Federal Funding Cuts (and Backtracking) Creates Chaos
President Trump’s first weeks in office have produced a flurry of executive orders and confusing directives for federal programs nationwide, with many experts identifying the moves as unlawful. On Tuesday, January 27th, the President’s office released a memo directing a “pause” on grants, loans, and financial assistance from the federal government. This announcement, coupled with an abrupt Medicaid portal outage, sparked distress for millions of Americans whose lives are impacted by federal funding.
Federal funding supports a large number of crucial social services and public assistance programs that we rely on in Alaska. From childcare to food security to the environment, threatening to take away these sources of support hurts families across our state. Federal dollars are crucial to many of our communities, and President Trump’s executive orders remain a threat to our way of life. The Alaska Center will continue to monitor and advocate for federal funds appropriated to Alaska, but we need your help!
The immediate confusion caused by this directive led to chaos nationwide and at home, leading the administration to rescind the order shortly after the memo was published. The original memo specified that the majority of federal funding would need to be reviewed by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to ensure alignment with the president’s priorities. The memo explicitly named areas the President seeks to gut, including crucial climate investments that are poised to bring hundreds of millions of dollars to Alaska.
These confusing directives take place on the heels of several recent executive orders aimed at slashing federal spending and agency operations. You can read more about these actions in our most recent blog.
To further the President’s interests laid out in these executive orders, in the same week, the administration announced a “buyout option” for the majority of full-time federal employees via email. Current employees will have until February 6th to decide if they will resign in exchange for about 8 months of pay. Workers that remain in their roles were told that they would not be provided with certainty that their agency or position would not be eliminated in time.
In the background of all of this, President Trump has appointed Russell Vought to lead the OMB. Vought is one of the primary authors of Project 2025 and a staunch opponent of government spending. Despite a boycott from Democrats, the Senate Budget Committee advanced Vought’s nomination 11-0. A procedural vote for Vought’s nomination is set for Monday, February 3rd.
We encourage you to reach out to your representatives and let them know how you feel about this disastrous nomination. You can find the telephone number for your Senator here.
President Trump’s actions stand to put incredible strain on federal programs and resources in Alaska. Our schools, non-profits, and local governments deserve better than the chaotic leadership we are currently experiencing. Together, we need to work to ensure the Trump Administration operates within the bounds of the law, and puts hard working people – Alaskans included – before Project 2025’s wishlist.
Make your voice heard! Use this pre-filled email form from the League of Conservation Voters to tell your Senators that OMB nominee Russell Vought is the wrong choice for Alaska.
For a thriving Alaska,
The Alaska Center
Shaping Alaska’s Future: Legislative Advocacy 2025
Legislative session starts in just a week and a half, on January 21st. Are you ready to join us for another big year of advocacy? Here’s what you need to know:
With the election outcomes we saw this year, we’re anticipating that voting rights will be a big part of the conversation this legislative session. As voting by mail becomes increasingly popular, you might be surprised to know that Alaska law still contain serious barriers for those trying to cast mail-in ballots. First, there’s the witness signature requirement. In the 2022 all-mail special election, thousands of ballots were thrown out because voters didn’t include a witness signature. It would be one thing if this rule was making our elections more secure, but in fact, these witness signatures are never checked for authenticity, and state lawyers have been unable to name a single case of this law being used to detect fraud. To make matters worse, if you forget a witness signature, or make any other mistake on your ballot, there is no way for it to be fixed after you mail it in—your ballot will simply be thrown out and your vote will not be counted.
We’re working to fix this in the coming legislative session. Our proposed changes include removing the witness signature requirement and creating a process for “curing” ballots so that a voter’s vote can still be counted if they make an honest mistake on their ballot. We are also working to create a recurring vote by mail list, so that people who vote by mail year after year do not need to fill out a new application every election cycle. These changes would remove unnecessary barriers preventing all Alaskans from making their voices heard. If you believe that all Alaskans should have a voice and a seat at the decision-making table, sign our petition supporting voting reforms!
Last year was an exciting year for clean energy legislation – we had some big wins like passing the Community Solar Bill and establishing a Green Bank. And we know that this session will be another chance to solidify our renewable energy future and Alaska’s chance to be a leader for a Just Transition. But we will need your support to get there. Governor Dunleavy released his proposed budget last month, in which he took steps to continue to expand extraction in our state. He proposed funding to advance the Alaska LNG pipeline project toward construction and support permitting of the disastrous West Su Access Road. This road would literally pave the way for a new coal mine in the Mat-Su Borough, endangering air quality, our climate, and local health.
The proposed budget also includes some investment in renewables, but not a sufficient amount for this critical moment. As gas contracts along the railbelt expire and the climate crisis intensifies, we need to fully fund the Renewable Energy Fund, and continue to build on its success.
In preparation for our legislative advocacy, we hosted Senator Wielechowski and IBEW Business Leader Doug Tansy at our Clean Power Happy Hour this week to discuss clean energy, good jobs, and the upcoming legislative session. Both panelists talked about the importance of state and federal investment in upgrading our transmission system and adding more storage to the grid. Doug Tansy noted how crucial it is that new clean energy jobs provide real opportunities for Alaskans to stay here and raise their families. He specifically emphasized the intersection of other policy areas like affordable housing and robust education funding for workers to be able to thrive here.
Senator Wielechowski further highlighted the need for any general obligation bond to serve the state equitably and include the most impactful renewable energy projects that are shovel ready. He went on to give some background on the Renewable Energy Fund and a Renewable Portfolio Standard. The Alaska Center will be strongly advocating for greater investment in renewables through direct funding and policies like an Renewable Portfolio Standard, which would require the utilities to bring more renewables online or pay noncompliance penalties. Will you join us?
This is shaping up to be an exciting legislative session. Stay tuned for many more opportunities to get involved this spring!
Best,
The Alaska Center
Regulatory Round-Up
Earlier this fall, we wrote to you about the importance of the regulatory world of policy. Before we shift some of our attention back to Juneau and what the newly elected bipartisan majority coalitions can accomplish, let’s talk regulations.
Net Metering
The Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA) is considering changing how many people can participate in net metering. “Net metering” is best explained by an example: our Co-Executive Director, Chantal, has solar panels on her house. When those solar panels are not enough to power the whole household, she pays for extra power to be supplied by her utility. When her solar panels harness more energy than she needs, the utility buys that energy back from her to use elsewhere in the grid.
The RCA currently limits the overall number of households who can participate in programs like this by setting a cap: each utility can only receive 1.5% of their overall power from net metering. When one of the utilities wants to go beyond that, they have to request permission from the RCA and get approval – wasting time and resources that could be better spent on other issues.
Now, the RCA is considering raising that limit to somewhere between the current 1.5% and a much larger 20%. By allowing more households to add generation on their own properties, this could reduce our overall need for natural gas and help us better conserve the limited resource.
We reached out to some of our members about this, and you came through. We saw eleven original comments in favor of raising the cap from supporters of The Alaska Center, and more from our partners and friends. The RCA has yet to issue a decision on the issue, and we will be watching closely to see what the next step is in the process.
Planning Leadership
Meanwhile, the Railbelt Reliability Council (RRC) successfully hired a President and CEO. Edward Jenkin will begin acting in this role on January 3, 2025. His background at Matanuska Electric Association included a focus on energy transformation, sustainable technology, and reducing the environmental impact of the utility. We look forward to seeing what President Jenkin can achieve as he leads the RRC through the planning process for the entire railbelt energy grid.
The RRC is in charge of completing an Integrated Resource Plan for the railbelt energy grid. They have an opportunity to create a plan that brings as many renewables online as possible to meet the demand of the railbelt while moving us off of fossil fuels and to a safe, reliable, and sustainable energy mix. We know that a large percentage of renewable energy is the lowest-cost option for our future, and we are excited to see new research indicating that grids with more renewable energy integrated are also more reliable overall.
Public involvement committee meetings of the RRC are open to everyone to attend, and we expect to see additional opportunities to specifically engage in the Integrated Resource Plan development. If you are interested in getting involved, contact our Climate & Salmon Organizer, Zoe Cramer at zoe@akcenter.org.
Our work at the state level is crucial to securing a reliable, renewable, and safe future for Alaskans. Please help us shape the future of clean energy in our state by getting involved with our regulatory advocacy in 2025!
Bipartisan Majorities: A Win for Alaska’s Future
Hey all,
If your inboxes are anything like ours, you probably have many messages about dark days, grief, and moving forward. The federal election results portend a big step backward for climate, democracy, and other issues our organization holds dear–but we will continue working diligently every day to fight for a thriving, just, and sustainable future.
However, this is not a message to process the federal fights to come. This email is a very brief note of hope and an achievement Alaskans can be proud of.
Our electoral goal this year was to maintain a bipartisan coalition in the Senate that’s aligned with our values and gain one back in the House. There’s a goal accomplished: Bipartisan Majorities were announced Wednesday, in both chambers!
This is a huge victory for Alaska. We’ve had a one-chamber bipartisan majority in one chamber since 2016, but this will be the first time since then that we have bipartisan majorities in both chambers. We hope this will mean fewer fights and more progress (shared values, good bills, political strength to do veto overrides when necessary, and more! Think of the possibilities of a functioning government!).
It’s been a hard week. But there are many, many reasons to hope. We wanted to make sure to share this one with you this Friday.
Best,
The Alaska Center
We’re Almost Through! Your Last Minute Guide to Election Day
Dear Friends,
If you haven’t voted yet, and especially if you’re not sure how you’ll be voting, this is a deeply abbreviated catch-up-to-speed that tries to put all the important information we’ve sent about this year’s elections into one place.
Federal elections: You might have heard that there’s a consequential presidential race happening—you should vote! And while that’s important, we focus our work a lot closer to home. The Alaska Center has endorsed Mary Peltola for Alaska’s sole seat in the US Congress. Congressman Mary Peltola is the only candidate in the race who shares our vision of a thriving, just, and sustainable future, and we hope she returns to Washington to continue her good work!
State Legislative elections: Every voter in Alaska gets to vote for their State Representative this year, and half of the voters get to decide on your State Senator (Senate terms are longer than Representative terms, and only half are up each cycle). We’ve endorsed a suite of candidates here—they’re organized by district. (Not sure what your district is? Enter your address in this form to find your current officials and their district numbers/letters.) We talk about state legislative elections a lot because they impact so much: like how easy it is to vote, where our energy comes from, and how much we invest in our public education system. (Also: do you like more than one candidate? Great! Rank them!)
Ballot Measures: We’ve made endorsements on both of the ballot proposals this year. Voting Yes on 1 is a vote in favor of increasing the minimum wage to $15 over 4 years, requiring employers to provide paid sick leave, and protecting worker freedom. Voting No on 2 is a vote in favor of protecting Alaska’s voting system which includes open primaries, ensuring that Alaskans (most of whom are not registered with any political party) can have their full voice heard at the polls.
Judicial Retention Elections: The last thing on the ballot are judicial retention elections. Alaska does not elect judges—instead, we vote to retain appointed judges. An independent, nonpartisan commission (the Alaska Judicial Council) conducts a rigorous investigation of each judge and makes recommendations. They’ve recommended retaining every judge up this year. (Want to learn more? Our previous guest-authored blog is a great starting point.)
Phew! That’s it! There’s more information on our endorsements page here.
The most important thing you can do, whether you plan to vote in agreement with the above recommendations or not, is to get out and vote. The second most important thing: tell your friends, family, neighbors, and your community.
Thank you so much for being a voter.
With hopes for a bright future,
Jenny-Marie Stryker
Political Director
The Alaska Center
Be Informed + Learn About the Judges on Your Ballot
Hey all! Something a little different this week—our friends at Alaskans for Fair Courts are guest-authoring our blog to share important information about judicial retention elections. With election season in full swing, we wanted to give you the chance to hear from the experts on this crucial part of the ballot. Check it out below!
Greetings from Alaskans for Fair Courts! We feel honored to have this opportunity to chat with you because we know how dedicated and involved each of you are in various community-oriented efforts in our great state!
I want to talk about judicial retention. Why? If you want to protect your values and your Constitutional rights, it is in your best interests to fill out the entire ballot as an informed voter. Here’s why.
Nineteen judges “standing for retention” are on the ballots this year – fifteen of whom will be on the ballot in the Third Judicial District, home to 2/3 of the state’s population, which includes Anchorage.
Why does this matter to you? Alaska’s state judges are the bulwark against attacks on the Alaska Constitution and/or the rule of law. They handle 95% of all cases, affecting a myriad of issues that affect all Alaskans, sometimes involving core constitutional rights that you value.
What is judicial retention? Unlike many other states, Alaska’s judges do not run campaigns to become a judge. Alaska’s Constitutional framers kept money and partisan politics out of judicial selection and retention. Wise folks!
Toward this end Alaska’s Constitution creates an independent, nonpartisan commission – the Alaska Judicial Council – to evaluate judicial applicants and seek the “best available timber.” The Council is comprised of: three non-attorney members appointed by the governor and confirmed by the legislature; three attorneys appointed by the Alaska Bar Association after polling its members; and the Chief Justice, who serves as an ex officio member who chairs the Council but votes only in those rare instances where there is a tie vote. The framers also concluded that judges should serve limited terms rather than lifetime appointments, requiring judges to “stand for retention” every so many years. Retention offers you an important role – to make the final decision about whether a judge should remain on the court.
This superior retention system – which is widely admired across the country – has produced judges who are dedicated to protecting the law while serving the community with integrity, professionalism, knowledge of the law, and respect for those who are in their courtrooms. We are lucky to have some of the best judges in the country.
Here’s why you can be so confident in our state judges. When a judge comes up for retention, the Judicial Council conducts a rigorous investigation of that judge, gathering information from thousands of people who have interacted with the judge, including jurors, court clerks, law enforcement, attorneys and social workers. The public has an opportunity to testify at public hearings. The Council compiles this information, grades the judges against judicial performance standards that reflect “best practice,” and votes whether to recommend the judge be retained. The Council’s findings, research, scores and recommendations are all on the Alaska Judicial Council website.
Unfortunately, since 2000, the “yes” votes in the 3rd Judicial District have declined by 7% – a downward trajectory that has now dipped below 60% for the first time in the State’s history. If a judge does not receive 50% of the votes during retention that judge loses their position on the court.
A number of factors have contributed to this trend:
- Voters not understanding how judges are selected and why they appear on the ballot
- Voters not finishing the ballot because they don’t know where to find information about the judges
- Eroding confidence in the judiciary exacerbated by national hyper-partisanship trends
- Individuals/organizations wanting to remove a judge because of an unpopular opinion or because a judge did not rule in their favor
- Efforts by individuals and groups within Alaska, and others from Outside, trying to destabilize our courts and replace our judges with ideologues
- Funding coming in from Outside extremist groups seeking to politicize Alaska’s state courts
If you don’t know the judges on your ballot, or don’t have the time to learn more about them, the Alaska Judicial Council has evaluated each judge rigorously and done the work for you! Check out their recommendations here!
For 64 years Alaskans have benefited from judges who were selected and retained by this process. Alaskans would not be well-served by a system that removes even one judge because of an unpopular decision, ideological differences, or because someone lost a case.
Please – When You Vote, Finish Your Entire Ballot!
Donna Goldsmith, Co-Chair Alaskans for Fair Courts
Check out the Find My Judges page at: https://akfaircourts.com
Navigating November: Ballot Measure Endorsements for a Thriving, Just Future
Hey yall,
Have you ever had the experience of going into the voting booth feeling prepared and ready, started filling out your bubbles oh-so-carefully, only to suddenly find that there’s a vote you didn’t prepare for? Me too!
Luckily, part of our job here at The Alaska Center is to help voters navigate the many questions we’ll all face this November. We’ve already emailed you (a lot) about our state legislative endorsements, but not yet about the ballot measures. We examine ballot measures through the same lens as candidates: what will lead us closer to our vision of a thriving, just, and sustainable future? With that vision in mind, our Board made endorsements on both ballot measures coming up on November 5th: Yes on 1 and No on 2!
Yes on 1 is a ballot measure to let Alaskans earn paid sick days, raise the minimum wage, and increase worker freedom. While employees of The Alaska Center and The Alaska Center Education Fund are privileged to already have these benefits (and many more!), 1 in 4 Alaskans don’t have a single paid sick day–that means thousands of Alaskans choosing between their paycheck and their family’s health. A just economy includes all of us and protects workers–this ballot measure is one step we can take towards that better future!
Ballot Measure 2 is an effort to repeal Alaska’s election system, and The Alaska Center (and The Alaska Center Education Fund!) has endorsed the No on 2 campaign. Ending open primaries strips away Alaskans’ freedom to vote for the best candidate regardless of party affiliation. Our endorsement recommendations don’t take party into account, and we know most Alaskans are the same with more than 60% of Alaskan voters not registered with a party. In 2022, we saw some of the most competitive races, with candidates that represented community members better than ever. This ballot measure is an attack on democracy, and voting NO is imperative to protecting it.
You can learn more about our ballot measure stances on our endorsement page. I hope you join us in voting Yes on 1 and No on 2!
All the best,
Jenny-Marie
Political Director
The Alaska Center
P.S. You know what’s on the ballot after the ballot measures? Judicial Retention Elections! We’ll talk more about this in a future blog–but if you want a preview, check out the information from Alaskans for Fair Courts to learn more!
Beyond Juneau: Renewable Regulations and You!
If you joined us in celebrating some major policy wins with us this summer, you may have started to wonder what comes next. While we set our sights on our next policy goals for 2025, we also have important opportunities to continue to move toward a clean energy future for Alaska by engaging in the world of regulations.
On August 13, Community Solar was signed into law by Governor Dunleavy. Now, the Regulatory Commission of Alaska (RCA) has one year from the effective date to determine exactly how this program will function. The RCA regulates public utilities and pipeline carriers throughout the state, making decisions about rates, compliance with regulations, quality of service, safety, and more. In addition to support staff and analysts, the RCA is structured to be led by five full-time Commissioners, but currently only has four serving Commissioners.
With our partners, we have written about some of the specific decisions the RCA will need to make, including whether to extend its full net metering policy to community energy facilities so that subscribers are equitably compensated for the energy produced. As the RCA considers exactly how Community Solar will be structured, we encourage members of the public to make their voices heard. At the beginning of each biweekly public meeting of the RCA, members of the public are invited to speak for up to five minutes. During this period, you can introduce yourself and make a comment about Community Solar, clean energy, or anything else relevant to their work (as long as it is not related to an open docket).
Meanwhile, the Railbelt Reliability Council (RRC) is also making key decisions in the world of renewable regulations. This body, created by the legislature to create a more reliable and efficient railbelt energy system, is directed by a fourteen member board of stakeholders with an interest in railbelt reliability, representing the state’s Alaska Energy Authority, consumer advocates, environmental advocates, independent power producers, the electric utilities, and unaffiliated representatives.
The RRC has been moving forward toward the creation of an Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) for the railbelt, which will lay out the energy priorities for the railbelt for a twenty year period. This process includes identifying how much renewable energy should be brought online, what transmission and grid upgrades are necessary for proper integration and exchange of renewable energy, and how to ensure the overall system functions well (or how to ensure reliability across the system). Each of the railbelt utilities has created or will create their own version of an IRP, but an overarching plan will be an opportunity to build out the railbelt’s renewable energy generation most efficiently.
This multi-year planning process is underway with the Board currently working on establishing certain reliability standards that must be created before an Integrated Resource Plan is completed. The RRC currently aims to begin the IRP process in earnest by the first half of 2025, and complete that in a year. Additionally, the RRC’s Public Involvement Committee has been working hard to create clear opportunities for public outreach and engagement throughout this process.
Members of the public are always welcome to attend RRC Board meetings or Public Involvement Committee meetings, and to give feedback to the Board during the public comment section of their meetings. Information about upcoming meetings, including agendas, can be found on the RRC website.
Interested in learning more about the regulatory process or attending one of these meetings with support? Email Alex at alex@akcenter.org or stay tuned for future opportunities.
With energy for the future,
The Alaska Center