Replacing Rep. Laddie Shaw of South Anchorage may be impossible, but Republican Lucy Bauer intends to do her best. She filed with the Division of Elections as a candidate for House District 9, where Shaw has served since first winning in 2018. Shaw is not running again this year.
Already in the race is Lee Ellis of Girdwood, who changed his voter registration to Republican not long before filing for office. He is the owner of a brewery in the ski town that is in the most southern part of the Anchorage municipality.
Bauer has served on the Anchorage Municipality’s Board of Ethics and is the operator of assisted living homes in Anchorage. She has been a major financial contributor to numerous Republican candidates in recent years.
The California Legislature has passed two bills banning plastic bags for shoppers — again. The last time the California Legislature passed a bag ban, it was for single-use bags, and the result was an overall increase in plastic bags in landfills, due to stores switching over to providing the “reusable” bags that are thicker.
The California single-use bag ban went into effect in 2016, after which plastic bag waste increased by 47%.
“SB 1053 closes the loophole to the original ban on film plastic bags enacted 10 years ago that has allowed stores to sell customers thicker plastic bags that meet certain recyclability standards. However, the truth is almost none of those bags are recycled and they end up in landfills, polluting the environment,” Sen. Catherine Blakespear, D-Encinitas, the sponsor of the Senate bill, said.
“California’s original ban on plastic bags hasn’t worked out as planned, and sadly, the state’s plastic bag waste has increased dramatically since it went into effect,” Blakespear said.
In Anchorage, the Municipal Assembly passed a bag ban in 2018, and it went into effect in September of 2019 after being signed into law by former Mayor Ethan Berkowitz. The law makes it illegal for a retailer to provide any plastic shopping bags for a purchaser to carry away goods. Retailers are forced to charge for paper bags they provide to customers.
There has been no study released in Anchorage that shows whether the 2019 bag ban has led to the increase or decrease in waste at landfills. The Anchorage ordinance is different from California’s, which had allowed for the “multiple use” plastic bags to be sold. But beginning in January of 2026, only bags made with at least 50% recycled paper may be provided in California.
The article printed in the Anchorage Daily News on May 23, “For Alaska politicians, renewable energy is about the economy not the environment,” was written as if the author thought the environment should be more important than the economy.
My past commentaries have pointed out that a viable economy and the well being of the Alaska citizens during cold weather is much more important than counting carbon dioxide molecules and many other environmental concerns. We are in the habit of taking care of the environment, but no matter how much we can care about the environment, we must have a focus on the economy of Alaska and the energy of Alaska.
Without a viable economy there would not be enough people left in Alaska to produce enough CO2 to raise a plant during the summer. Without a viable economy, without an adequate supply of energy our environment would be at great risk. Trees would become the primary source of heat as long for those people left in Alaska.
I’ve heard it said a number of times that Alaska is warming 2 to 4 times faster than the rest of the planet. Since I live here, and have for a long time, it has not seemed to me to be warming much at all.
I did a little research. The USDA (US Department of Agriculture) has a statement on line at “Alaska and a Changing Climate” from the USDA Northwest Climate Hub: “Alaska is at the forefront of climate change. Because of its northern latitude and seasonal changes in sea ice, the state is warming at two to three times the rate of the global average. Rising temperatures can be tied to most of the effects of climate change in Alaska. Reduced ice coverage, including shrinking glaciers, retreating sea ice, and thawing permafrost, are all serious impacts of rapid warming.”
I looked at some recent reports and recent data and found that they are comparing current annual average air temperatures with average annual air temperatures from the past. For years in which there are no extreme low temperatures (e.g. -30 to -60 degrees F) the average anomaly appears to 8 or 9 degrees, but the high temperatures for the year are pretty much what we are used to. It is not that we have hotter weather; we just have less cold in the winter. With the “less cold” winters there is some warming of the surface soil, some deeper thawing (or less freezing) of the active layer into the upper portion of the permafrost and there has been some warming of permafrost to depth of 50 ft., but it is still frozen.
I think there is some dishonesty in how data and information about Alaska are presented to the public. In other words, people are lying about the climate.
I had difficulty finding soil temperature measurement profiles, from the upper soil level, the active layer that freezes and thaws annually. It looks like researchers are more focused on monitoring CO2 and methane in the upper soil layers, than they are of the temperature profile of the active layer. What I did demonstrate to myself is that Alaska is not warming 2 to 4 times faster than the rest of the planet. The past two winters also indicate that we may be getting some of our extreme cold back to balance out the years that weren’t so cold.
Sean McDermott wrote a commentary, “There’s nothing radical about protecting the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska,” published in the Alaska Beacon May 23. His first sentence began with “With climate change rapidly reshaping the Arctic…”
Aside from the eroding of river banks and coastal features along our shore line, I question whether there is rapid reshaping of the Arctic. We have had a warming that has extended the growing season and which also reduced some of our discontinuous permafrost in the southern areas of the State. McDermott compared the Northwest Arctic Boroughs push for heat pumps and solar power as more positive than advocating for future oil development. One has nothing to do with the other. Solar panels and heat pumps are a local issue that is being addressed because there is no central power source that can distribute energy to the remote communities. Oil and gas development is about Alaska’s economic viability. The solar panels, wind turbines ,and other alternative energy sources for remote communities in Alaska need to be paid for somehow, and a very active Alaska economy is a good way to do it.
And there is something radical about the change in the management of the National Petroleum Reserve in Alaska. We’re seeing an extreme change from earlier policy that greatly affects Alaska’s ability to have some control over how it drives its economy.
Alaska needs to provide some defense against the radical announcements about the condition of the Arctic and ensure that certain data are collected and maintained for those, who really care about conditions in Alaska, to refer to as daily decision are made. The Data should be at least air temperature, soil temperature profiles (with active layer and permafrost, heating degree days, precipitation and snow depth. Let’s find out if we really have a warming problem,
I’ll be discussing some of the other features of Alaska and the world which may demonstrate that we are not in danger from our weather.
And to reflect on this last legislative session, if there is one producer who would say that a reduced royalty payment for Cook Inlet Natural Gas would make all the difference such that they would be able to begin drilling new gas wells in Cook Inlet, then the legislature should be called into special session. It would be for the good of Alaska.
Robert Seitz is an electrical engineer and lifelong Alaskan.
West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, retiring from the Senate this year, has reregistered as having no party affiliation.
The lifelong Democrat has hinted this day would come for him. The Democrat party has become far too radical for him, but he’s not a fit for the Republican Party either.
“Today, our national politics are broken and neither party is willing to compromise to find common ground,” Manchin said. “To stay true to myself and remain committed to put country before party, I have decided to register as an independent with no party affiliation and continue to fight for America’s sensible majority.”
Manchin, an ally of Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski, has long been a centrist. He was West Virginia governor before he ran and won for Senate in 2010.
In 2022, he endorsed Murkowski for Senate, crossing party lines to do so. Two years earlier, he endorsed Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine. Earlier this year, the “No Labels Party” entertained the idea of running Manchin as its candidate for president.
Sen. Murkowski has also hinted that she might not have a home in the Republican Party, especially if Donald Trump wins the party’s nomination during the Republican National Convention in July, which she has said she will not be attending.
Alaska’s political leaders and pundits weighed in on the 34-felony conviction of President Donald Trump in a Manhattan court on Thursday. Here are some of the formal statements issued Thursday:
Gov. Mike Dunleavy: This is a terrible day for the United States of America. The majority of people following these cases believe they are politically motivated to harm President Trump’s chances at winning in November. We need to have faith in the higher courts that they will overturn this decision — allowing the people of this great country to decide who the next president is in November and not the courts. We hope and pray the higher courts do the right thing and that government of the people, by the people for the people endures. My thoughts and prayers go out to President Trump and his family, and like millions of my fellow Americans, we hope this issue is resolved quickly.
Sen. Dan Sullivan: This is a very sad day for America and the rule of law. The conviction of a former President—the leading candidate for the White House—just months before the election sets a dangerous precedent and pushes our great nation even further into banana republic territory. This case, brought by a far-left, partisan local prosecutor who campaigned on getting Trump, exemplifies the old Soviet adage: Show me the man, I’ll show you the crime. President Trump should be exonerated on appeal. The 2024 presidential election should be decided at the ballot box, not by this unprecedented political prosecution. I trust that the American people will see through this gross abuse of our justice system.
Sen. Lisa Murkowski: No comment.
On Friday at 12:30 p.m., Lisa Murkowski commented: Yesterday, a New York jury found former president Trump guilty of falsifying business records. This is the first step in the legal process. The former president has the right to appeal and I fully expect him to exercise that right. It is a shame that this election has focused on personalities and legal problems rather than a debate about policies that would lift up Americans. These distractions have given the Biden campaign a free pass as the focus has shifted from Biden’s indefensible record and the damage his policies have done to Alaska and our nation’s economy, to Trump’s legal drama. A Republican nominee without this baggage would have a clear path to victory.
Rep. Mary Peltola: No comment.
Congressional candidate Nick Begich: Today’s verdict in New York is a travesty. The American people see clearly that lawfare, venue shopping, and a biased judge have delivered a miscarriage of justice. Trump will be victorious in November, and we will begin repairing from Joe Biden’s disastrous 4 years in office.
Congressional candidate Nancy Dahlstrom: The Democrats have weaponized our justice system and think they can use it to target their political opponents. Americans have watched this scam trial for weeks and saw it for exactly what it is: a joke. One person completely silent? Mary Peltola. Alaska deserves a representative who calls it like it is and speaks out against blatant attacks on justice. Alaskans stand with President Trump and we will show our support at the ballot box this November.
Alaska Republican Party: No President in the history of our country has ever been persecuted like President Donald J. Trump. The weaponization of the justice system against President Trump, as evidenced in this travesty of a verdict, is an outrage and a disgrace to us all. It is also a stark example of where the leftists in our country, with Joe Biden at the helm, have taken our great nation. President Trump will be victorious in November. We look forward to taking back the White House and getting to work on righting the wrongs the Biden Administration has wrought on our country and our great state. The Alaska Republican Party stands with President Donald J. Trump. Stand with us. ~ Carmela J. Warfield Chairman, Alaska Republican Party, Craig Campbell Cynthia Henry, National Committeeman National Committeewoman.
Launching earlier this year, the group claims to exist to help Alaska benefit from the hundreds of billions of dollars doled out through the combination of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and the Inflation Reduction Act.
They even tout a bipartisan group of former legislators as “senior advisors;” attempting to embrace a down-the-middle approach to energy solutions for the state.
But behind the innocuous name and glossed-over mission statement lurks a parent organization, funding and mission directly opposed to Alaska’s current resource-based economy.
Founded by a former staffer for the League of Conservation Voters, Arabella has become one of the Left’s financial behemoths. In 2020, Arabella’s nonprofit network boasted total revenues exceeding $1.67 billion and total expenditures of $1.26 billion, all while paying out $896 million in grants. The beneficiaries were largely other left-leaning and politically active nonprofits.
Arabella, through its network of affiliates, funds efforts to pack the Supreme Court, replace the Electoral College with a popular vote, force national mail-in voting, nationalize healthcare (i.e., Medicaid-for-all), allow abortion-on-demand throughout a pregnancy and advance LGTBQ+ and transgender rights.
Alaskans have seen Arabella’s affiliates drive numerous anti-development missions over the past decade. They supported ballot measures designed to harm Alaska’s oil, gas and mining sectors. If there’s been a “stop-this-project” movement –- from Pebble Mine to the Ambler Road to drilling in ANWR or the National Petroleum Reserve-Alaska (NPR-A) –- chances are Arabella’s network of shadow organizations have been involved.
Arabella’s use of different names of organizations and people could make anyone dizzy, and perhaps that is the point. By playing constant shell games with their millions, these groups can dip in and out of the limelight to make us think their positions are grassroots. It is the very definition of political astroturf.
So, how is New Energy Alaska affiliated with Arabella? Let’s follow a quick trail of websites, starting with New Energy Alaska’s. It states, under the “About” tab, that it is “hosted by the Alaska Venture Fund.” Go to Alaska Venture Fund’s, and they don’t even try to hide the fact it is a “project of the New Venture Fund”, as it proudly displays that statement on its main webpage. Of course, the New Venture Fund is one of Arabella’s holdings.
What should be most concerning to Alaskans who care about our energy and economic futures is that Arabella is overt when it comes to its support of net-zero politics, noting on its website:
Arabella is working with several climate funders across the United States to advance ambitious clean energy policies at the state and municipal level. We currently manage grants to 100 percent clean energy campaigns in key states such as New York, California, Florida, and Washington. We also supported a post-Paris [Climate Accord] convening of global climate leaders in partnership with Climate Action Network Internationalto craft country-level plans to meet the goals established in the agreement. We can tap into these relationships and initiatives to help the governors promote and grow the Initiative and advance ambitious new commitments to curb emissions.
Embracing net-zero policies in Alaska is ludicrous. Decarbonization would devastate our state’s job force and economy. Reliance on intermittent energy sources like wind and solar, in a state that is dark nearly half of the year would threaten life and property. Simply stated, groups like New Energy Alaska are part of the left’s tactics to weaken Alaska’s economy, energy grid and employment opportunities for future generations.
As Sun Tsu said, “If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles.” I know rational Alaskans don’t believe in the need to decarbonize. Too bad our enemies, including New Energy Alaska, won’t give up fighting us as we battle for Alaska’s future.
Rick Whitbeck is the Alaska State Director for Power The Future, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for American energy jobs and fights back against economy-killing and family-destroying environmental extremism. Contact him at [email protected]and follow him on X (formerly Twitter) @PTFAlaska
Rep. Mike Cronk has company in the Senate Seat R race. Democrat Savannah Fletcher, a member of the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly and already a candidate for Fairbanks borough mayor, has filed for the seat being vacated by Sen. Click Bishop, who appears to be preparing for a run for governor in the next cycle. She is dropping out of the mayor’s race.
Fletcher is on the Fairbanks North Star Borough Assembly and is a civil rights attorney. She is a hard-left politician but is officially unaffiliated with any party.
Currently, there are more Republicans than Democrats in the Alaska Senate, but Bishop and other soft Republican senators have put the Democrats in the majority; Fletcher would continue to award power to the minority party.
Fletcher says that as an attorney she has represented all of the tribes in the Senate district.
“I will no longer be running to serve as Mayor of the Fairbanks North Star Borough. I am proud of my work for the Borough and will bring my knowledge of local government and municipal issues into my work at the State level. I will serve in the Senate with the same passion and hard work that I have brought to my Borough service,” she said.
Making it official on Thursday was Rep. Mike Cronk, who was first to announce he would run for Senate Seat R, when Bishop announced his retirement. Cronk is from the Tok-Northway portion of the district, which is the largest Senate district geographically in the state, covering much of the Interior of Alaska.
On Thursday, Anchorage Republican Rep. Tom McKay formally switched up his campaign plans. Instead of running for reelection for House District 15, he decided to challenge Democrat Sen. Matt Claman, who represents Senate Seat H. Already running against Claman is former Rep. Liz Vazquez, a Republican.
At about the same time, former State Sen. Mia Costello filed for McKay’s seat in House District 15. That south Anchorage district has two Democrats running — Dustin Darden and Denny Wells. Costello is a Republican who started out as a member of the school board, was elected to the House, then the Senate, and was bumped from office by Claman in 2022.
Claman is having to run again this year due to redistricting.
McKay is a former chairman of the Alaska Republican Party and comes from the oil and gas sector, where he has worked as a petroleum engineer. He first ran and won in 2020.
At a special meeting of the Anchorage Assembly on Friday, members are expected to certify the results of the May 14 mayoral runoff election.
The final results the Assembly will certify are, at this time, 42,597 votes for Suzanne LaFrance, and 36,961 for Dave Bronson, a 7-point difference.
Some 79,658 votes were cast out of 238,050 registered Anchorage voters, a 33.46% turnout in the runoff election. Official results will be posted after certification.
After the election is certified, a transition period begins. LaFrance has set up a transition website at teamanchorage.com. The website has a “get in touch” form for people to express interest in working for the LaFrance administration, which will begin July 1.
In addition to certifying the election, the Assembly has other items on the agenda, including clarifying that the Assembly is the official entity that can comment and respond on behalf of the Municipality regarding the Eklutna Hydroelectric Project proposed dismantling, stripping the power from the executive branch.
The Assembly will also vote to set a public hearing June 11 on the Municipality’s official position on the Eklutna Hydroelectric Project. Leftist members of the Assembly want to hold off having the governor make a decision. The governor has the final say on Eklutna.
The Assembly will also vote on reappropriating money from the Mayor’s Office to the transition expenses needed due to the LaFrance win. The Assembly had forgotten to make plans for the transition costs in the regular budget.
The Assembly will vote on something it has long wanted to do: Designate certain space inside City Hall as “Assembly Premises” over which it has sole authority.
