Opinion: Leveraging our power in local government elections

A few weeks ago, I found myself skiing down the Magnum north face of Turnagain Pass in perfect powder, screaming. The sun was setting over the Kenai Mountains as my watch passed 10,000 feet elevation for the day. Deep snow, buried alder, and spring sunshine provide the magical backcountry window that we Alaska skiers dream of all year long.

I also skied all year round. Despite this year’s high snowfall, long-term trends indicate that the ski season is shrinking. Arctic ice is currently melting at a rate that is slowing the Earth’s rotation. Summer and fall snow has disappeared before my eyes over the past decade, along with the myriad subtle changes that blanket our state. Temperature records show Alaska has warmed by 3 degrees Fahrenheit over the past 60 years, or nearly 6 degrees in the winter. We have a front row seat to the changing climate.

This is a collective issue and can feel difficult to understand. Indeed, our only climate salvation lies in intergovernmental agreements, Elon Musk’s latest technological innovations, austerity, or the latest Marvel superhero—or so we hear such conversations all too often. It will be held in The truth is that we face global challenges, but we also have local opportunities. Incorporating climate change considerations into local decision-making saves money, strengthens resilience, creates jobs and puts us on the path to a sustainable future. Solutions start with small, boring, local efforts.

My electricity comes from the Chugach Power Association, the state’s largest electric company. Local power companies like Chugach offer a real opportunity to express their vision for the future when operated as member-owned electric cooperatives. If you, like me, pay for Chugach Power, you, as a member-owner, can decide where our power comes from by voting for board members who support your vision.

Increasing renewable energy production often causes partisan fights, but it should be a bipartisan goal. Renewable energy lowers bills and increases Alaska’s energy security.

Additionally, power generation is not only closely tied to climate change, but also has significant impacts on recreation, cost of living, household spending, and public land use, and utilities across the state are shaping our future. I am. Chugach Electric has just over 90,000 members, but fewer than 15,000 members voted in the 2023 election for the utility’s board of directors. Incumbent candidates in this year’s board election, Sam Cason and Mark Wiggin, both support expanding renewable energy to ensure long-term affordability for ratepayers.

The challengers claim the current board was “handed over to the Greens” in the last election. One of the central criticisms focuses on the recently passed Board resolution supporting the bipartisan Renewable Energy Portfolio Standard (RPS), which would require Chugach power and other power sources in the rail belt to Companies will be required to diversify their portfolios by increasing the proportion of renewable energy generation.

The railbelt’s cheapest energy system will be 76% renewable by 2040, according to a study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory released last month. Currently, Chugach Electric generates approximately 15% of its electricity from renewable sources, with the remaining 85% coming from renewable sources. This is due to the combustion of natural gas. As Cook Inlet gas supplies dwindle, prices have steadily risen, forcing utilities to import more and more gas from other countries (at up to three times the cost). NREL’s study found that the proposed RPS would save consumers an average of $105 million each year, even after accounting for the cost of integrating intermittent renewable energy resources such as wind and solar. .

Money is also green. Decisions made in Chugach boardrooms determine how much green money we pay for our electricity bills.

Chugach offers the lowest rates in the railbelt, and while new projects are expensive, pursuing additional utility-scale renewable energy and storage will help keep prices down in the long run. right. For example, the Little Mt Susitna wind project can produce 120MW of electricity at maximum output during cold weather, and its recently installed battery equipment is already generating cost savings for ratepayers over the next 15 years. Estimated savings of $121 million. These projects will reduce the amount of expensive imported natural gas needed to make up for the shortage of Cook Inlet gas for power generation. It also makes it possible to rethink old infrastructure like the 70-year-old Eklutna power plant (which typically accounts for only a few percent of Chugach Power’s total annual power generation). You don’t have to be tied to your current power output. Increased renewable energy creates more choices, and more choices reduce costs and emissions.

Minimizing energy costs, increasing local production, and building a diverse energy portfolio will benefit Alaska, our land, our people, and our climate. Best of all, Captain Marvel doesn’t need to be involved. All we need to do is take small steps, engage our communities, and embrace the local opportunities that are right in front of us. The Chugach Power Commission election is open for voting from April 17th until May 17th.

On Wednesday, April 24th from 4:30pm to 7pm at Kincaid Chalet, learn more about the Chugach Electric Association elections and hear from local Protect Our Winters athletes, including local Olympic Nordic skier Gus Schumacher. You can listen to snow stories. This family-friendly event is sponsored by the Chugach Ratepayers Alliance and Protect Our Winters, and the first 75 participants will receive free ice cream from Wild Scoops. I look forward to seeing you there!

alexander lee He is a philosophy professor in Anchorage and a Science Alliance member of Protect Our Winters.

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