By Ryan Sheldon
The gas line has become a contentious topic as our legislators enter into their second special session. The vast majority of Alaskans support a gas line, yet we have all been caught in the crossfire of politics, per usual.
It is no secret our cost of living has grown into a crisis with fuel, grocery, and energy prices continuing to climb. I pay $0.26/kWh in Talkeetna (our neighbors to the north pay $0.33/kWh and rising, plus Anchorage is already up to $0.22/kWh), and this number is expected to climb as natural gas shortages loom and the threat of higher cost imported gas, at a ~50% higher cost, is on the horizon. That approaching situation for the railbelt is already being previewed in Copper Valley where prices raced above $0.55/kWh. Since when is it acceptable to put partisan politics over the needs of everyday Alaskans who need cost of living relief? This is reckless and un-Alaskan.
The gasline can, and should serve as Alaska’s next greatest, and monumental infrastructure project since TAPS, a once in a multi-generational opportunity. The sheer job, sustainable energy, and community supporting that the project brings to all Alaskans should be a good enough reason to accelerate this project through the finish line. Yet, once again, we are faced with a lack of visionary leadership, swapped for glorified button pushers. Just voting “yea” or “nay” isn’t good enough anymore. Alaskans of all ages and generations are counting on this project to empower the State we all love, and it must happen now.
Leadership for our state does not come easily, it is won over thousands of productive conversations, bringing new thought to the conversation, and a willingness to get people to a “yes” as opposed to “what’s in it for me”. At this moment “what’s in it for me” appears to be the prevailing theme among those we have sent to Juneau. This fatal ‘nearsightedness’ will have the entire state walking over a cliff from which we may never recover.
Stop the outflow of hard earned dollars from our pockets. Stop the outflow of people from our State. Pass the gas line bill, and let Alaskans get on with our future, you’re holding us up.
