Alaska Energy Shenanigans: Eklutna Dam and the RPS (Part II: Political Highjack)

By -- January 10, 2025 No Comments

Ed. Note: With yesterday’s background, Part II examines the politicization of one of Alaska’s major hydroelectric projects to reveal ulterior motives from “stakeholders” and elected officials.

“Once an RPS becomes law, the boards will be able to point to the new law in effect requiring them to adopt unreliable and expensive sources and be held harmless once things start to spiral out of control, up to and including rolling brownouts and blackouts.”

“Pumped energy storage is only necessary as a mitigating backup to the planned 100% unreliable not-so renewables. The Renewable Portfolio Standard will mandate a government-subsidized solar, wind and transmission build-out by grifters and profiteers. Wind and solar power producers should be made to pay for all infrastructure that makes them as reliable as a gas turbine.”

For environmental groups and their political carriers, the question is how to expand wind and solar power in the state, the very resources that are dilute, intermittent, fragile, expensive, and taxpayer-dependent.…

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Alaska Energy Shenanigans: Eklutna Dam and the RPS (Part I: Background)

By -- January 9, 2025 No Comments

Ed. note: Alaskans are waking up to a sneak attack on electric affordability and reliability by agenda-driven special interests and their pliable politicians. The latest incident concerns the state’s third largest hydro project, which has become a Trojan Horse for Green New Deal programs. “Cronyism, abuse and manipulation of our critical energy infrastructure is the result of ‘stakeholder inclusion’,” as energy expert Kassie Andrews writes in this two-part post.

At 40 MW capacity, the Eklutna Hydro Dam Project generates 5–6 percent of the total electricity for the Railbelt.  Eklutna provides the most significant share of renewable energy, 44 percent of Matanuska Electric Association (MEA)’s renewable portfolio and 25 percent of Anchorage area-service-provider Chugach’s renewable portfolio. 

With capital depreciation and small operating costs, Eklutna is the lowest-cost electricity source for Southcentral Alaska. …

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Alaska Energy Policy: An Exchange (RPS in the balance)

By -- September 26, 2024 2 Comments

“There is no management-of-change transition plan that shows how we can effectively move from one energy source to another responsibly. Is it green? Is it ethical? What is the risk? What is the benefit?  What is the cost? What are the metrics of success? Is it even achievable? Will forcing Alaskans to pay the price for all of this have any [climate] effect whatsoever?”

Ky Holland is running for Alaska State House in District 9, Anchorage (South Anchorage), Girdwood, Whittier.  Running as an Independent, he supports a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS). With RPS legislation imminent in the upcoming session, I wanted to know where Holland stood on this bill of goods specifically.

Be warned: the green lobby is working overtime to mandate unreliable and expensive sources of energy on Alaskans. While Ky’s opponent, Republican Lucy Bauer, has stated she will oppose an RPS “as it is currently being proposed,” my exchange with Holland unmasks why he believes mandates are needed.…

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Alaska Energy Future Needs Informed Voters (gas, hydro under political assault)

By -- May 8, 2024 1 Comment

“We do not have a gas shortage problem; we have a gas contract renewal ‘problem’ that the incumbents on the board refuse to address.”

“How can a board member do both: support green unreliable energy and meet their fiduciary responsibilities of lowest cost, highest reliability, best service, and safety?”

Chugach Electric Association members face politicized, expensive, and unreliable power options that are certainly not the fault of rich, local resources that have proven their worth for many decades. Only inaction in the face of nefarious “green” can make it happen. Will Chugach members wake up to what economists call the concentrated benefit/diffuse cost problem?

Radical green politicization of electric co-op boards has been a long time in the making, specifically for the 90,000 members of Anchorage-area Chugach Electric Association (CEA).…

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Arctic Grift: Alaska Energy Policy Goes Biden

By -- October 30, 2023 No Comments Continue Reading

Alaska Energy vs. Woke Government

By -- September 26, 2023 5 Comments Continue Reading

Sarah Palin’s Alaska Energy Plan: Please Forget It

By Jerry Taylor -- July 6, 2009 2 Comments Continue Reading

Risking Alaska’s Energy Exceptionalism (RPS looming)

By -- October 15, 2024 No Comments Continue Reading

Alaska’s Bad Energy Bill of the Week – Carbon Storage (HB 50/SB 49)

By -- April 16, 2024 2 Comments Continue Reading

Alaska Bad Bill 1: Clean Energy Standards (HB 368)

By -- April 3, 2024 1 Comment Continue Reading