Palin cuts money for energy research
Published Thursday, May 29, 2008
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Stumble It!JUNEAU — A new energy research center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks is looking for alternative funding after Gov. Sarah Palin last week vetoed a $1.5 million state and federal appropriation for the center.
The Alaska Center for Energy and Power formed in January and is focused on developing new technologies to lower the cost of energy in rural Alaska and attract energy-intensive industry with cheap renewable resources.
Lawmakers included $500,000 in state funding in the operating budget they approved last month, but Palin cut the funding.
Gwen Holdmann, the group’s director, said Tuesday the $500,000 in state funding was needed as a match for federal grant money.
“It really cripples us in our ability to bring federal funding,” she said of the governor’s veto.
Holdmann said she was hoping to use some of the funding to bring a top expert in geothermal energy to Alaska to help develop a research program in the field. She said she also applied for federal grants to study new technologies involving river current, tidal energy, and combined wind and diesel power systems.
Palin’s budget director Karen Rehfeld said Wednesday the governor was concerned about the growth of the state’s operating budget and wanted to let the Alaska Energy Authority complete its statewide energy plan.
“Energy clearly is a huge priority for the state,” Rehfeld said, “but I think the governor wanted the other work to get done before we start deciding where we want to invest energy dollars.”
According to Holdmann, Palin’s veto leaves a critical gap in the state’s approach to addressing energy issues.
Palin recently signed into law HB 152, a bill setting up a fund for renewable energy projects, and she agreed to distribute $50 million in state funds for renewable energy projects this year.
But that money can only go toward projects using proven technologies.
Holdmann said the restriction makes sense for the energy fund, but argued the state should also invest in research to explore new technologies.
“If we really want to position Alaska as a leader in the future, we also need to be looking just over the horizon at what the solutions are going to be tomorrow,” she said.
Holdmann said one example of a new technology that could benefit Alaska is the low-temperature geothermal power plant at Chena Hot Springs Resort, which she helped develop.
Holdmann said the research center would continue working with private sector businesses and other entities, such as the Fairbanks North Star Borough and the Alaska Energy Authority, and would look for other funding sources.
In a written explanation of her vetoes, Palin noted that she would consider funding the research center in a future budget.
Rehfeld added that the governor will look to use state funds in next year’s budget to carry out the energy plan AEA is putting together this year.
“Funding through the university may be a component of that, but we won’t know until the plan is complete,” she wrote in an e-mail.
More information on the Alaska Center for Energy and Power can be found at www.alaska.edu/uaf/cem/ine/acep.
Community Discussion
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I just reread this article 3times...
Gwen Holdmann is doing the kind of work that I would be doing if I was in her shoes.
It's stuff like this that makes you grouchy about government.
Maybe the State is thinking that if they do this over and over again 100times then maybe it will compensate for blowing $500mil on AGIA?
The ramifications of AGIA are very complex, and it has a lot of people wondering "what were they thinking??".
AGIA was kinda like throwing a big expensive beauty contest, but the only contestant who qualified for the poorly written rules was the neighbors who entered their dried up old milk cow, while they sent their cute daughter off to 4H-Club.
AGIA was set up to build a BIG STEEL PIPELINE ONLY..
..this was really really stupid.
Alaska is in denial about struggling with an abusive codependent relationship with siamese twin ogres BigOil&BigBiz.
Gwen Holdmann is one of the few Alaskans that intellectually "gets it"..
she's able to read PESwiki and visualize ideas found there.
http://peswiki.com/index.php/Main_Page
If Gwen is serious about going after other sources for funding maybe Gwen should go do a "TED Talks" presentation for stirring up some competitive investors.
http://www.ted.com/index.php/speakers/br...
.....flash/rumble
This is typical short-sighted behavior by state officials. State funds can be used to leverage federal dollars so the state can do more with less. When the state decides not to cough up some dough, it shows lack of commitment by the state, making it very hard to fund programs at all, and nothing gets accomplished. So much for a commitment by the Governor to develop alternative energy sources.
Another good cut, looking for "cheap renewable resourses" I can not help it,, this just sounds like another endless money pit, lets study why the sun sets and see if we can find a way to keep it up longer. Look what all the money did with Ethohol,, it uses more energy to produce than it produces, but we feel good burning it because it is from a "renewable" source, regulardless of cost.. Lets face it energy cost money, live with it.
I am seeing a very disturbing pattern in lack of foresight and being behind the curve of events that continue to crash down on us like a storm on an eroding beach.
I had a lot of trust in this administration's moving forward faster than it appears capable of doing.
The AEA does not seem to be a hot bed of innovation we need in this crisis.
The state needs good, driven people to get us up and moving to solve our number one problem and they need to come out of the private sector.
Winter is coming and it will keep on coming.
Once again it is time to renew the Alaska Science and Technology grant program for this.
Of course energy costs money, but there is no harm that I can see in coming up with ways to produce energy for less money. If they can do it at CHSR I'm sure they can do it elsewhere using whatever resources happen to be available at hand.
Unbelievable. At a time when the state should be focusing on alternative energy development the governor is cutting research funds and handing out $1.2 billion in welfare. I don't understand her. Meanwhile back in DC Don Young is wokring on a bill to open ANWR and take the revenues from that and put it toward alternative energy development. Thank god someone is lokoing at the big picture - in this case the Governor is just flat out wrong!
yeah lets wait till gas gets up past $10.00 a gallon before we start even researching alternative fuels, kinda like waiting for enough people to die on a dangerous intersection before "the powers that be" scratch their heads and say "duhhh-errrr maybe we should fix this before someone gets killed.....again".
Actually there is no need to "research" alternative fuels, we already know of and use several different types, it's just that alternative fuel vehicles are still very expensive to produce. So, if we took the billions of dollars we send to the middle east for an obsolete fuel and put it towards something that will actually help the economy rather than buying gas like its the newest fad since the i-phone. (the internal combustion engine is over 200 years old).
By comparison- Swiss engineer François Isaac de Rivaz built an internal combustion engine powered by a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen, in the year 1806.
I think its time we weaned ourselves off of gas already, this is the year 2008, not 1948. We do not NEED gas, we only think we do- WAKE UP AND SMELL THE FUTURE!!!
Why did Palin do cut this program, even though the veto seems to go against her own programs? That answer is simple. Look at her cuts in the university budget - all cuts for Fairbanks, none for Anchorage. We won't even talk about the new UAA "Sports Arena" that got 15 times as much money as originally asked for! If this research program was in Anchorage, it wouldn't have been cut.
While overall I think she is doing a fair job, again and again her actions have shown what many were worried about before the election - Sarah is governor for Anchorage and the Mat-Su Valley, not for Alaska.
NOBODY is going to be a good governor for Alaska. We would be better off with a robot controlling the state budget, at least we would have logic in place of greed and incompetence.
"Lets face it energy cost money"
Yep. And so does research so we can move forward. Without research, you wouldn't be living the lifestyle you do.
"Actually there is no need to "research" alternative fuels, we already know of and use several different types, it's just that alternative fuel vehicles are still very expensive to produce."
This is not totally true. The research center is looking for alternative energy sources for rural areas, in part to reduce the dependence on expensive diesel fuel generators. It is also looking to develop cheaper eneergy sources that will serve to attract new industries. This is called foresight. The Governor should look that word up.
any one see the hydrogen car chevy will have on the market by 2012?
Wait ... wait ..., stop your complaints about this cut already!
An energy research center isn't in anyone's interest! How does it help BIG oil if we find ways to use less? How does it help Alaska which entirely depends on BIG oil? Please stop a moment and be considerate, don't place undue burden on those who make a living producing and delivering fossil fuels to your homes!
Also, 1.5 million for an energy research center doesn't secure as many votes as $100/month to every Alaskan so that we can give those $100 back to the people who deserve it the most.
I'd rather get my $100/month free gift card pass through to big oil from the Governor than have this responsible investment in long term energy research.
Well, PEOPLE are clearly confused and upset about energy costs. The $500M was absolutely the right thing to do because that puts money directly into projects that produce energy. Likewise the money set aside for energy conservation. We don't need yet more studies or research, what we need is conservation first and power to be produced second. GVEA has all the info they need to put up wind generators on Murphy Dome. We've 'studied' the Susitna dam for decades and it seems as though I've heard them talk about Fire Island since I moved to AK in 1990. You don't need to research alternatives to know that a wind turbine in any city on our coast is a no-brainer. You don't need to research 'new' alternative technologies to know that putting in better windows, more insulation, and energy saving lighting saves energy.
I think the good lady's point is that, it's time to stop the study and research and time to DO.
You just can't please all the people. Government spends too much money.. government wont spend enough money.. wah! wah! wah!
I'm sure the governor has access to much more information than was published in this little article. I for one, heard that lots of government funds went towards the chena chiller project. Although it's a good concept, it still is very buggy and hasn't fully panned out.
The governor has to make tough decisions. She has to decide which projects take precedent now. Postpone others, and maintain a workable budget as we elected her to do. It seems Palin is telling them "not now, we need results fast, and we can not waste money on research for projects that may be possible 20 years from now."
I can live with that. Let the lady do her job for cryin out loud!
Anyone that has been to CHS and seen this power generation system can see the benefit of it's use. They currently produce electricity at 7 cents per kw, far less than you pay GVEA. This IS proven tech., they just need better P.R. to get out the word. Go there, see it for your self, you will be amazed, I was. Gwen Holdmann is a genius and should be given all the money and support she needs to develop it. Go there, see the simple elegance of this system, it will change your mind.
>They currently produce electricity at 7 cents per kw, far less than you pay GVEA.
Perhaps you missed the 'math' behind that deal.
A. The initial cost was subsidized by the mfg as it was / is a prototype unit. He is producing at 7c but that does not include ALL of the initial costs of the project.
B. You're right though, we should do more Geothermal. But to make even a dent in our usage you would need fields the size of Indonesia's.
There is a SERIOUS scale issue that tends to get overlooked. It's like the Hydrogen car is coming to save the day. And it works great, so long as you START out with the hydrogen. As soon as you factor in the energy cost of making it, you're toast. Thinking that you can implement research and technology to 'subsidize the laws of physics' is delusional and akin to loosing money on every product sold but making up for it with volume....
Why do they call it Chena "hot" springs? There is an energy source on site. Since when is the UAF a part of the private sector? The Alaska Center for Energy and Power was formed in January, sounds to me like "WE HAVE A WINDFALL LETS FIGURE OUT TO SPEND IT. Send me a million i'll research something.PS I haven't seen any of that .07 per kwh electricity being shipped out of Chena hot springs.
As stated, 7 cents a kw, soon start up cost will be paid off, and that will drop to 2 cents per kw. All energy production of any type requires start up costs. As this tech develops the cost will go down as with any other. With the extra electricity they produce, CHS generates 6 gallons of hydrogen a day. No dilusion, just facts.
Here is some info, take a look for yourself
http://www.yourownpower.com/
Palin is the governor of the State of Alaska but FOR southcentral Alaska. She panders to the exact same individuals and corporations that most Alaskan politicians do. She is a short-sighted fundamentalist with great legs who is "governing" during a time when we need a governor with intelligence and vision. It's sad.
They should expand the greenhouse at CHS and try to get where they can sell produce at Fairbanks groceries. It would be nice having bright red tomatoes all winter long, instead of the half red, half white ones.
Gwen has proven she can get things done. Investing in her would seem to be the wise move, compared to others who mostly blow a lot of smoke.
>during a time when we need a governor with intelligence and vision.
Ya! Let's bring Frank back! Wow, you're depth of understanding and insight into Alaskan issues is staggering. You should run for office.
I guess "Proven" energy is like the $1300 fuel bill ($4.51/gl) I got yesterday when they filled the fuel tank for my house? So if I've got it right, Alaska is paying a Canadian company to ship Alaska natural gas to Chicago and vetoing projects to find alternatives like thermal, solar, & wind that might help regular people. I didn't realize that we are all here just to support the treasury. No wonder our governor is so attractive to the national politicians.
No, mrderik, what you should have said is "Let's bring Fran on!" If Alaskans were astute enough to select a governor with intelligence and vision they would have voted for Fran Ulmer rather than Frank and we would have been way ahead. Instead, they keep making bad decision after bad decision.
To paraphrase the late Alabama Governor George Wallace, "Oil today, oil tomorrow, oil forever!!!"
"I guess "Proven" energy is like the $1300 fuel bill ($4.51/gl) I got yesterday when they filled the fuel tank for my house? So if I've got it right, Alaska is paying a Canadian company to ship Alaska natural gas to Chicago and vetoing projects to find alternatives like thermal, solar, & wind that might help regular people. I didn't realize that we are all here just to support the treasury. No wonder our governor is so attractive to the national politicians."
AYE!
We and the Saudi oil mongers support the treasury and politicians lavish lifestyle. They do not worry about fuel prices because they don't have to worry about money, I wonder what would happen if we stopped overseas police campaigns and put that money back into our economy, pull the troops out of Iraq and put them along the southern border to stem the flow of the THOUSANDS of UNIDENTIFIED illegal immigrants who cross undetected into our society EVERY DAY, not just Mexicans but anyone who wants to enter the U.S. without being screened for obvious post 9.11 reasons.
It's like the "government" is too high and Puissant for the general taxpayers problems, Alternative fuels just seems to be another term for "new cash cow", endless debate and no action ad nauseam. The Canadians laugh at the way we squandered our money away, now they're the ones crossing the border to take advantage of our lowly dollar....
State power should always trump resolute but corrupt government partisan sway. Palin is going through post partam depression. You must support her or she might sell out to the Feds!
That's cold swede
By the way, there is a fascinating technology available to many Fairbanks residents that will cut home heating bills. It turns out that trees burn. If you chop them down, cut them into little pieces, and put them into something called a stove they will heat your house for next to nothing. Just a thought.
Sun Study
They did do a study to make the Sun stay up longer, and found a way to make it work. Then they made their discovery the Law of the Land, (except in Arizona) and that's why "Daylight Savings Time" was a Month early this year.
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