Alaska lawmakers went a long way last session toward keeping their Southcentral constituents in warmth and light on winter's coldest nights.

Both the House and Senate passed House Bill 280, which provides generous incentives for new gas storage facilities and sweetens incentives for new exploration and development in Cook Inlet.

What this means is that the conservation drill that Southcentral Alaska had in October 2009 may never have to be more than a drill -- or an example for conservation and economy.

For several years now, Southcentral residents have been at risk of running out of power during periods of peak demand in the dead of winter, when we burn the most natural gas for both heat and light.

HB 280 aims to remedy that by providing a 10-year waiver on land leases and fees and a corporate income tax credit of up to $15 million for any company that builds a qualified gas storage facility. Cook Inlet Natural Gas Storage, a subsidiary of TransCanada, has a plan for such a facility near Kenai.

Large-capacity storage will allow Southcentral utilities to buy and bank more gas during the summer when use is only a fraction of that in winter, thus guaranteeing sufficient supply during the coldest and darkest hour of winter.

The liquefied natural gas plant at Nikiski has been the pinch hitter for Southcentral demand. During winter, gas has been diverted from LNG export production to the pipelines that supply the region's homes and businesses. But the future of the Nikiski plant is uncertain and it makes sense to encourage storage specifically designed to accommodate peak demand in Southcentral homes and businesses.

The bill also requires that the benefits of the storage facilities be passed on to the utilities and through to consumers. And because the need is urgent, the incentives apply only to gas storage facilities that begin operations between Jan. 1, 2011, and Dec. 31, 2015. In other words, if you want the break, build and deliver in the next five years.

On the exploration side, the bill gives a little more to producers looking to tap more gas. Tax credits earned in Cook Inlet can be used anywhere in the state; companies can use the full amount of their credit in one year instead of two; and the tax credit is a straight 40 percent, rather than 30 percent to 40 percent depending on the location of the exploration.

These are wise incentives to keep Southcentral in a smooth, steady supply of gas without digging too deeply into consumers' pockets. Rep. Mike Hawker and Speaker of the House Mike Chenault were prime sponsors, along with Sen. Hollis French in the Senate. This was good bipartisan work.

If all goes well, we'll never know what we missed in cold homes and rolling brownouts.