Blog: Election 2008
Hopefuls for office are hitting the topic of energy pretty hard. Much of the talk focuses on rehashing old ideas — opening the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas drilling, for example, or outlining broad in-state natural gas distribution plans.
Candidates are also zeroing in on how future oil and gas leasing in waters just off the state's coast might benefit Alaska financially.
Whatever the specifics, the broad "energy plans" — and candidate's responses to opponents' plans — seem to be filling e-mail boxes around Alaska in recent days.
Most recently, Incumbent Republican U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens mailed newsrooms a response to the energy plan delivered by Anchorage Mayor Mark Begich, who is looking to unseat Stevens as a Democrat. Begich's plan itself came the day before an energy rally in Fairbanks, organized by state Rep. Jay Ramras and geared toward raising awareness of the high cost of heating fuel and gasoline.
Here's Stevens' news release:
"SEN. STEVENS RESPONDS TO BEGICH ENERGY PLAN" "Senator Ted Stevens today responded to Mayor Mark Begich’s proposed energy plan. Alaska’s senior Senator was particularly critical of the Mayor’s assertion that Alaska received “nothing” from the recent Chukchi lease sales. Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne told the Senator’s office yesterday that Alaska will receive upwards of $25 million from the lease sales. The funds will be made available through the Coastal Impact Assistance Program, an initiative secured by Senator Stevens in the 2005 Energy Bill. “After listening to his comments and proposal, it is clear that this Democratic contender for my Senate seat has a lot to learn about the overall energy picture. His statements yesterday about the Chukchi lease sales show a lack of understanding of the federal system. Alaska will receive millions of dollars from the federal government through the Coastal Impact Assistance Program. This is a rather large oversight. “He also failed to point out that his plan is composed of many things we have already accomplished or initiatives I have championed for some time. For example, I was the leader in the effort to increase fuel efficiency standards for automobiles. My amendment was adopted unanimously in the Senate, passed Congress, and has been signed into law. It will do more to curb greenhouse gas emissions than any law passed in history, and I accomplished it thanks to my seniority on the Commerce Committee and my ability to work across party lines. I had ‘a seat at the table.’ Not a single Democrat or Republican opposed that amendment. “In addition, for more than a dozen years, I've helped fund alternative and renewable energy projects, like hydroelectric generators from Cordova to Ketchikan, clean coal technology, and wind energy in Western Alaska. I created an Arctic energy program within the Department of Energy located at the University of Alaska. It was my amendment to Denali Commission legislation that directed the commissioners to fundtens of millions in energy efficiency projects throughout the state. From power cost equalization to improvements in cold weather construction techniques to exploring the uses of methane seeps from our permafrost, I've been working to establish partnerships with Alaskans to address our state’s unique energy needs."
Begich's team had posted his plan online the day prior to Stevens' response. The Anchorage mayor faces former state lawmaker Ray Metcalfe and Homer resident Frank Vondersaar in the Aug. 26 Democratic primary.
Metcalfe, reached by phone after Begich's Wednesday announcement, said he saw a red flag in the mayor's pledge to "work with Alaska's oil and gas industry," which he described as untrustworthy.
Begich's Web site includes his full-fledged plan and highlights some key points:
"(Mark) Begich’s Energy Plan will not only create an expanded Alaska energy economy, but also provide Alaska families and communities with reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy for the 21st century. As U.S. Senator, Mark will: • Secure Alaska’s fair share of revenues from offshore (Outer Continental Shelf) oil and gas leases to fund a new community-based renewable energy program and deployment of energy efficiency technology; • Establish national and state targets of generating at least 25% of our electricity from renewable sources by 2025; • Set a national and state target to reduce energy consumption 25% by 2018 through energy efficiency; • Insist the oil and gas industry employ the most current technology to reduce the “footprint” of development; • Work across party lines to open Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to responsible oil and gas development including the pursuit of directional drilling through the adjacent Sourdough discovery well; • Work with gasline developers and the state administration to guarantee the project puts Alaskans to work, funds workforce training and education, brings Alaska gas to Alaskans first, and shares gasline revenues with Alaska communities; and • Protect the Alaska gasline project against any congressional attempts to levy new taxes on the profits, which could cut into state revenues from the gas."
The day Begich's team posted his plan, and the day before Stevens responded fully, former state lawmaker Ethan Berkowitz joined the club. Berkowitz is running as a Democrat for the House of Representatives seat held by Rep. Don Young.
As Begich had, Berkowitz suggested an Alaskan Democrat might be able to help the majority party in Congress understand the issues surrounding the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which remains closed to oil and gas development.
"BERKOWITZ OUTLINES SOLUTIONS FOR ALASKA ENERGY CRISIS" "With gas prices in many Alaska communities projected to reach $5 a gallon by the 4th of July, Congressional candidate Ethan Berkowitz today released the following statement on energy issues.
“Energy is the issue facing our state and our country. Every day, Alaskans are confronted with crippling prices at the gas pump and when we pay our electric and heating bills. It’s not just fuel and electricity, either: in the last year, higher transportation costs have led to skyrocketing prices at the grocery store. This winter, particularly in rural Alaska, I fear that too many Alaskans will be forced to choose between heating and eating. High energy prices are at the root of our stalled economy, and we cannot build America until we solve this problem.
Investing today in renewable energy development will bring down energy costs, create jobs, address global climate change and make Alaska a model for the rest of the country. Embracing our role as an energy state - focused not just on oil, but alternative energy too - puts people to work in Alaska and contributes to America's energy independence and national security.
It’s time for us to take the lead. We can and must solve this problem. I have experience in the Alaska State House and in the private sector developing energy resources, and I have a strategy. If I am elected, these steps will be my first priorities as Alaska’s Congressman:
•Represent Alaska’s interests in Congress to build a gas pipeline as quickly as possible •Responsibly develop Alaska's natural resources – including ANWR - on Alaska's terms for the benefit of Alaskans •Via grants, loans and tax credits, promote the development of renewable energy solutions, particularly for rural areas of Alaska where access to traditional energy sources is limited and expensive •Introduce legislation to extend tax credits for energy derived from renewable sources •Create new public and commercial building standards to encourage energy efficiency •Provide tax incentives for the development of carbon sequestration technology
Done right, these steps will lower energy costs, create thousands of new jobs throughout the state, and reduce the greenhouse gas emissions causing global climate change. This is a full spectrum solution for our energy needs, and it’s time to get to work. I encourage you all to join me in moving Alaska in a new direction with new energy.”
Most other candidates who have stopped short of compiling recognizable "energy plans" have at least mentioned the topic in some form on their respective campaign Web sites. The discussions usually focus on development but make less room for the topics of conservation or energy-efficiency.
Dave Cuddy, the Anchorage businessman who is challenging Stevens in the Republican primary, and Lt. Gov. Sean Parnell, who is challenging Young as a Republican, both address natural resource development under the respective "energy" and "natural resources" links on their campaign Web sites. Diane Benson has addressed oil companies and Gov. Sarah Palin about the importance of building a natural gas pipeline in the state.
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