective power right here.

As an educator, it is increasingly apparent that the topics of environmental sustainability and clean energy technology are extremely important to this generation of high school students. It’s important to educate them not only on Alaska’s role on these fronts, but also THEIR role as part of the future workforce. We want to keep the young bright minds of tomorrow here in our state, and to do so they need to understand the vast opportunities for well-paying environmental and clean energy jobs.

I had the honor of helping develop Alaska’s first energy policy while serving in the House of Representatives. Together with the Senate, we put forward meaningful solutions that gave us a solid start in tackling the challenges Alaska faces. I joined New Energy Alaska as a Senior Advisor to help drive even more success and to ensure we take advantage of federal GRIP incentives that can help us effectuate real energy security.

The clean energy opportunities are what drew me to Alaska. As a young professional who loves the outdoors, I knew the clean energy explosion in Alaska plus the access to nature would provide meaningful work opportunities and great adventures outside of work. Since moving here, I’ve realized both of those things – and the community I’ve found will keep me here after my fellowship. Through my job at Launch Alaska, I’ve seen that Alaska is a world-class proving ground for cutting edge technologies in the energy transition, and a great place to grow and develop in my early career and young adulthood.

My career in oil and gas and the abundance of renewable energy sources in Alaska gives me confidence that we have all the right ingredients to make geothermal energy a success here, particularly for direct heat applications and additionally for power generation. The skills of the oil and gas workforce are 100% transferable to geothermal development. I have no doubt that the high caliber of our workforce would make geothermal technologically and economically viable in the state. Alaskans make the improbable happen all the time; I am very hopeful we will make a sustainable future happen as well.

Living in our remote Alaskan village, the Gartina Falls Hydropower Plant and Heat Recovery Project has been a game-changer. With 30% of our electricity now sourced sustainably, we’ve reduced our dependence on fossil fuel and emissions from using barged-in diesel. The heat recovery system uses waste heat from the diesel plant to heat five community buildings, including the pool. These projects reflect a commitment to efficiency and sustainability that has brought our community warmth, both literally and figuratively.

We are fortunate that most of Juneau’s electricity is from hydropower. As Juneau moves toward wider use of electricity for heating, transportation, and other uses, demand for electricity will rise. We support expansion of clean energy options to meet the additional demands. There is widespread potential throughout Alaska with hydropower, wind, geothermal, and other clean sources. Using federal renewable energy funding to expand and diversify Alaska’s clean energy offerings will create new jobs, expand energy infrastructure statewide, and position Alaska as an energy leader for the future.

The military brought my family up to Alaska when I was in elementary school and I’ve been doing everything I can to stay since. There is so much to this state that is near perfect, but jobs and cost of living aren’t on that list. Being 27 and finding job opportunities in a shrinking economy is hard, especially when I see friends who have left and built amazing lives in the Lower 48. Building a clean energy economy is such an obvious place where Alaska could be investing in itself and its people. With a few adjustments to the way that we approach energy policy and investment, my generation could get the same promise of a future that my parents had when they moved here.

I am passionate about renewable generation because it can help ensure reliable and cost-effective power and a greener, more resilient future for our communities and economy. My experience in the oil industry, resource management, and electric utility management reinforce my belief in the pivotal role renewable energies must play in powering our future.

Our solar project in Hughes has really opened up the community and the whole region to what is possible with renewable energy. I see it on the utility side that we’re burning less fuel at our powerhouse and our community hears it because on bright sunny days you can be outside right in the middle of our community and you won’t hear our diesel generators running, but our whole town is powered. I’ve lived in Hughes all my life and that has never happened before.

Introducing alternative energy sources is vitally important to both urban and rural Alaska communities, and our statewide potential in the renewable and clean energy sector is as large as our state itself. The renewable energy industry is highly labor intensive and will create jobs here in Alaska. As a longtime real estate agent, I am excited about the opportunity to develop more local energy sources and new high-paying energy jobs for Alaska.

We live a safer life in rural Alaska with solar power and battery backup for the frequent power outages due to storms. We can maintain light, heat, and water supply, and safeguard electronics. Earth-sheltered root cellar preserves food year-round and reduces need for shopping trips (90 miles round-trip). The future for our kids will be better if we can invest in clean renewable energy.

I’ve been living in Kodiak for 30 years, a brewer and small business owner for 20 years, and on the Kodiak Electric Association board since 2008. I see how Kodiak has been able to achieve 99%+ sustainable electricity with ground breaking integration of wind, hydro, batteries, and flywheels. If you think about it, the opposite of sustainability is clearly bad, and that is the path we are on as a state. The longer it takes for us to commit to a sustainable future, the harder it will be, and the more we will lose on the way. Yesterday is preferable, but today is the best we can do. Transitioning to clean energy is a great opportunity to care for our future and conserve as much of our world as possible for our kids.

The government had a tax rebate program for solar panel installation that helped reduce the cost of the systems by 30%. In the spring, summer, and fall our electrical bills go way down with the panels. Quinhagak has been a progressive community, especially when the members supported Alaska Village Electric Cooperative (AVEC) with the installation of three wind turbines that helped decrease fuel consumption. Now the community needs a battery storage system that can save the power created by the wind turbines, this would allow the diesel generators to turn off when the turbines are providing more than enough power for the community.

Resilient and reliable energy is critical for businesses and communities across our state. We need as many Alaskans as we can pushing our leaders to craft bold, workable plans to capitalize on this once-in-a-generation opportunity to invest in our energy infrastructure.

Renewable energy helps reduce our reliance on imported fossil-fueled power from overseas countries that control the pricing. Clean energy will also create good local jobs. If we can develop more clean energy, we can be more self-reliant with our energy needs.

As supplies of inexpensive locally produced natural gas run low in Cook Inlet, we need to re-imagine our local energy infrastructure. I view this as a generational opportunity to move towards a sustainable and prosperous future for our system, our economy, and our kids.