RPS policy offers an exciting future for the State of Alaska, with economic benefits, jobs, innovative technologies, and lower rates.
Climate Rights
Voice your solidarity with the young plaintiffs in Sagoonick v. State Alaska, join us March 1st.
Returning salmon to the Eklutna River
This fall, for the first time in nearly a century, water in Eklutna Lake was allowed to flow its historic path down the Eklutna River and into Cook Inlet. The owners of the Upper Eklutna Dam (Chugach Electric Association, Matanuska Electric Association and Municipal Light and Power) released water from the dam at Eklutna Lake for just over three weeks. …
Leg With Louie: Summer Homework 2021
This letter will be shorter than usual. I am busy getting intimate with the boat engine and hydraulic system, with typical pre-season nerves and an ear for rumors of the impending Salmon run. The news here comes in snippets and is often less real and immediate than the rust frozen bolt that stands between me and a functioning boat (there …
Restoring the Eklutna River is long overdue
As the weather gets warmer, many of us are pulling out our camping gear and dusting off our kayaks to get ready for summer. If you live in Anchorage, chances are you’ll be spending some time visiting the Eklutna Valley this season. Eklutna Lake is the go-to spot for many Southcentral Alaskans because it’s the perfect place to hike, bike, …
Leg With Louie: Who Benefits? – May 21
Conference committees established under Legislative Uniform Rule 42 are as natural to the legislative process as cottonwood buds are to spring. The state’s operating budget always goes to the conference committee, marking the closure of the regular session. These six-member (three-House, three-Senate) committees settle disagreements between bodies on big-ticket bills. The members seated on the committee generally are not there …
Electric Co-op Directors Urge Member Input, Especially for Renewable-energy Proposals
Electric cooperative members aren’t just customers – they’re also the owners of co-ops that boards of directors are supposed to serve. But directors from four Alaska Railbelt electric co-ops say it’s often hard to figure out what their members want, because usually only a few offer feedback, and even fewer participate in board elections and meetings. When the moderator of …
Leg With Louie: Another DNR Power Grab – April 30
Did you know that under HB 82, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) would be able to authorize lateral drilling and fracking for oil and gas development beneath all of the areas that the state legislature has specifically set aside for special protection? This includes State Game Sanctuaries, State Game Refuges, State Parks, and State Critical Habitat Areas. Lateral drilling …
Leg With Louie: Building Alaska Better – April 2
After the intellectual, moral, racial, political, and physical trauma of 2020, this year is starting to look OK, like a new day and not a false dawn. The monumental federal investments proposed by the Biden-Harris Administration in Pittsburgh on Wednesday are smart and just and envision a modern America we might be OK sending our kids off into. The Thrive …
Leg With Louie: End-Run around Kachemak Bay protections – March 19
The House Fisheries Committee has long been an important place for fisher-folks in the Alaska State Capitol. Not only is it a safe and friendly room to engage in the mosh pit dancing that is fishery politics it also is a committee designed to do things that protect fish and thereby fishing. That is why it is a great and …