Sunday, May 3, 2026
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Sen. Cronk files bill to ban trawling in state waters

Suzanne Downing
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Sen. Cronk files bill to ban trawling in state waters

Sen. Mike Cronk of Tok has filed legislation addressing the impact of trawl and dredge fishing gear that makes substantial contact with the seafloor.

Senate Bill 161, “An Act relating to the use of certain trawl or dredge fishing gear in state water; and providing for an effective date,” also mandates a detailed study of its effects on marine ecosystems and fish habitats.

The bill amends Alaska Statute 16.10 by adding Section 16.10.135, which prohibits the use of bottom-contact trawl or dredge gear in state waters, as determined by the Department of Fish and Game. In Alaska, state waters extend three nautical miles offshore from the baseline of the coast, which is typically the low-water tide line along the shore.

This prohibition would take effect on Jan. 1, 2028, giving regulators and the fishing industry time to prepare. In the interim, the bill requires the Department of Fish and Game to conduct a comprehensive study on the health of seafloor ecosystems and fishery resources in state waters, with a report due to the Legislature by January, 2027.

The study would examine the impacts of bottom trawling and dredging on Alaska’s marine environments and fisheries. It will include data on bycatch, which are marine species unintentionally caught during fishing, over the past 10 years, broken down by species where possible. The report would also provide recommendations on whether such fishing gear should be permanently banned or restricted to ensure sustainable fish stocks and benefit Alaska’s residents.

Bottom trawling involves dragging heavy nets across the seafloor to catch fish, a method known for its efficiency but also for its ability to disturb marine habitats and capture unintended species, including those that are in short supply. Those dragging for pollock catch other species, like halibut, salmon, and crab.

The legislation would take effect immediately, except for the gear prohibition, which would be deferred until 2028. The outcome of the proposed study could shape future fishing regulations in Alaska.

Mystery letter writer ‘Sarah Johnson’ urges Yukon to boycott Haines over Trump support — but does she even exist?

Suzanne Downing
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Mystery letter writer ‘Sarah Johnson’ urges Yukon to boycott Haines over Trump support — but does she even exist?

“If you lived here, I’d know your name,” is the title of the book by Heather Lende, the Haines writer, NPR contributor, and former Alaska writer laureate, whose best seller is subtitled, “News from small-town Alaska.”

It seems that nobody in Haines knows a “Sarah Johnson.” She appears to be a nom de plume, rather than a real Haines resident.

Johnson has had a letter to the editor published in the Yukon News, telling Canadians to punish the Alaska border town of Haines because people in Alaska voted for Donald Trump for president.

Johnson does not show up on Alaska Division of Election voter rolls. Inquiries in Haines and a search of social media turned up nothing. But the Yukon News went ahead and printed her letter, which says, in its entirety:

To my friends and family in the Yukon.

The people of Alaska voted heavily in favour of Trump and his policies.

The town of Haines, Alaska relies on tourism from Canada to exist. Many of the residents of Haines will accept your Canadian Dollars with one hand while stabbing you in the back with the other.

This is an incredibly sad situation. I encourage the good people of the Yukon to boycott Haines as much as possible. In my opinion, the Maga’s are unable to feel empathy. They only seem to care when something affects them personally. Less income for them will do that.

Let us look forward to the day when we can all rejoice again together.
Sarah Johnson
Haines

Tourism and through-travel is indeed a significant part of the Haines economy, with 30% of the local jobs related to services for visitors who come via the Alaska Marine Highway System or cruise ships.

Many travelers also drive to Haines from northern parts of Alaska or the Lower 48, and take the ferry from there to Juneau or Skagway. Some Canadian tourists are no-doubt part of that mix, as Haines has a highway connecting it to Canada. There isn’t any solid data on Yukon tourists to Haines, but a few motorcycle clubs do make the journey each summer.

Events like the Southeast Alaska State Fair and the Alaska Bald Eagle Festival draw regional crowds that include Canadians, but the Yukon Territory is only home to about 45,000 people total, with most of them centered in Whitehorse.

Haines also is home to commercial fishing families, some mining families, and a goodly number of retirees: Haines has a population of around 1,781, with an average age of 49.2, significantly higher than the state median age of 35.9. About 25% of the residents of Haines are older than 65, compared to the state average of 13.6%. It’s a great retirement community.

In the age of fake news and tariffs, we now have people adopting fake identities and writing fake letters to the editor to gin up cross-border hatred. In this case, it appears a faker has taken Trump Derangement Syndrome to a new level.

Haines readers, if you know of this Sarah Johnson who resides in Haines, please let us know so we can update this story.

House passes ‘No Rogue Rulings Act of 2025’ to stop district court judges

Suzanne Downing
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House passes ‘No Rogue Rulings Act of 2025’ to stop district court judges

A US House resolution passed Wednesday that would ban federal district court judges from granting nationwide injunctions on some presidential executive orders.

House Resolution 1526 passed 218 to 214 with Congressman Nick Begich voting in favor of the bill, which is sponsored by Congressman Darrell Issa of California.

The bill says “no United States district court shall issue any order providing for injunctive relief, except in the case of such an order that is applicable only to limit the actions of a party to the case before such district court.” 

“We took on the activist judges and their rogue rulings. Now it’s on to the Senate to send this to the desk of [Trump],” Rep. Issa wrote on X.

Earlier this week, the US Supreme Court ruled that district court does not have the jurisdictional authority to prevent President Donald Trump from deporting Venezuelan gangsters.

District judges appointed by Democrats have recently declared universal injunctions on Trump’s executive orders after lawsuits against those orders were filed in district courts. Republicans see this as a case of judicial overreach by judges who are granting relief far beyond those who are stakeholders in a lawsuit.

“It’s never been more obvious that parts of our federal judiciary have a major malfunction of judicial activism. Practically every week, we see yet another federal judge issuing yet another nationwide injunction in yet another gambit to stop President Trump from exercising his Constitutional Article II powers and carrying out the policy agenda he promised the American people he would make a reality,” Issa said in March.

“In only the latest example, US District Court Judge James Boasberg severely overstepped his authority and demonstrated the most critical shortfall of judicial temperament. By ordering planes containing dangerous illegal immigrants – that President Trump negotiated with a foreign country to let land – to turn around in midair makes a mockery of the important powers we assign to our federal judges. This isn’t even close to a legal disagreement involving standing, statute or precedent. It is the Trump Resistance in Robes,” he said.

“We have a crisis on the bench right now and not just with this or any single judge. My bill – The No Rogue Rulings Act of 2025 – won’t only deal with excesses like Judge Boasberg’s outrageous demands on the President and the Trump Administration. It is the comprehensive solution we need to ensure that this problem does not occur anywhere in our federal judiciary and resets the proper and appropriate balance in our courts. It has already passed the Judiciary Committee, and I look forward to this bill gaining the support of the full House, the Senate, and heading to President Trump’s desk,” he said.

Edgmon’s Pickle: House Majority can’t pass a budget

Suzanne Downing
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Edgmon’s Pickle: House Majority can’t pass a budget

House Speaker Bryce Edgmon explained that the Legislature is in a pickle because the House Finance Committee has not released the budget to the Rules Committee, and thus it can’t make it to the floor for a vote.

The Legislature is at a critical juncture, he said. The operating budget should already be in the hands of the Senate, but “now seems to be stuck in no-man’s land. The budget has not been transferred from the Finance Committeeee to the Rules Committee … Unfortunately because of extenuating circumstances in a whole realm of things, you could say everything from possible federal budget impacts to a global downturn and commodity prices, oil prices sort of slipping and sliding underneath us, and as crude is going down almost 14-15% in the last several days, not to mention that the spring revenue forecast that came out in March, which seems like an eternity ago, already really undercut our position from a year ago when oil was forecast to be $78 a barrel. Now, we’re looking at $68 a barrel going forward,” he said, as he introduced a press conference made up of leaders he handpicked when he became Speaker.

“And guess what? That $68 a barrel may be optimistic going forward in FY 26,” Edgmon continued.

Then he continued to talk about the need for more education funding and he blamed the governor for submitting a budget that has a legally mandated statutory Permanent Fund dividend, the House Republicans, the Senate, and seemingly everyone but himself, the leader of the Democrat majority.

“And we’d like to talk to you about that and be really honest with you and have the conversation that, ladies and gentlemen, we’re all in a pickle,” Edgmon said.

“It’s not just the House majority. It’s the House minority. It’s the governor. It’s the Senate majority. It’s the Senate minority,” he said, and continued to take no responsibility. “We are stymied because of the narrowness of the makeup of the House chamber.”

Speaker Edgmon then blamed the House minority for his majority’s inability to move forward on all its wants.

“I’ve [had] a number of conversations with minority members. Myself as well as others that have a concept … sort of set the pathway for working together. But at this juncture in house, you know, day 78, which is technically two-thirds of the way through the session … We have not had a cooperative relationship.”

The blame game continued:

“We have not, back in my memory since the early 80s, had such a sharply divided Finance committee with such difficult circumstances in front of them and it’s been a long time since we’ve had a House chamber that’s been closely divided — 21 and 19 — where one member essentially has veto power. We have a problem in front of us, folks, and that’s the purpose we’re here to talk with you about, and there are a number of pathways forward But the time is very limited and I’m gonna close before I turn it over to the Rules chair to once again implore the House minority.”

The budget imbalance began when the governor submitted a budget that was not fully funded.

But then, Rep. Andy Josephson, who chairs the Finance Committee, presented a revised budget that was also not funded, and he forgot to remove a portion of the Permanent Fund dividend. Now the budget requires rural members like Rep. Neal Foster and Nellie Jimmie to vote to strip a major portion of the dividend from their own constituents. They won’t do that. Rep. Josephson said that because they are rural, they get a pass.

The problem is not that the budget hasn’t been voted out of Finance, because it has. The problem is that the co-chairs won’t give the budget to Rep. Louise Stutes, who chairs Rules.

But Edgmon says it’s the House minority Republicans who are the problem.

Hence, the Edgmon Pickle.

Robert Seitz: We don’t need Alaska Climate Change Emergency Response Commission

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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Robert Seitz: We don’t need Alaska Climate Change Emergency Response Commission

By ROBERT SEITZ

A month ago Sen. Gray-Jackson introduced SB 120 “An act establishing the Alaska Climate Change Emergency Response Commission.”  

In this bill is stated “The legislature finds that a state of emergency exists because of the threat climate change poses on communities in the state, the state economy, traditional ways of life, fish and game populations, and natural ecosystems. 

I contend that it must first be determined that there is indeed a “Climate Crisis.”   

Greenhouse gas emissions are not responsible for much warming at all. If you spend some time actually considering our weather it will become clear that we are not warmer because CO2 and Methane are trapping heat in the atmosphere, but you will notice the jet stream is moving around a lot and high temperature days will occur in the summer where the high pressure areas persist.

My commentary May 31, 2024  “Climate, politics, and energy in Alaska” covered that Alaska is NOT warming at two to four times faster than the rest of the world. I brought out that the comparisons are made with average annual temperatures which have high values when compared with the average over long period of time.  

If  you look at the data, you will find that while the comparison of average annual temperature reveal larger values for recent times, but you will also note that the high temperatures (summer temperatures) are not much different than they have been for a long time. It is a climate crisis sleight of hand, because the real change is not greater heat, but a lot less extreme cold.  

We have had Chinooks in Alaska for much longer than I have lived here. This year when the Arctic Express sent lots of cold air, and snow, to Florida and Louisiana, that air was replaced by warm wet North Pacific air that was sucked into the space above Alaska. The jet stream affects Alaska much more than do greenhouse gases.

If you have been paying attention to the Arctic sea ice extent this year you know that it is being touted as the lowest maximum extent value ever on March 22. If, however, you look at the sea ice around Alaska (e.g. the Beaufort, Chukchi and Bering Seas) it has been recovering quite well. While we don’t have the multiyear ice and the thickness of ice we used to have in the Beaufort sea, the sea ice presence has been reliable for most winters since 2017 as have the Chukchi and Bering Seas. The water temperatures that rose considerably when air temperatures were high during winter months in the Bering Sea last decade, have recovered and are back to normal low temperatures since the sea ice coverage returned to normal extent in 2022. The ice extent in the Bering Beaufort and Chukchi Seas are well above minimum extent so have returned some of the coastal protection from winter storms. 

If we really don’t have a problem with greenhouse gas heating then we really don’t have a climate crisis and thus we do not need the Alaska Climate Change Emergency Response Commission. With a more flexible jet stream it may be that we need to be looking at flooding opportunities, and potential landslide opportunities that abundant rainfalls can exacerbate. We already know that we must pay attention to lakes that form behind receding glaciers and we need to identify the coastal areas subject to erosion during winter storms that may occur when lees open in the sea ice.  

It is imperative that we recognize and accept that there was a Little Ice Age and that we have been recovering from it and must determine what kinds of changes should be expected from that. Did the extreme cold of the northern latitudes provide a stabilizing effect on the jet stream?

Without a greenhouse gas heating crisis we no longer have a hydrocarbon (fossil) fuel crisis. It is time to get back to real definitions for reliable, reliant and sustainable energy. Cook Inlet gas and North Slope gas will provide all of these for at least the near future while we work out the best alternate energy source for the Railbelt. For now, it is natural gas that we must depend on.

Sen. Bill Wielechowski filed SB 149 and Rep. Ky Holland filed HB 153 both entitled “An act relating to generation of electricity from renewable energy resources: relating to a renewable portfolio standard:…”  

These bills include a noncompliance fine, which means any entity in the Railbelt electrical system is mandated to add a prescribed amount of renewable generation according to a time table and failure to do so will result in a substantial fine. This is a mandate. I have argued against mandated addition of renewables to the Railbelt for some time; I support the free will, free market approach to additional renewables to connect to the Railbelt electrical system.

Without a greenhouse gas heating crisis we also really don’t need an RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard), but we can proceed with the development of renewable energy sources wherever they are determined to be the best energy source for the community or the location. The objective is still cheap energy source whether it is for a remote community, for remote portions of the Railbelt electrical transmission and distribution system or even a mine or a lumber camp.

We will eventually have Cook Inlet tidal-driven electrical power, geothermal energy sources from near our many volcanoes, and we will use wind and solar power where they are the best sources of energy. Alaska is different than the rest of the USA. Our winter last longer here, so if we get our energy source wrong for a location, people can die. Let’s not put our citizens at risk to depend on a source of energy that may not be there when it is needed.  

On Aug. 4, 2024 my contribution “Power transition is more complicated in Alaska than many realize” in MRAK covered many of the issues which make high percentage of inverter-based resources difficult (i.e. less reliable, less reliant, less sustainable) because of the added complexity of additional controls, communications and electronic components. I want to be sure each of the utilities can interconnect a large inverter based resource with knowledge, and understanding and predictability before they have to do it.

One way to get cheaper energy is to find big industrial customers, like a mine, to reduce the financial burden that energy has on the individual customer.  We need energy development and we need resource extraction to build Alaska’s revenue generating capability.

And for those who want to hinder development in the West Susitna Road area because they don’t want to be disturbed or to have their recreation comprised, please remember that that area was already mining country back in the 1920’s.  

My parents grew up on mines west of Talkeetna.  I grew up with “ you can’t play until the work is done.”  We have an economy to rebuild in Alaska.  We all need to be a part of the building, so that we have a way to keep our infrastructure in good repair.  We want to be ready for whatever weather comes our way.

So it is NO on the Alaska Climate Change Emergency Response Commission and it is NO on RPS, for the best interest of Alaska.

Robert Seitz is a professional electrical engineer and lifelong concerned Alaskan.

State salary study shows most Alaska public employees are competitively compensated

Suzanne Downing
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State salary study shows most Alaska public employees are competitively compensated

A salary study of Alaska’s state workforce was released Wednesday, revealing that a majority of state employees are earning wages that are competitive within the state’s labor market and similar jurisdictions in the Lower 48.

The study, conducted by consulting firm Segal and approved for funding in 2023, has been in development for over a year. The contractor went out for more data and incorporated recently bargained and statutory pay increases.

A draft was completed last summer and has undergone several months of refinement before being posted publicly.

The analysis comes amid hounding from public employee unions, which have been sure the findings will help them as they gear up for salary negotiations.

They may be disappointed. According to the final report, 72% of Alaska’s state employees, in benchmark jobs covered by the report, earn base salaries that meet or exceed comparable wages in the broader labor economy. When measured against the 65th percentile of market wages, 57% of employees were found to be at or above that level.

The study focuses on base pay and does not include differentials, bonuses, or supplemental compensation — providing a clear view of how the state pay stacks up on core salary alone.

Certain sectors stood out as particularly competitive. Employees in public safety roles, including police, fire, and corrections, are at or above market rates, as are legal and judicial workers. This aligns with Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s ongoing emphasis on public safety as a top priority for his administration.

While the results may temper some union arguments for sweeping wage increases, union leaders are still expected to use the data as a starting point to address specific pay gaps and cost-of-living concerns across different classifications.

One recommendation that Segal made was for the state to reduce the number of job classifications, which are now over 1,000. Streamlining the system would allow the State to more quickly adjust to changes in the labor market.

Trump sends markets soaring with big tariff announcement

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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Trump sends markets soaring with big tariff announcement

By AUDREY STREB | DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION

President Donald Trump announced a 90-day pause on tariffs for roughly 75 countries that did not issue retaliatory tariffs, and said that the U.S. raised the tariff charged to China to 125%, according to a Wednesday Truth Social post.

This comes after Trump implemented tariffs on several other nations on April 2, sending shockwaves across international markets. Markets immediately responded by surging following the president’s announcement.

“Based on the lack of respect China has shown to the World’s Markets, I am hereby raising the tariff charge to China by the United States of America by 125%, effective immediately,” Trump wrote. “Conversely, and based on the fact that more than 75 Countries have called Representatives of the United States, including the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and the USTR, to negotiate a solution to the subjects being discussed relative to Trade, Trade Barriers, Tariffs, Currency Manipulation, and Non Monetary Tariffs, and that these Countries have not, at my strong suggestion, retaliated in any way, shape, or form against the United States, have authorized a 90-day PAUSE, and a substantially lowered Reciprocal Tariff during this period, of 10%, also effective immediately,” he continued.

Tim Barto: Women athletes show courage when they refuse to compete against men

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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Tim Barto: Women athletes show courage when they refuse to compete against men

By TIM BARTO

As big-time sports go, fencing and disc golf aren’t the typical topics of discussion over beers at the watering hole. Not to disparage the sports, but I’m willing to bet a fleche to your flippy that the vast majority of Must Read Alaska readers have neither played nor watched either sport. 

Nonetheless, these competitive endeavors are suddenly leading the way in standing up for truth, justice, and a well-executed flick.

As athletic organizations continue to defy reality – and, in some cases, the law – by allowing men who feel like women to compete in female sports, women are starting to do what is necessary to save women’s sports for real women:  they are refusing to compete.

Last week, in what is now a viral video, fencer Stephanie Turner refused to compete against Redmond Sullivan, a man who pretends he is a woman and expects everyone else, especially fellow fencers and their governing bodies, to go along with him.

Turner removed her mask and took a knee, telling the puzzled referee, “I’m sorry, I cannot do this. I am a woman, and this is a man, and this is a women’s tournament. And I will not fence this individual.”

As the referee walked over to figure out how to proceed in this apparently unprecedented situation, Sullivan approached Turner to inquire of her actions, to which Turner responded, “You’re a man, and I’m a woman, and this is a women’s tournament.”

Turner, who is now my favorite all-time fencer, was given the equivalent of the black card of death. Literally, the referee took a black card out of his pocket and showed it to Turner, and that was the end of the tournament for our heroine. 

It may also be the end of Turner’s fencing career for the veteran of over 200 matches, including national championship competitions, as USA Fencing’s policy allows men acting like women to participate in the women’s category, and judging from the organization’s statements since the incident, they are going to continue favoring the infiltration of men into women’s competitions. 

On to disc golf. 

Yep, disc golf is a sanctioned sport. Yours truly is admittedly guilty of thinking of it as a leisure activity for folks who wear tie-dye clothing that smells of cannabis, but your truly is grossly incorrect. The sport has professional athletes and even has their own network, appropriately, if not unimaginatively, called the Disc Golf Network. 

Just a couple days after Stephanie Turner refused to compete against a female impersonator, disc golfer Abigail Wilson similarly refused to compete. 

Wilson was scheduled to play in a first-round match against one Natalie Ryan, who, like fencer Redmond Sullivan, proclaims himself transgender and has gone to court for permission to be allowed to play in the women’s division. 

Wilson was announced and took her place at the tee (is it called a “tee” in disc golf?), but when she stepped up to take her turn, Wilson flung her arm forward but held onto the disc. She then turned to the audience and announced, “Females must be protected in our division! This is unfair. I refuse to play!” and walked off the course.

As with Sullivan, Wilson acknowledged that her actions may cost her a career in the sport she loves, issuing this statement:  “Today I refused to play at the Music City Open. Females deserve to have their gender protected division be protected. This is unfair. I have worked so hard to get to this point to play on the DGPT, but the sacrifice of my career and my hard work is worth it if it means I can make a difference for other women, daughters, nieces, and the future of our sport. If you feel how wrong it is to have biological males be competing in female protected divisions in sports, now is the time to speak up and stand your ground.”

Stephanie Turner and Abigail Wilson are sacrificing themselves for common sense and the common good, pushing back against systems that are supposed to organize and uphold the integrity of their sports. Unfortunately, it seems as though this route is the most effective. Now we need other courageous women and girl athletes (and the girls’ parents and coaches) in other, more mainstream sports, to take the same courageous stand.

Tim Barto is a regular contributor to Must Read Alaska, and vice president of Alaska Family Council, an organization dedicated to strengthening traditional family values.

Tim Barto: What happened to the Olympics?

Kassie Andrews: Renewable portfolio standards, round 3

SENIOR CONTRIBUTOR
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Kassie Andrews: Renewable portfolio standards, round 3

By KASSIE ANDREWS

For decades, Alaska’s energy policy has been shaped not by the will of the people but by outside influence. It has been a long, forced march led by climate activists and their NGOs.

Back in 2010, the legislative intent of our energy policy quietly embedded renewable energy targets, laying the groundwork for today’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) push. Most Alaskans don’t realize that much of this policy wasn’t just influenced by NGOs. It was written for and by them. 

The same activist networks that roamed the halls of Juneau back then never left. These groups continue to steer Alaska’s energy future toward their own agenda, co-opting our representative republic in the process. None of this is organic. It’s the result of calculated pressure from groups that have little concern for Alaskans, but plenty of appetite for power.

A Renewable Portfolio Standard is back in Alaska—for the third time. Gov. Mike Dunleavy backed the original version in 2022, and now Republicans are out of the majority.

Background

House Bill 153 was introduced by Rep. Ky Holland (I-Anchorage) on March 24, 2025. Per his presentation, “An RPS is a requirement on retail electric suppliers… to supply a minimum percentage or amount of their retail load… with eligible sources of renewable energy. HB 153 sets the following targets: 40 percent by 2030, 55 percent by 2035.” 

The 2023 RPS was proposed at 25 percent by 2027, 55 percent by 2035, and 80 percent by 2040.

Currently, the Railbelt is only at 15 percent renewable, where this bill is explicitly targeted. Hydropower dominates the renewable total. Hydropower supplied ~90 percent of the renewable electricity statewide in 2023. According to the sponsor, 40 percent by 2030 from 15 percent today is “modest,” and 55 percent is a “realistic” cap.  

Although the legislation allows for hydropower, activist backers of the bill have simultaneously called for the removal of the Eklutna Dam, which provides about 14 percent of the Railbelt’s total renewable share. With that, it becomes obvious what sources the co-ops will be forced to adopt: intermittent sources like wind and solar. Holland (then as a candidate) was provided with information on just how unreliable wind can be when Alaskans need it most. During the 2024 cold snap, wind at Fire Island fell to zero for a prolonged period, with the average at just 20.3 percent for the week—100 percent unreliable.

The legislation penalizes member-owned co-ops who fail to meet the targets with fines of $45/MWh shortfall, adjusted annually for inflation. The fine, as proposed in 2023, was $20/MWh, and while co-ops couldn’t technically recover it through rates, there was no realistic way for them to pay it otherwise. But this bill is completely different, and they don’t even try to hide it. 

When asked by committee member Rep. George Rauscher about who pays the price, Shaina Kilcoyne, Holland’s staffer, admitted that “ultimately the ratepayer would pay.”  

In a scenario of a larger scale operation such as a hospital—10,000-15,000 MWh/year, the fines at just a 20% shortfall would be more than $100k annually. For residential homes, it is in the hundreds, and it only escalates for both as the push to electrify everything—heat pumps, EVs, public transit, industrial process heat—accelerates. This does not include the intermittency factor or the higher cost of renewables themselves that the co-ops will undoubtedly need to increase your base rates to account for. 

The incentives in this bill include a pseudo carbon tax of Renewable Energy Credits where co-ops can buy credits instead of building renewable projects, a wind energy bonus multiplier of 1.25x for large wind and a fine reinvestment option to force renewable projects. This is a mandated energy transformation with sharp, big sticks aimed directly at ratepayers’ wallets. It locks Alaskans into unreliable and politically favored renewables, whether the market (or the people) like it or not.

Activists, Operatives, and Dark Money Behind the RPS Push

The credit for the RPS legislation this round goes to Kilcoyne, who presented the sectional analysis to the House Energy Committee on April 1, 2024. Kilcoyne co-led the implementation of the Anchorage Climate Action Plan under Mayor Ethan Berkowitz. She is listed as the Energy Transition Program Director for the Alaska Venture Fund. Alaska Venture Fund is a project of the New Venture Fund, the flagship nonprofit of the many organizations managed by Arabella Advisors. The Alaska project received $10 million in 2021 from the Bezos Earth Fund to Advance former President Joe Biden’s unconstitutional Justice40 in Alaska.

No surprise, the same old cheerleaders for past RPS bills were invited by the committee for testimony. This included a blogger who is on the board of REAP and the Chief Energy Officer from Hawaii, plus one new recruit: Alaska Public Interest Research Group, AKPIRG. AKPIRG claims to be Alaska’s only non-governmental, nonpartisan consumer advocacy group- yet they testified in support of the RPS. Hard to imagine a bigger hypocrisy: backing a policy that punishes ratepayers and consumers. The claim of nonpartisanship made during testimony, as well as in the written presentation, is especially interesting. 

The presenter, Energy Lead Natalie Kiley-Bergen, is a registered Democrat. Their website dons a land acknowledgment and states that they use the Jemez Principles for Democratic Organizing, used exclusively by anti-capitalist radical environmental justice groups that promote fossil fuel bans.  

According to their 2024 report, this proudly “nonpartisan” group celebrated a four-month sabbatical for their executive director and locked in a permanent four-day workweek, complete with a paid wellness day every single week. Apparently, dismantling the economy is exhausting work, even for the nonpartisan crowd. Proudly displayed in their 2024 annual report is the list of donors, the typical blend of left-wing policy, climate, and electoral influence networks. The climate and energy transition funders include the 11th Hour Project, Hopewell Fund and Tortuga Foundation. The Hopewell Fund is also part of the Arabella Advisors network.

Grand Deception

For years, Alaska’s RPS was pushed by activists and policymakers as a solution to climate change. But as skepticism has grown—especially during the Trump administration, which is now actively pulling the rug out from under the climate agenda and slashing Green New Deal funding—the same players have simply shifted tactics. With the climate narrative losing traction in Alaska, they’re now repackaging the RPS as a response to dwindling Cook Inlet gas reserves and the supposed threat of expensive gas imports. It’s the same mandate, just a new fear campaign, swapping the “climate crisis” for a “gas crisis” to force through costly, unreliable energy policies.

A gas shortage needs a gas solution, not a mandate that drives up costs and risks grid stability. We need resilient, affordable power, not policy-driven by far-left climate NGOs. 

This is the trap of an “all of the above” energy approach. Dunleavy has repeated this mantra multiple times. This approach is an excuse for doing a little bit of everything and none of it well. Enormous amounts of state resources and effort were poured into Energy Security Task Forces and Sustainable Energy Conferences. There was even a technical committee stood up by former Anchorage Mayor Dave Bronson to advise the Southcentral Alaska Mayors on the gas crisis. A report on their investigations has yet to be issued. The net result for Alaska is centralized planning, green banks, carbon capture and RPS mandates designed to force wind and solar onto the grid. 

Alaska needs leadership that stops hiding behind “all of the above” and moves to all of the sensible instead. Last September, I suggested an RPS to Holland when he was running for office, a Reliable Portfolio Standard. But here he is now, pushing the complete opposite—backing a policy that guarantees unreliability and skyrocketing costs. Alaska deserves power that works, not politics that don’t.

Public testimony on HB 153 is scheduled for April 10th at 1:00 PM in House Energy.  Show up.  Speak out. Written testimony can be emailed to [email protected] 

Kassie Andrews is an energy expert on Alaskan politics and resource development. A lifelong Alaskan, her career in energy has involved project management, construction, and finance.

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