Alaska Conservation Blog

This year, the conservation community in Alaska achieved some important victories, especially in the areas of energy efficiency and clean energy.  Alaska Conservation Alliance and our member groups worked tirelessly to realize these successes.  Here is an overview of just a few of the efforts:

-        Fairbanks First Fuel Analysis-The Fairbanks First Fuel Analysis (FFFA) is a report commissioned by Alaska Conservation Alliance, compiled by Natural Capitalism Solutions, with numerous contributors, like Fairbanks businesses, utilities and regional constituencies.  It highlights what energy efficiency investments mean in terms of jobs created, energy saved and money saved in Fairbanks.  This report was launched on January 5^th, 2011 at a ceremony with speakers including Mayor Luke Hopkins, Senator Joe Paskvan, Senator Joe Thomas, and Representative Bob Miller, among others.  The FFFA received excellent media coverage in the Fairbanks News Miner, Anchorage Daily News, and other Alaskan media outlets.  For more information and to view the report, click here.

-        Energy Efficiency for Businesses- Dave Theriault, the Alliance Legislative Director, worked closely with Senator Wielechowski’s office to secure funding for business and non-profit energy efficiency projects.  Staff worked with businesses and non-profits to submit letters to key legislators, testify at hearings, and otherwise contact legislators.  The final version of the capital budget included $2.5 million for energy efficiency loans.

-        Energy package in the capital budget- The Senate version of the capital budget included a whopping $450 million in energy projects for Alaska.  Most of the projects were intended to reduce energy costs with new clean energy projects and energy efficiency.  While the entire $450 million didn’t escape Governor Parnell’s veto power, the final version of the budget still included funding for many important clean energy and energy efficiency projects.  Some examples are the Mount Spurr Geothermal Project, transmission line upgrades around the state, AHFC’s Home Energy Rebate Program and Weatherization Program, the Renewable Energy Grant Fund, loans for energy efficiency upgrades to Alaska businesses and non-profits, the Eva Creek Wind Farm, and hydro-projects in Southeast Alaska.  Alaska Conservation Alliance and the conservation community rallied Alaskans in support of these projects.

-        Fire Island Wind- In February, the Anchorage Assembly passed a resolution asking Municipal Light and Power (ML&P) to negotiate a power purchase agreement with the Fire Island Wind Project.  While Mayor Dan Sullivan did not support the project, ML&P board members passed a motion in March to support the project.  After much back and forth it was Chugach Electric Association (CEA) who ultimately agreed to buy power from the Fire Island Wind.  With the approval of the CEA board in June, the fight for the Anchorage area wind farm finally made it over some big hurdles.  In October, the Regulatory Commission of Alaska approved the power purchase agreement between CEA and Fire Island Wind, thereby cementing the future of the project.  This wind farm could be producing electricity as early as next year. Our Clean Energy Coordinator, Kate McKeown, followed this project every step of the way this year, rallying people to support Fire Island Wind.

-        Eva Creek Wind- Golden Valley Electric Association (GVEA) board of directors voted unanimously to approve the Eva Creek Wind Farm in the Healy area, near Fairbanks.  A dozen wind turbines were ordered for the farm in October and ground should break on the project  in September 2012.

-        Beluga Whales- Several Conservation Alliance member groups including Trustees for Alaska and Defenders of Wildlife worked to ensure Cook Inlet beluga whales listing as an endangered population under the Endangered Species Act (ESA).  The Cook Inlet belugas were listed as endangered in 2008 but the State of Alaska filed a lawsuit last year to strip the ESA protections.  Last month the belugas scored a major victory when a judge rejected the state’s lawsuit, reinforcing protection for the whales.

-        Celebration of the 50^th anniversary of ANWR- This year (starting last December) marked the 50^th year of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR).  While celebrating this milestone, many of our member groups continue to work to make sure that this land is protected.  Last month the comment period on the latest version of the Arctic Refuge Plan ended with nearly 1 million people submitting comments in support of conservation in ANWR.  The Northern Environmental Center hosted many events and organized people to testify and submit comments in support of the refuge.

-        Roadless Rule in the Tongass- In 2003 the Tongass National Forest, the largest national forest in the U.S., was temporarily exempted from the national Roadless Rule.  The Roadless Rule, a Clinton administration law, protects wilderness in national forests across the country.  Member group Southeast Alaska Conservation Council (SEACC) joined a coalition of Alaska Native, tourism and environmental organizations in 2009 to sue the federal government to overturn the exemption.  In March of this year a federal judge reinstated Roadless protections for the Tongass.