Report of the Alaska Legislature's energy act - Energyboom

Click here for more Coverage of the Alaska Legislature's energy act

The Alaska Energy Authority (AEA) has recently published two reports as part of their efforts to update the state’s energy policy. 

The first report provides Alaskan communities with resources to build their own locally relevant energy plans based on their available resources.

The new report, ‘Alaska Energy Pathway,’[pdf] was released by the administration of Alaska Governor Sean Parnell. The new report reaffirms a previous goal to meet 50% of Alaska’s electric power needs through renewable energy resources by 2025, but the key substantive policy difference is a new goal to achieve a 20% increase in energy efficiency and conservation by 2020.

Energy efficiency is a cost-effective way to reduce the need for new energy sources in the first place – an important goal that the Palin plan lacked.  It is a notable improvement, but the plan relies too heavily on fossil fuels to truly move Alaska toward a clean energy future.
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Alaskans mourn death of former Gov. Walter Hickel - Fairbanks Daily News-Miner

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - The voice of Interior Alaska since 1903

SITKA, Alaska - Alaskans on Saturday mourned the loss of former Gov. Walter J. Hickel and remembered him as a visionary and a maverick.

Alaska Democrats, meeting for their convention in Sitka, had a moment of silence in honor of Hickel, who served as Interior secretary under President Richard Nixon until Hickel was dismissed for objecting to the treatment of Vietnam War protesters.

A ripple of "Oh!" and "Oh, my God" rippled through the audience as word of his death, at age 90, was announced Saturday morning.

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - No easy path Report outlines costs methods of renewable energy conversion

Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - No easy path Report outlines costs methods of renewable energy conversion
The Alaska Energy Authority has completed an informative and useful study of the state’s energy challenges. It’s also rather daunting.

The study, presented this week at an energy conference in Fairbanks, described both the problems Alaska faces in trying to move to renewable energy sources and some ways it can try to overcome those problems.

Among the more interesting items in the report are estimates of how much it would cost to substantially increase the use of renewable energy sources, such as hydroelectric, geothermal and wind plants, throughout Alaska.


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