Volunteer Spotlight: Clean Energy Champion
Dear Friend,
Anissa Berry is spending time in Anchorage this winter where she has volunteered with The Alaska Center on energy issues. She has, in the past, lived off grid in rainy Southeast Alaska with solar power and wants to make renewable energy more accessible in the Railbelt.
“It fills me to know that there is a strong movement that has gained traction to make Alaska more affordable and sustainable,” Anissa said on why she spends her time advocating for clean energy with our team. “We have lots of sun and wind so let’s put people to work to make it happen.”
This past month, Anissa came to our office to make calls to fellow Alaskans about community energy in Alaska. She let folks know about the final comment period for the regulations, which will shape how community energy projects come online in the coming years.
Public comments were a critical part of this process throughout the past year, and comments from Alaskans made an impact on the final regulations.
The Alaska Center and multiple members of the public commented that the timeline for utilities to file tariffs for community energy could be even more impactful if it were moved up earlier, allowing for projects to be developed during summer months. Utilities, however, requested the opposite, recommending language that could extend the filing deadline depending on when the regulations take effect. In the end, the Regulatory Commission chose to make no change to the timeline. By providing balanced input and advocating for the best possible scenario, we helped to hold the line, and tariffs from utilities will be due in May.
We are so grateful to Anissa for getting involved and helping us get the word out about this issue, and we look forward to continuing our work with the support of all of our volunteers.
To learn more about how you can support the work with your unique skills, contact [email protected] or sign up here and we’ll be in touch soon!
For a clean energy future,
The Alaska Center
