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Fair Maps and Power Grabs

New legislative district boundaries are drawn every ten years based on the most recent census data. In 2021 the Alaska Redistricting Board adopted a final redistricting plan for Alaska, which delineates the districts legislators will represent. The politics of redistricting are rife with power grabs, and the maps are almost always litigated.   The balance of power in the Legislature is …

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A DEC Budget Trap

So far, only three states in the United States have assumed primacy for dredge and fill permitting in wetlands. One of those states – Florida – assumed permit primacy in the waning days of the Trump administration. Like Governor Sean Parnell before him, Governor Dunleavy wants Alaska to pay for wetland permitting that is now being paid for by the …

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OPINION: When will Alaska’s youth finally be heard on the climate crisis?

Young people across Alaska are bewildered. We are scared, exhausted and furious. We have watched with frustration and deep anxiety as our state government continues to put fossil fuels above our futures, actively making the climate crisis worse and inducing devastating harms like melting permafrost, worsening wildfires, coastal erosion, and loss of sea and river ice. For more than two …

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Renewable Energy Goals

Governor Dunleavy’s Renewable Portfolio Standard and our, seldom, but wholehearted support in the case of a policy that will help our state do its part to combat emissions.

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State of State Predictions

The Governor’s State of The State Address is next week (7 p.m. on Tuesday, January 25). It is sure to contain grievances about the Federal Government, excitement about mineral resource development projects in Alaska, and a dash of “Election Integrity” talk. It will maybe/probably contain a few lines about renewable energy, fisheries, Alaska’s strategic economic and military location, and “greatest …

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New Year, New Session 2022

Happy New Year and new Legislative Session from The Alaska Center. We anticipate both opportunity and struggle in the year ahead, another year in the lifetime work of protecting and nurturing our Democracy and saving our home from the ravages of climate change.   The 2022 legislative session will likely be consumed with election-year grandstanding antics. We already see some of …

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January 6 Vigils Called On Lawmakers To Uphold Democracy

Anchorage Community Members Join Nationwide Vigil in Coordination with Over 300 Events Across the Country Anchorage, AK: In case you missed it, yesterday Stand UP Alaska, The Alaska Center and community organizers held a candlelight vigil at the Loussac Library. The event took place on the one-year anniversary of the violent insurrection at the nation’s capital on January 6th. The …