Alaska energy relief plans still under discussion
Published Sunday, August 3, 2008
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Stumble It!JUNEAU -- While lawmakers debate an energy relief bill designed to bring short-term relief for those beset by soaring energy costs, some legislators said the special session should provide long-term help as well.
Failure to do so, they said, will simply have them back at the Capitol next year debating more ways to offer immediate help.
"If we walk out of this special session and we spend a billion (dollars) on a Band-Aid without fixing the hole, the boat is going to fill up with water next year," said Rep. Les Gara, D-Anchorage. "What are you going to do about the future so you aren't going to spend a billion next year and the next year?"
Gara and other House Democrats would like to see additional money spent on the state's new Home Energy Rebate program, designed to encourage conservation. They also want to set money aside for the newly established Renewable Energy Fund.
The prospects of creating a new long-term fund for alternative energy also is being discussed. Details would have to be worked out quickly with a 11:59 p.m. Thursday deadline looming.
As for adding more money for conservation rebates and renewable energy funds, so far one out of two seem to be on the books.
In a separate bill, as much as $60 million could be approved for the state's Home Energy Rebate efforts that already received $100 million last spring.
Sen. Lyman Hoffman, D-Bethel, wrote a bill that provided rebate and home weatherization money. Hoffman said the rebate program quickly generated public response and more money is needed.
The program makes qualified homeowners eligible for up to $10,000 in rebates for home improvements deemed to enhance energy conservation.
"We want to give people who want to make their home more energy efficient money they may need; we don't want to stop them from doing that," Hoffman said.
"The end result is people will have lower energy usage as a result of this," he said. "A year from now we'll be able to calculate how much we saved Alaskans."
Democrats also want to spend $125 million to $150 million for the state's Renewable Energy Fund, a product of legislation drafted by House Speaker John Harris, R-Valdez, and Rep. Bill Thomas, R-Haines.
It's a bill, Thomas said, that could emerge in several years as among the more crucial for project development into the state's renewable resources, such as wind.
Harris agreed, but said there is no need to pour more money into that fund so soon. He wants to wait, he said, for the state's energy plan, expected in December from Alaska's energy coordinator Steve Haagenson.
"Why do it at this point?" Harris said. "We have $50 million put in it this year and you'll have $50 million put in it next year.
"And the administration has not yet come forward with any use for the $50 million we've put in this year, so why put more in?"
The Legislature already worked out one long-term energy need this special session: advancing a natural gas pipeline project.
The Legislature awarded TransCanada a license to move forward on a project that, if built, would tap into the North Slope's gas reserves.
Mid- and long-term attention does not have to be that grand, some lawmakers said.
They know when a new session resumes in January, energy costs will emerge as a priority.
Rep. Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham, said the Legislature should establish a standing committee on energy. The House and Senate already have resources committees; the House has a special committee on oil and gas.
"We are not going to survive in Alaska if we don't take control of our own destiny," Edgmon said. "We need to take drastic steps. That's really where we are at."
Community Discussion
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the last line in your story pretty much sums it up, Steve.
It seems like some of the legislators really have a good grip on this energy issue, which is very heartening. Money for renewable energy, a standing committee on energy, money for energy conservation - all are excellent ideas. Keep up the good work!
The best short term solution for the Interior (and rural Alaska) is for the state to offset the high cost of heating oil, as Paskvan has been saying. The state has, I think, a $10 billion dollar surplus thanks to the oil that we sell. The legislature needs to put a very small percentage of that profit from North Slope oil right back into our fuel tanks -- both residential and business consumers -- or this community is going to be in serious trouble this winter. I agree with all of the mid- and long-range solutions, too, but we ALSO need an immediate and practical solution before the temperature drops this winter.
Sorry but a great big DUH they should have been addressing the energy issues last session, rather then spending so much time on abortion issues as important as they are. Who didn't see this coming last year?
Representative Les Gara; "What are you going to do about the future so you aren't going to spend a billion next year and the next year?", sounds like you want to fix the whole thing and spend the entire surplus on a long term plan next week. The people want to know what are you going to do to help offset the high cost of energy for the people of Alaska. ACES is about the people's clear and equitable share. The people of Alaska are not some government entity that is ran by those that think they know better than all the individual voters.
The resource rebate, or "band-aid" as he calls it, is a bridge or stop gap measure that can be done quickly with little or no state government oversight. More ideas like that would be welcome relief to all Alaskans. It can be repeated every six months until our State solves the energy cost problem or the people get together and write their own solution and vote on it.
There are a lot of good ideas for mid and long term solutions surfacing. However, it seems until the Legislature has a couple of years to digest a piece of legislation, they won't act. The oil revenue is coming in at a higher rate now than last year and we are on pace to set a new record. By the time the State sends out a billion dollars to the citizens, we will have made another 3 billion dollars, if it gets sent out with the PFD.
The only reason HCCP isn't online is no-one wants to pay for the upgrade so it will be environmentally compliant. Drop the court case and make the money available to get that coal burning. It beats paying a one hundred dollar fuel surcharge on top of fifty dollars worth of electricity.
Frost is already hitting places in rural Alaska. Anyone want to bet on ice in the Tanana River by September? And another safe bet would be that the ice will be over four foot thick this winter, too.
Yep!!! "We are not going to survive in Alaska if we don't take control of our own destiny." That might be an understatement of facts given that fuel oil, electricity and about everything else is headed to the moon...everything except Alaskans personal wages and spendable cash.
Gitty-up-go Legislature; Mother Nature don't wait for man nor beast in Alaska!!!
They have had all summer to work out a way to get Alaskans some kind of energy relief. If they can't agree on something by Thursday night, they should ALL be fired. If they wait till January to start talking again, the damage will have already been done to more families this winter.
Toss a damn coin! $1200 added rebate to Alaskans, or fuel subsidy rate program. It's way too late in the game to be demanding some perfect long term scheme.
While I'm at it. The lovely rebate program out there to help Alaskans increase their home heating and insulation efficiency is a wonderful concept. Too bad there are way too few "qualified heating inspectors" around, and most of those are jacking their rates higher and higher to milk as much as they can from those who are needing the help the most. SHAME ON YOU!!!! One of the inspectors we contacted went from quoting us $265 last week, to updating it to $575. (I guess he realized the state will reimburse up to $500, so let's take it all, and then some.) Since you HAVE to have them inspect, to qualify for a rebate/loan for home improvements, we seem to have no choice but to pay. Kind of ironic I suppose. Those who can afford to pay the higher rates, are probably the least in need of the rebates and assistance. I guess some people have learned a lot from the oil companies.
But I'm sure the job they do is WAY TOO hard and dangerous. They must REALLY deserve all that money they're taking from these families in need. May they sleep well wondering how much a family had to give up to afford their great and holy service.
Opps.. was I ranting? Please forgive me.
You're forgiven for saving me a phone call. The more I hear about the energy efficiency inspections the worse the horror stories get. I won't be calling to set up an inspection. Yet our state congress is more than willing to pay them all they ask to conduct these inspections instead of giving the money back to the people and letting them hire independent contractors or doing the work themselves. Big government with deep pockets, what a fiasco.
At this rate, nothing will be done... Voters please remember how your rep votes. Send the rebate checks already.. Yes this will be a temporary help, but will help a lot of us make it through the winter... This should have been resolved already. No wonder that nothing gets done during these lovely special sessions, that are wasting money debating and discussing......DO SOMETHING
Amazing but it is the Anchorage legislators who want a bigger check sent to the people. I bet if the weather had been a record setting high temperatures this summer, they would have all been home by now.
If you read above, what more can be said. The weatherization progran is a joke. The state continues to make an extra 600 million, or so, every month the price of oil is above $120.00 a barrel. But they can't find the money to help with heating assistance of an extra $1,200.00 a year. I am going to be watching closely who votes for what. This program for weatherization is nothing but a joke. If you do what they tell you, you will probably need to take out a loan to pay for it, you may, or may not get some of it back, but in the end you will still be paying for high heating cost. My home is only 6 years old, built to AHFC spec's, and my heat bill is going through the roof. All the while the legislator's in this state continue to be a joke, they only look out for themselves. Anyone living south of Wasilla do not have a problem, so why should they care about the few that live north of them? I will be floored if we get anything at all!!
and some one should ask mike kelly why he voted against the $1200 energy rebate. When I heard he did that in the house finane committee I couldnt believe it and then I got it confirmed.
The weatherization rebate program is ridiculous. It does nothing to address the needs of the people that just bought newer homes that are already energy efficient.
From what I read, the weatherization rebate program is too short staffed to approve homeowner's projects. Does little good now, does it, sounds fishy as usual. Palin's 1200 bucks will buy winter fuel, right now; fuel has went up over 2 bucks/gal since last winter. Legislators who stall or kill Sarah Palin's common sense immediate approach will pay for their greedy mistake come Novemeber. But then, maybe they really are too outta touch hiding out down in Juneau. We shall see.
Does anyone know how our interior representatives and senators feel about the resource rebate? It would be nice to see their opinions now, before the session ends Thursday.
Do the rest of you not get a PFD? That's going to be roughly $2000 this year. Just a thought, just a suggestion: Spend it all on fuel.
Senate Bill link ( SB2004C )
http://www.legis.state.ak.us/basis/get_b...
I live in the interior and my electric bill alone in the winter is over 500.00 a month and my fuel bill is over 1,000.00 a month just to keep us warm and it don't even do that! Last winter times were so tough we had to keep our heater below 50 degrees (wearing our outdoor clothes inside!) when its 50 below outside! We busted three water pipes inside our home on three separate occasions and it flooded our home all three times.
We didn't file insurance claims on any of them in fear of a rate increase, We just couldn't afford for that to happen! My husband and I have 6 kids of our own and one niece under our roof we have never had any assistance from any agency ever to help us survive in this cold desolate place but we need it now! I am here to tell you many families aren't going to survive another winter with those kind of fuel and electric costs! If you have never been somewhere really cold then most people will never understand what 50 & 60 below 0 feels like, you walk out your door and your clothes harden and your eyelashes instantly freeze with tiny icicles hanging off of them your bones just ache with pain its flat out freezing and deadly. I always think of Alaska in the same light as the Dennis Quaid movie "The Day After Tomorrow" because that’s what it feels like here! I'm very scared for my family with the upcoming winter. My question to our government is: how many families are going to have to freeze to death this winter inside our homes with 50 & 60 below weather before you do something about this!? We fully support any kind of relief for Alaskans and we sure as heck aren't going to whine that it isn't enough because we need any kind of help we can get! I am making a plea to the Alaskans who are fighting the energy relief bill please stop! The more you complain the longer it's going to take for the families of Alaska to get the help we need before the upcoming winter hits.
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