For the first time, Alaska now has a statewide energy policy to help achieve the goal of getting 50 percent of our energy from renewable sources by 2025.
On June 16, Governor Sean Parnell, R-Alaska, signed House Bill 306 and Senate Bill 220, both of which help set and implement energy policies for Alaska for many years to come. "This legislation sets in statute a state energy policy to meet Alaska's current and future energy needs," said Parnell.
Lawmakers and energy experts called the bill signing a landmark day for Alaska. "This is a significant step we took. It seems small, but is going to make a major impact in both rural Alaska and the transportation sector," said Sen. Fred Dyson, R-Eagle River.
HB 306 helps guide the state in achieving a 15 percent increase in energy efficiency between 2010 and 2020, encouraging economic development in Alaska, and making it a law to have 50 percent of the state's electricity come from renewable sources in 15 years. "We recognize that we are a producer state, that we produce coal, oil and gas, but we also have the biggest surplus with renewable energies of any state and any country," said Rep. Charisse Millett, R-Anchorage.
Parnell also signed SB 220 that houses a broad range of programs designed to implement the new energy policy which could generate up to 2,000 jobs for Alaskans, thanks to an Energy Efficiency Revolving Loan Fund. It also makes the state weatherize 25 percent of its buildings and build new ones to energy efficient standards. "Weatherizing 25 percent of the state's most inefficient buildings across the state, we estimated the state can save $3 million per year," said Sen. Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage.
Another provision in SB 220 calls for all DOT vehicles to use compressed natural gas instead of gasoline.
But it was just earlier this month the governor vetoed a $25 million appropriation the legislature made for the Alaska Renewable Energy Grant Fund. "With the projects that were vetoed, we still funded approximately $80 million in renewable energy projects. So when you look at moving forward, those projects will continue to move forward," said Parnell.
Because of the veto, 46 projects will not be funded, but some who served on the House Energy Stakeholders Group said while it would have been nice to see $25 million, the veto was not a major set back. "We still have an aggressive goal. We have a lot of money that is being invested there, still a lot of money that did pass the legislature that is going out in the street. So we are still on track," said REAP Executive Director Chris Rose.
The bills that call for development of non-renewable resource come at a time when energy is taking center stage following President Barack Obama's call for a national energy policy due to BP's oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico. "Clearly we have a lot of oil and gas left and we have a lot of renewable energy and this sets policy forward so we can begin that transmission to renewable energy. Understanding that we have years of oil and gas production, we've got to do it safely and we are working on that," said Parnell.
Unlike some states that have energy policies centering mostly on clean energy aspects, Alaska's new energy plan promotes non-renewable projects as well. "As we move into the next session, the spill will absolutely be at the forefront of energy policy. Both in incentivizing on-land drilling, renewable resource extraction, even considering offshore outer continental shelf drilling that Alaskans can be assured that those contingency plans are in place," said Sen. Lesil McGuire, R-Anchorage.
Sens. McGuire and Wielechowski say they plan to hold hearings in August to look at the state in terms of spill responses and containment plans for the arctic.
