Tag Archive for: the alaska center

Advancing Equity And Justice

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[cs_content][cs_element_section _id=”1″ ][cs_element_layout_row _id=”2″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”3″ ][cs_element_text _id=”4″ ][cs_content_seo]February is nationally recognized as Black History Month. It was declared a national holiday in 1976 by President Gerald Ford. Since then, the United States has celebrated the achievements of African Americans. While this month is a time to honor and celebrate, it is also a great opportunity to learn and reflect on what we can do to help achieve racial equity.

A 2022 Pew Research Center study found that about 6 million American adults identify as Afro-Latino. That’s 2% of the total adult population of the United States and 12% of the Latino adult population. From music, food, and even language, Central and South America has been heavily influenced by African culture over time, given the history of colonization, which included the slave trade. It is important to see how this affected and continues to affect Hispanic countries and cultures.

One issue that must be considered is the racial inequality it has caused. This is a huge part of history in many parts of the world. One way to help ensure that we are moving in the right direction is by electing people who understand and value the importance of racial equity and justice. It is also important to hold our elected leaders accountable when they cause harm to others, intentionally or not. In addition to electing and holding leaders accountable, you can also advocate for yourself and others; Elizabeth Peratrovich did just that.

Elizabeth Peratrovich was an Alaska Native civil rights activist who helped pass the Alaska Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945. This was the first anti-discrimination bill in the United States. She said: “Asking you to give me the same rights implies that they are yours to give. Instead, I must demand that you stop trying to deny me the rights that all people deserve.” Peratrovich knew that everyone deserved to be treated equally under the law, regardless of who they were or what they looked like. February 16 was declared Elizabeth Peratrovich Day here in Alaska in the late 1980s for her efforts to create a more perfect union. She was a true Alaskan pioneer and leader.

We can all keep up this job of protecting our right to vote in elections. Several bills have been introduced in the Alaska state legislature limiting that right. Our government is supposed to work for everyone, paying attention to the needs and challenges of each and every individual. We all deserve to have a voice in a true participatory democracy. However, substantial systemic barriers remain for many Alaska voters. In the 2022 election, rural and predominantly Native districts saw roughly one in eight ballots rejected by the Division of Elections, with the percentage of uncounted ballots as high as 17% in Bethel. This may be because voters made mistakes on their ballots, such as not including the signature of a witness and they were not allowed to fix it. The result of these errors means the disenfranchisement of voters in Alaska.

We must remove all systemic barriers for Alaskans to vote. One way to do this is to protect ranked voting in Alaska, which gives voters more agency in their elections and encourages a more diverse set of candidates to run. Passage of Senate Bill 19 would greatly benefit voters by requiring the Division of Elections to pay for return postage on absentee ballots, allow ballot healing for signature issues, and create a tracking system of tickets. This bill would also create a robust process for voters to “curate” their mail-in ballots. Voters could correct any errors on their ballot, such as forgetting to include a witness signature on absentee ballots. Keeping elections accessible to voters is the foundation for creating a fairer and more equitable future. This month, think about a topic that interests you and try to find a way to make a difference.

As we celebrate the work of Black, Afro-Latino, and Indigenous leaders in the fight for equity and equality, we also have an opportunity to be more proactive in ensuring that democracy itself can be a more accessible and equitable process for all Alaskans. We can be the tools for change, for racial justice, and for climate justice.

​For more information on voting and democracy issues, go to https://akcentereducationfund.org/democracy/ to get involved!

Jasmine Carter is the daughter of Mexican and Costa Rican immigrants, born and raised here in Alaska.
She is the South-Central Civic Engagement Organizer at The Alaska Center Education Fund.

Originally published on February 16, 2023 by Sol de Medianoche.\n\n[/cs_content_seo][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][/cs_element_section][/cs_content]

Climate activists hold rally near the Capitol

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[cs_content][cs_element_section _id=”1″ ][cs_element_layout_row _id=”2″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”3″ ][cs_element_text _id=”4″ ][cs_content_seo]Climate activists from around Alaska held a rally near the Alaska State Capitol Friday afternoon in support of legislative action to improve Alaska’s renewable energy development and future sustainability.
“What we do today right here, how our voices rise up from Áak’w Kwáan land all the way up through this building will only affect us, it will affect all our generations,” said Paulette Moreno, Tlingit climate activist and member of the Indigenous Navigation Council. “It is important that our voice be heard.”
Around 30 people attended the snowy rally at the Dimond Courthouse Plaza holding signs and planting them in a pile of snow that gathered around the William Henry Seward statue.

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Climate activists hold a rally outside the Alaska State Capitol Friday afternoon in advocacy for legislative action to improve Alaska’s renewable energy development and future sustainability.

The group included multiple leaders of climate activist organizations from across the state and legislators including Democrats Rep. Sara Hannan of Juneau, Rep. CJ McCormick of Bethel, and Rep. Donna Mears of Anchorage and independent Rep. Alyse Galvin of Anchorage.

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Independent Rep. Alyse Galvin of Anchorage speaks to a crowd of climate activists who held a rally outside the Alaska State Capitol Friday afternoon in advocacy for legislative action to improve Alaska’s renewable energy development and future sustainability.

The handful of speakers from groups a part of Alaska Climate Alliance including the Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, 350Juneau, Fairbanks Climate Action Coalition and the Alaska Center advocated for action on four legislative priorities which included establishing a Green Bank within the Alaska Housing Finance Corporation, enacting a Renewable Portfolio Standard, passing Community Solar legislation and renewing and strengthening the Renewable Energy Fund.
“We need our senators and representatives to wake up to the enormity of the climate crisis,” said Elaine Shroeder, co-chair of 350Juneau, in an interview with the Empire.
Hannan, Mears and Galvin each gave a short speech to the crowd and said it can be hard to change certain legislators’ minds when it comes to the need for climate action, and said changes come at the ballot box.

Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Rep. Sara Hannan of Juneau speaks to a crowd of climate activists who held a rally outside the Alaska State Capitol Friday afternoon in advocacy for legislative action to improve Alaska’s renewable energy development and future sustainability.

“With 17 new members in the House, our age going down, we were very successful in replacing some old staunchly oil advocates with some young renewable advocates and in two years we have the opportunity to change more seats and we have to continue to do it,” Hannan said.
Hannan said she wanted to see other Alaska communities — large and small — find similar success in renewable energy as Juneau has been able to. She also pointed to heat pumps as an energy efficient alternative to furnaces that has been largely adopted in Juneau and said she wants to see more communities in Alaska transition to the alternative heating mode.
In an interview with the Empire after the event, Hannan said she is supportive of renewing the Renewable Energy Fund but said it was too early in the budgeting process to say how much more she’d like to see be included with the renewal.
“If we don’t extend it, it evaporates,” she said.
In response to a rally participant suggesting adding $100 million, Hannan noted to the Empire that the state’s budget for the fiscal year 2024 is expected to spend at a deficit. Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2024 includes a projected $250 million deficit that will need to be covered with the state’s roughly $2 billion in reserve funds, but legislative finance leaders say the actual deficit is may be $400 million to $500 million.
Hannan said she thinks a key solution to increasing renewable energy across Alaska is the use of run-of-river hydroelectricity, systems that use natural water flow to generate electricity, which is an energy system Juneau has been benefiting from and pioneered since early hydropower development. Hannan said she is interested in projects bringing opportunities to expand run-of-river hydroelectricity into small and rural communities in Alaska.

Originally published on February 3, 2023 by the Juneau Empire.\n\nClarise Larson / Juneau Empire Climate activists hold a rally outside the Alaska State Capitol Friday afternoon in advocacy for legislative action to improve Alaska’s renewable energy development and future sustainability.Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Independent Rep. Alyse Galvin of Anchorage speaks to a crowd of climate activists who held a rally outside the Alaska State Capitol Friday afternoon in advocacy for legislative action to improve Alaska’s renewable energy development and future sustainability.Clarise Larson / Juneau Empire Rep. Sara Hannan of Juneau speaks to a crowd of climate activists who held a rally outside the Alaska State Capitol Friday afternoon in advocacy for legislative action to improve Alaska’s renewable energy development and future sustainability.[/cs_content_seo][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][/cs_element_section][/cs_content]

OPINION: Time to prep your solar garden

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Alaskans understand working together to help each other thrive. We have community hunts, mutual aid networks and community gardens all across the state. We come together to use a common plot of land to increase the harvest for all, but we can garden more than food: We can garden electricity!

Gardening is a great way to boost your mood, spend some time outside and save a bit of money on food. We could all use the extra sunshine and a few dollars saved on groceries, but how do you garden if you live in an apartment? What if your yard just doesn’t get the sun you need, or you’re not quite sure how to make those nice raised garden beds? Join a community garden! You can build community, share space with your neighbors, and get all the benefits of a garden in your backyard without needing a backyard. Solar gardens can solve the same problems for people looking to invest in renewable energy.

Solar energy has been gaining a lot of popularity in Alaska over the last few years. The same summer sun that grows us record-breaking veggies also produces power that helps Alaskans all across the state save money on their energy bills and reduce their dependence on fossil fuels. I help facilitate Solarize programs in Mat-Su and Anchorage communities whose goal is to help people get solar on their homes, but as the renter of a log cabin hidden in the woods, I can’t put solar on my roof. It wouldn’t get enough sunlight, and I would have to pay for structural remodels of a house I don’t own. A solar garden would let me, and others like me, invest in a solar setup located in a clear sunny patch and save money on my electric bill without the cost of a remodel.

Solar gardens are made possible by community solar programs. Community solar is a system where individuals can invest in and share the benefits of a solar array not located on their property. Each person who holds a share of the community solar array will see their portion of clean, sustainable energy on their utility bill each month. Programs like these significantly reduce solar costs, helping make solar more accessible to folks who don’t have a roof to put their solar on and who can’t afford to put solar on their roof.

While Alaska does have the second-highest energy prices in the U.S., we do not have legislation permitting community solar. Forty-one other states already have community solar projects up and running, and we can join them if our legislators pass a bill allowing us access to solar gardens. For many of us, access to energy is just as important as access to food, and both commodities’ prices are increasingly challenging to afford. If you want to grow some electricity in a solar garden near you like I do, then we will need our leaders to make policy decisions to ensure community solar is possible here. It’s time to plant those seeds for community solar this legislative session.
Rachel Christensen is a community organizer for The Alaska Center who loves clean energy, dog walks and new crafts.

Originally published on January 27, 2023 by the Anchorage Daily News.

A New Year In Youth Engagement

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[cs_content][cs_element_section _id=”1″ ][cs_element_layout_row _id=”2″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”3″ ][cs_element_text _id=”4″ ][cs_content_seo]With each new year comes new opportunities. Many of us sit down with family, friends, and loved ones to make resolutions: exercise more, eat better, and scroll less. With these resolutions, we want to build a better, brighter future for ourselves. But what about our communities? What resolutions can we make this year to build ourselves and each other up? The answer lies with the present and the future. It lies with young people.
Young people are the next generation of community leaders. They are coming into leadership now through elections, organizing, and programs like AYEA. Although young people are ready to harness their voices and work for their communities, they are frequently left out of vital decision-making. Corporation CEOs, Governors, United States Senators, and people in power making money from big oil avoid facing youth who bear the burden of climate change and climate anxiety. In Alaska, where the arctic is warming at double the global average and communities face more extreme impacts of climate change, this issue is particularly prevalent. Alaska’s teens deserve the tools, the network, and the hope to leverage their power against these giants and create a bright future for themselves and their communities. You can help them access it.
This past fall, 12 young Alaskans gathered in Anchorage for AYEA’s annual Youth Organizer Summit to imagine a better future together. Youth Organizers chose and began to plan their statewide project to protect & increase Alaskans’ access to local food through action & education. Throughout the pandemic and as climate change impacts worsen, the challenges surrounding food access and Alaska’s supply chain have become increasingly evident and extreme, showing that food security and access are significant issues across the state. AYEA Youth Organizers hope to make a difference for their local communities and Alaska through their ongoing project. They have big plans this next year. They will build out local AYEA chapters and raise awareness around the issue of food insecurity and access by bringing attention to food costs and access in rural Alaska. Collectively they will uplift the stories of those most impacted, learn and teach about traditional foods and subsistence practices, provide hunter training, and build greenhouses and community gardens. They will continue their advocacy throughout the year, culminating in Juneau during our annual Civics & Conservation Summit.
As our ocean rise, our climate becomes more extreme, and our food systems destabilize, leaders continue to invest in false solutions. It’s time leaders prioritize youth. It’s time they hear the facts and face the truth.
Alaska Youth for Environmental Action will be helping young people make their voices heard in Juneau at the 2023 AYEA Civics & Conservation Summit. The Civics & Conservation Summit is a unique opportunity for Alaskan teens to travel to Juneau, learn more about the AK State Legislature, connect to their representatives, and impact the passage of bills. The summit breaks down barriers between delegates and the Alaska State Legislature. By focusing on specific bills within the current Alaska State Legislative session, delegates will gain communication, advocacy, and civic participation skills. The summit culminates with constituent meetings between delegates and their legislators – when they can advocate for the bills and topics they care about!
Alaska’s young people are smart, creative, and passionate. With the tools, network, and support they deserve, young people can leverage their power and influence positive change for their communities. Any Alaskan teen 13-18 can apply to attend the summit themselves, and adults are encouraged to nominate delegates.
The new year is a time to be hopeful, and there’s good reason to be. At The Alaska Center, we work with inspiring, brilliant young Alaskans working tirelessly towards healthier, happier communities. It’s hard not to be hopeful. Help us kick off AYEA’s 25th year to a great start, and know that you are an integral part of the fight for a better tomorrow. Join us this year in making a new resolution: to support Alaska’s youth in becoming our next generation of community leaders and changemakers. 

P.S. Make good on your promise by nominating a young person today as a delegate to the 2023 Civics & Conservation Summit, March 17-21 in Juneau.
Nominate a teen by Jan 7th, apply to be a delegate by Jan 15th, or learn more at ayea.org or by emailing ayea@akcenter.org.
The Alaska Center

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National climate draft document highlights dangers for Alaska

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The public comment period for an update on the National Climate Assessment closes Jan. 27 as the U.S. seeks to shore up efforts to address climate change.

The draft update, now the fifth, is considered “the preeminent source of climate information for the United States, used by hundreds of thousands of people across the country and around the world,” according to a news release from the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy.

The National Climate Assessment first published in 2000, with its last update released in two parts between 2017 and 2018.

The 1,695-page draft report evaluates everything from rising ocean levels and shifting weather patterns to economical and social impacts. The draft includes a 63-page chapter on Alaska’s role in climate change, including threats and reactions.

Citing a 2018 study, the draft states that Alaska is warming two to three times faster than the global average.

The draft report notes climate change presents some positive impacts for Alaska’s food security, including longer growing seasons.

Twenty-four people from federal, state, environmental, science and academic backgrounds contributed to the Alaska chapter.

Alyssa Quintyne, the Alaska Center’s Interior community manager, served as one of the Alaska chapter’s contributing writers.

“Alaskans are the best people to tell the story about climate crisis in Alaska,” Quintyne said, adding that public comments from Alaska residents are essential.

“We don’t want our chapter to go out without Alaskan eyes on it,” Quintyne said. “We want to engage with our fellow leaders and community members, and we want to make sure we got the story right.”

Noticeable impacts include thawing permafrost, shrinking sea ice levels and a sharp, noticeable drop in several fish and crab populations, which have led to several fisheries crashes over the last years.

Other elements highlighted in the draft report include prolonged summer wildfire seasons and the adverse health affects caused by the smoke, shifts in wildlife migration patterns.

Quintyne noted health impacts from wildfire smoke struck a personal note.

“A lot of my friends developed bronchospasms,” Quintyne said. Bronchospasms are cause by airway muscles tightening, which results in wheezing and coughing.

Quintyne noted some people had to receive breathing treatments as a result. Several things trigger it, including emphysema, chemical fumes and allergens — and wildfire smoke.

“To see healthy people that are normally out there running or exercising all of sudden developing these conditions hit me personally,” Quintyne said.

The report references some of the most recent severe weather events, including the harsh 2021-2022 winter season that hammered the Interior with freezing rain and snow.

The Alaska chapter also cites personal stories from residents, including Fairbanks resident and tax preparer Marjorie Casort’s testimony on the 2021-2022 snowpocalypse.

“In April we are still feeling the effects, with an inch of ice stubbornly clinging to roads,” Casort wrote. “Many of my elderly clients are housebound, unable to even cross the road to check their mailbox because of the dangerous ice conditions.”

The draft report is available online for review and comment at review.globalchange.gov. People wishing to comment will need to create an account to view, download or comment.

Quintyne encourages people to comment.

“We greatly appreciate having this chapter written and edited by Alaskans, so we appreciate any comment and we want to make sure we got the story right,” Quintyne said.

Originally published on January 4, 2023 by the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner.

Together For Tomorrow

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If you are a supporter of The Alaska Center, you are likely abundantly aware that we are in the heart of this year’s End-of-Year fundraising campaign, Together for Tomorrow. You may have received a letter (on paper!), an email, or even a phone call from one of our staff asking you to donate to help us start the new year strong.

Our campaign, Together for Tomorrow, recognizes that we, the staff and board, do not do this work alone. We need your help. We believe that to realize our vision of a just, thriving, and sustainable Alaska, we must engage and empower Alaskans who share our values and are willing to take action. We are a movement-building organization. We do this work together.

Support Our Work, Donate!

Charitable giving statistics indicate that 30% of all giving happens in the last month of the year. In other words, a third of charitable giving happens in less than a tenth of the year. Next month you might receive an invitation to join us in Juneau to talk to your legislators or at a phone bank to get out the vote. In this season of giving, if you can, we ask you to be together with us in this work by contributing to power those efforts.

Our vision of a just, sustainable, and thriving Alaska is not just for us here today but is explicitly “for future generations.” We know that the work we do today to advance climate solutions and help restore salmon to our rivers is for our children, their children, and all the people and animals who will come after us. Your support powers our work today, and is also an investment in tomorrow.

We have grand and ambitious plans for 2023. We will advocate for community solar legislation to make clean energy solutions more accessible. We will celebrate and protect the salmon that we cherish. And, of course, we will be prepared to defend our democracy against ongoing attacks.

As we enter the final two weeks of the year, we are mindful of you who are a part of our work and make it possible. And we invite you to be with us Together for Tomorrow by donating today.

Contribute Today & Power Our Work Tomorrow

Thank you,
The Alaska Center

The Dust Settles and the Future Takes (a bit of) Shape

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[cs_content][cs_element_section _id=”1″ ][cs_element_layout_row _id=”2″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”3″ ][cs_element_text _id=”4″ ][cs_content_seo]After the fanfare of the general election fades away and the nail-biter races are called, the action moves to the task of legislative organization – who will be in charge of what, who will wield the levers of power, and who will not. This can take no time or a very, very long time, depending on the ideological schisms of those elected.
The State Senate has rapidly coalesced around a 17-member bipartisan majority. Likely this formation was in the works after the August primary numbers came in, given the patchy trend (but trend indeed) of voters electing the more moderate candidate. This organization has many strong champions of education at the helm, and recent statements indicate that the coalition’s focus will be to protect education, grow the economy and address high energy costs in Alaska. At this point, we are prepared for a pretty low-key fireworks show in the Senate compared to the last four years. We anticipate the Senate will be a strong barrier against Governor Dunleavy’s more damaging budget proposals.
The fact that the Governor previously proposed a Renewable Portfolio Standard and a Green Bank for clean energy investments last session, the fact that long-term natural gas supply contracts in SouthCentral Alaska are ending in 2024, the fact that the floodgates are open on federal clean energy infrastructure program money, and the fact that the state Senate is clearly indicating it wants to work on energy costs – are good facts for our legislative priorities at The Alaska Center.
Our priority goals to help Alaskans lower energy costs and to address climate change are as follows: 

Pass a Renewable Portfolio Standard that will allow Alaska Railbelt utilities customers to purchase energy from 80% renewable sources by 2040.
Pass Community Solar legislation that will allow more Alaskans to benefit from renewable energy.
Extend the Renewable Energy Fund. 

Stay tuned for more on these and other clean energy priorities in our next blog!
Whether the State House will rally around similar general goals (education, economy, energy) as the Senate is now an open question. The House is in a more protracted organizing process and will not know until after December 21 if one member is eligible to take his seat until the courts determine if he is in violation of the Alaska Constitution’s Disloyalty Clause. However the House organizes, the numbers trend toward moderation with 6 Independents, 13 Democrats, and 21 Republicans. We hope for a continued Bipartisan Coalition in the House that will work towards a more thriving, just, and sustainable future.
If the Governor is moderated by the Senate bipartisan coalition, the House Republicans will be moderated by the Governor’s goals – that is our prediction anyway. It bodes well for meat and potato issues like driving down energy costs for Alaskans through increases in clean energy, and we can work with that.
Talk to you soon,
The Alaska Center\n\n[/cs_content_seo][cs_element_gap _id=”5″ ][cs_element_button _id=”6″ ][cs_content_seo]More Hot Takes In A Cold Place\n\n[/cs_content_seo][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][/cs_element_section][/cs_content]

Alaska power companies look at building community solar farms that households can invest in

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[cs_content][cs_element_section _id=”1″ ][cs_element_layout_row _id=”2″ ][cs_element_layout_column _id=”3″ ][cs_element_text _id=”4″ ][cs_content_seo]Two Alaska electric utilities are taking steps that could lead to the construction of the state’s first community solar farms, while a consumer interest group is drafting legislation that could support the efforts.
Advocates say the moves by the Anchorage and Fairbanks utilities could lead to projects that allow any household to invest in solar panels to reap their benefits, including low-income residents who can’t afford to install their own rooftop array like many Alaskans are doing.
Tom DeLong, board chair for the Golden Valley Electric Association in Fairbanks, said participants could invest in a share of a farm in potentially different ways, depending on how the utility might structure a plan. A ratepayer could make a one-time payment upfront, perhaps, or pay a tiny amount over time through a slightly higher electric bill. They could see lower electric bills in the years to come.
“It’s a hedge against rising rates,” DeLong said.
Chugach Electric Association, the largest utility in Alaska, is also beginning to take a new look at the idea of a community solar farm in Anchorage, after the Regulatory Commission of Alaska in 2019 rejected an earlier proposal from the utility, citing problems with details of the plan.
“Our members have expressed interest in community solar, so we are looking at the feasibility of another project,” said Julie Hasquet, a Chugach Electric spokeswoman.
Interest in the community farms, which have been implemented in many other states, comes as renewable use is growing in Alaska, and not just on rooftops. Private companies are undertaking ambitious efforts to build solar and wind farms, while utilities are also pursuing upgrades to the grid to support renewables. Driving factors include new federal tax incentives and uncertainty over future natural gas supply in Cook Inlet, the main source of electricity in Alaska.
[Construction of Alaska’s largest solar project gets underway in Houston]

‘Significant and vocal’ interest
Golden Valley Electric has directed its staff to study the idea of building a community solar array in Fairbanks, after a task force recommended that one be built on utility-owned land, DeLong said.
“We’re a cooperative, we’re owned by our members, and a significant and vocal group has expressed an interest in this,” DeLong said.
The task force recommended that residential ratepayers be allowed to buy a share of a panel to start with, and up to a full panel or more later, to facilitate broad participation in the project.
“We also recommend flexible eligibility that allows members to pre-purchase the panels in a six month or one year plan, in essence a Community Solar layaway plan,” the task force said in a report to the utility board. ”Smaller monthly payments will help accessibility by low to moderate income members in the community solar.”
The task force recommended the utility should quickly file a plan with the Regulatory Commission of Alaska.
The agency would approve how the payment is structured for participants, and would make sure a program does not discriminate against non-participants, DeLong said.

Chugach Electric will be informed by past effort
The Regulatory Commission in 2019 called Chugach Electric’s proposal for a community solar farm “confusing and undefined.” The agency raised concerns that all ratepayers would bear financial responsibility, not just the participants. But the regulators emphasized the state’s strong interest in renewable energy and said it did not want to discourage innovative programs.
That earlier proposal envisioned a solar farm built on utility-owned land in Anchorage, costing $2 million or less, with 2,000 panels. It could have generated about 15% of the power for about 500 participating households. Retail ratepayers could have made a prepaid investment or subscribed monthly, with the energy output of their share provided as a credit on monthly bills over the project’s 25-year life.
That earlier effort can inform this new proposal, Hasquet said. But Chugach Electric has no details proposed for this new round, Hasquet said.
“Understanding the concerns of the RCA with our previous project should help us craft a project that could get regulatory approval,” Hasquet said. “Many factors still need to be determined, including size, scope, and costs.”
[A small Fairbanks company wants to build Alaska’s biggest wind farms]
Chugach Electric recently sent a survey to “the more than 600 members who had shown interest in our 2017/2018 community solar project,” Hasquet said in an email. “We had a list of members who had asked to be kept informed of progress on a project. We believe that is a good place to start on determining the feasibility of a newly designed project.”

Groups working on draft legislation
The Alaska Public Interest Research Group is working with groups such as The Alaska Center to finalize draft legislation that could help enable the creation of the projects in Alaska, if it is approved by the Legislature, said Phil Wight, a policy analyst with the group.
The consumer interest group supports community solar farms because they’re another way to lower electric rates, he said. The Alaska Center also highlights climate benefits as another good outcome, as solar power replaces energy from fossil-fuel sources such as natural gas.
Legislation supporting community solar farms could create jobs, diversify the economy and help Alaska achieve its goal of 50% renewable energy by 2025, said Rachel Christensen, clean energy organizer with The Alaska Center.
[CIRI looks to triple power at Fire Island wind farm]
Wight said it’s a promising time for the projects in part because tax credits in the federal Inflation Reduction Act passed in August could cut project costs in half, or more.
“It’s really about bringing the lowest-cost energy to Alaskans,” he said.

Originally published on November 27, 2022 by the Anchorage Daily News.\n\n[/cs_content_seo][/cs_element_layout_column][/cs_element_layout_row][/cs_element_section][/cs_content]

The Results Are In

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Hi friends,
We finally know all the election results!

Alaska voters had to decide on quite a lot this year: 59 state legislative seats, the Governor, our US Congressperson and Senator, and whether to hold a Constitutional Convention. The Alaska Center Board of Directors’ endorsements included more than 30 state legislative candidates (with multiple ranking recommendations), as well as Mary Peltola for the US House, and Les Gara and Bill Walker for Governor.

The Alaska Center Independent Expenditure focused the political program on maintaining the bipartisan coalition in the State House and building the opportunity for one in the State Senate. While we won’t know whether these bipartisan coalitions come to fruition until announcements are made, the future is looking bright for a new Senate bipartisan coalition. We’re hopeful for a continued coalition in the State House.

Multiple newly elected leaders in the House make a bipartisan coalition possible. Cliff Groh in North Anchorage has unseated David Nelson and was the focus of much of The Alaska Center Independent Expenditure’s program. We encouraged voters to rank both progressive candidates in this race, and we’re pleased that so many used their votes to their full power. Two new women are headed to the legislature, Maxine Dibert from Fairbanks and Donna Mears from East Anchorage, who have a lot to be happy about. Both are long-time community servants and leaders, and we’re ready for their time in Juneau.

As with every election, there are tough losses for some of our endorsed candidates, including Ted Eischeid and Denny Wells. We hope to see these leaders run again to serve their communities, and we will continue to fight for candidates who will support a thriving, just, and sustainable future. Additionally, Denny Wells’ loss by four votes should remind us all that every door you knock, phone call you make, and friend you speak with matters.

Finally confirmed by ranked choice vote tabulation, Mary Peltola is our re-elected Congressperson! We’re thrilled that Alaskans re-elected the only pro-fish candidate in the race. We’re excited to work with her and the newly re-elected Sen. Murkowski to effect positive change for Alaska.

Alaskans said no, as they have again and again, to a Constitutional Convention. With the prospect of that off the table, we know we’ll have work to do in accountability with Governor Dunleavy’s re-election to a second term.

We should know better now than ever that our democracy is sacred and that we must protect it. Even when we don’t like the results of an election, the fact is that Alaskans used their voices to elect leadership, and that’s an amazing right we must maintain. We’ll keep defending our right to vote–plus, we’re expecting that ranked choice voting and open primaries will be under attack next year.

We will continue to inform you how to get involved to protect our system. Thank you for voting and working to make our democracy strong–we’re in this with you.

In solidarity,
The Alaska Center

The Youth Are Alright

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Young people showed up in this midterm election in record numbers, the second-highest youth voter turnout in thirty years. The Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE) estimates that 27% of young people (ages 18-29) turned out to vote.

Millennials and Generation Z are quickly becoming a larger voting block than Baby Boomers. Young voters know their futures are on the line, having grown up and come into adulthood in a turbulent time amidst escalating inequality and the climate and economic crises (to name a few) and a total lack of adequate response from the government. They are voting for leaders they hope will address the issues facing today’s youth.

It’s not just in the polls; young people are also showing up on the ballot. Florida voted in the first Gen Z U.S. Representative, 25-year-old Maxwell Alejandro Frost, who won nearly 60% of the vote. At home in Alaska, we have a long history of electing young leaders, several of whom are headed to the state legislature this year, including Genevieve Mina. Gen Zers also are stepping up to work on progressive campaigns and have been successful in electing candidates who share their values for the future.

Many political commentators also noted that youth voters were crucial in stopping the “red wave” that many expected in this election. Such a turnout should force leadership to evaluate how they engage with this demographic and push forward policies that work to ensure a future where young Americans can thrive.

Elections are far from the only time to invest in young voters. Our Alaska Youth for Environmental Action (AYEA) program has engaged young people from across the state for over twenty years. AYEA’s mission is to create a statewide movement of diverse young Alaskans with the skills, connections, and inspiration to advocate for their communities. From climate strikes to lobbying in Washington D.C., AYEA youth can engage with their peers and advocate on important issues. Outside of the AYEA program, since 2020, The Alaska Center Education Fund has hired Alaskan youth from rural and urban areas to engage in voter education with our Youth Civic Engagement Fellows program. Fellows have made an impact through phone calls, emails, and community events. The latest cohort alone had over 1,000 one-on-one conversations with voters about ranked choice voting to ensure Alaskans were prepared at the polls.

As the new year approaches, we look forward to engaging young Alaskans in voter education and Democracy policy defense. Some in our legislature will assuredly take aim at ranked choice voting. There will be continued attacks on Automatic Voter Registration tied to PFD applications, which would disproportionately impact young voters. These policies have greatly improved our Democracy, and we will work to preserve these laws to continue working towards a more just and sustainable Alaska for today and future generations.