House Bill 153: Alaska’s Opportunity to Set a Renewable Portfolio Standard
In late March, we got exciting news out of Juneau when Representative Holland introduced HB 153, a Renewable Portfolio Standard. We have worked alongside our partners in advocating for a Renewable Portfolio Standard for years, and we were thrilled to see it get its first two hearings this week. Sign our petition to support a Renewable Portfolio Standard for Alaska!
A Renewable Portfolio Standard is a tool used in many states to require utilities to get a certain portion of their energy from renewable sources – and this is a critical moment for Alaska to set these standards for several reasons. First, we need to create market certainty in otherwise uncertain times. Renewable energy developers don’t want to take unnecessary risk in coming to Alaska to build projects if they are not sure that utilities will purchase their power.
Second, given the current realities of the gas shortage in Cook Inlet, utilities will have to start importing gas soon in order to continue to meet electric demand. Our utilities should build an independent energy system that will not fluctuate with the global gas market and harm the most vulnerable ratepayers. The current proposed Renewable Portfolio Standard would help us achieve that and the goals can be easily met by staying on track with the current direction of the utilities.
Beyond concerns about our climate and environment, a Renewable Portfolio Standard is the best economic pathway for the Alaska railbelt. This policy will provide future generations with opportunities to live and raise families here by working to secure a stable cost-of-living for our communities.
We’ll keep our members updated on opportunities to testify at the legislature, but also invite you to directly engage with your electric cooperatives. Last year, Chugach Electric passed a resolution in support of a Renewable Portfolio Standard. For those in the Chugach Electric district, the next meeting is Wednesday, April 9 at 4:00 pm, where the Board has indicated it will discuss the Renewable Portfolio Standard in greater detail. Sign up here to attend virtually or attend in person at 5601 Electron Drive in Anchorage.
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
Alaska’s Clean Energy Future: What’s at Stake Under Trump
During the Biden Administration we saw a wave of unprecedented funding for our nation’s infrastructure. Both the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) and Inflation Reduction Act (IRA), two pieces of legislation aimed at investing in American infrastructure, included substantial investments for green technology and clean energy projects. While many states have already begun to benefit from these federal dollars, we now risk a rollback that could reverse progress on our energy independence in Alaska.
Before entering office, President Trump and his transition team promised voters that his administration would make sweeping cuts to our national budget starting on Day One of his presidency.
On his first day in office, President Trump signed an executive order on American energy. The executive order directs all government agencies to pause the “disbursement of funds” appropriated through the BIL and IRA. It goes on to direct the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to review plans for future spending against provisions laid out in the order. These actions put unspent funds at risk of reallocation or new restrictions.
A good portion of BIL and IRA funding has already been obligated, and therefore is more likely to be distributed as planned. This has done little to ease fears for funding recipients still in the early stages of project implementation, however, who worry that unspent dollars could end up being the subject of future litigation – leading to project delays and added expenses.
Monday’s executive order is likely just the beginning of directives aimed at federal infrastructure funding. The President has made it clear that Congress should not have the final word on federal spending. A president withholding appropriated funds (known as impoundment) is illegal, but Trump has promised to challenge the limits of this process in order to exercise complete control over the national budget.
President Trump has not been hesitant to test the limits of impoundment in the past. During his previous term in office, the Government Accountability Office determined that President Trump illegally withheld 91 million dollars appropriated for the development of cutting edge energy technologies under the Department of Energy (DOE).
Programs funded through the BIL and IRA have been very popular in blue and red states alike, particularly as Americans contend with rising energy costs and utilities struggle to meet increasing consumer demand. It’s unclear how precisely this upcoming budget battle will play out. What is clear is that President Trump is putting millions of dollars of investments in Alaska at risk.
In Alaska, planning is already underway for the rollout of Solar for All funding directed to benefit both household and community solar installations across the state funded by IRA legislation. The DOE and Environmental Protection Agency have also awarded funds to Alaska that would increase communities’ energy resilience during extreme weather, and boost the energy sovereignty of Alaska Native communities. Together, these programs would grow economic opportunities within the state and decrease greenhouse gas emissions.
As Alaskans are well aware, our building season is short, and even minor delays can have huge repercussions for project success. While the fate of new infrastructure projects born from the IRA and BIL remain uncertain, The Alaska Center is committed to ensuring federal funds for green energy stay in Alaska over the next four years. Join us in advocating to protect these funds while we also seek new clean energy investments from our state and local leaders.
With determination for Alaska’s future,
The Alaska Center