OPINION: Harnessing our power in local utility elections

A couple of weeks back, I found myself hooting out loud, skiing perfect powder down the north face of Magnum at Turnagain Pass. The sun was setting over the Kenai Mountains as my watch ticked past 10,000 vertical feet for the day. Deep snow, buried alders, and spring sun bring the magical backcountry windows that we Alaska skiers dream of all year.

I used to ski all year too. Despite this year’s deep snowpack, long-term trends present a shrinking ski season. Ice in the Arctic is now melting fast enough to slow down how fast the planet spins. Summer and fall snow have disappeared in front of my eyes over the past decade, along with innumerable subtle changes that blanket our State. Temperature records show that Alaska has warmed 3 degrees in the past 60 years, nearly 6 degrees in the winter. We have a front-row seat to a changing climate.

This is a collective problem that can feel impenetrable. Surely our only climate change salvation lies with intergovernmental agreements, Elon Musk’s latest tech innovation, austerity, or the latest Marvel superhero — or so the conversation too often goes. The truth is, we face a global challenge but also have a local opportunity. Incorporating climate change considerations into local decisions saves money, builds resilience, creates jobs, and sets us on a path toward a sustainable future. Solutions start with small-scale, often boring, local engagement.

My electricity comes from the state’s largest utility, Chugach Electric Association. Local utilities like Chugach offer a real opportunity to voice our vision for the future when operated as member-owned electric cooperatives. If you pay a Chugach Electric bill like me, then as a member-owner, you too get to decide where our power comes from by voting for board members who support your vision.

Increasing renewable production often sparks partisan bickering, but should be a nonpartisan goal; renewable energy lowers the bill and makes Alaska more energy secure.

Power generation is also not just tied up with climate change, but has huge impacts on recreation, subsistence, household expenses and public land use — utilities across the state shape our future. Chugach Electric serves just more than 90,000 members, but in 2023, fewer than 15,000 voted in the utility’s board elections. Incumbent candidates in this year’s board election, Sam Cason and Mark Wiggin, both support expanding renewable energy in order to secure long-term affordability for ratepayers.

Challengers allege the current board was “handed over to the greens” in the last election. One central criticism focuses on the recently passed board resolution in support of a bipartisan Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS), which would require Chugach Electric and other utilities in the Railbelt to diversify their portfolios with an increasing percentage of renewable generation.

A study by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory — published last month — shows that the cheapest energy system for the Railbelt would be 76% renewable by 2040. Currently, Chugach Electric generates about 15% of our electricity from renewable resources, the other 85% comes from burning natural gas. As the supply of Cook Inlet gas wanes, the price has steadily increased and utilities have to import an increasing amount of gas from elsewhere (costing up to three times as much). The NREL study found that the proposed RPS would save consumers an average of $105 million per year, even after factoring in the costs of integrating intermittent renewable energy resources like wind and solar.

Money is green, too. Decisions in the Chugach boardroom dictate how much green we pay for electricity.

Chugach offers the lowest rates in the Railbelt and while new projects cost money, pursuing additional utility-scale renewable energy and storage will help keep prices down in the long run. For example, the Little Mount Susitna wind project could produce 120 MW of power with maximum output during cold snaps, and a recently installed battery installation is already saving money for ratepayers, an estimated $121 million over the next 15 years. These projects decrease the amount of expensive imported natural gas needed to cover the shortfall of Cook Inlet gas for generating electricity. They also allow for rethinking old infrastructure, like the 70-year-old Eklutna Power Plant (which typically accounts for only a few percent of Chugach Electric’s total annual power production). We needn’t be tied to our current power generation — more renewables create more options, and more options lower costs and emissions.

Minimizing energy costs, increasing local production, and building a diversified energy portfolio helps Alaska, our land, people, and climate. Best of all, we don’t need Captain Marvel to get involved. We just need to embrace the small steps, community engagement, and local opportunities at our door — Chugach Electric board elections are open to voting from April 17 to May 17.

You can learn more about the Chugach Electric Association election and hear local snow stories from Protect Our Winters Athletes, including local Olympic Nordic skier Gus Schumacher, from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 24 at Kincaid Chalet. This family-friendly event is hosted by Chugach Ratepayers Alliance and Protect Our Winters, and there will be free ice cream from Wild Scoops for the first 75 attendees. Hope to see you there.

Alexander Lee is a philosophy professor in Anchorage and Science Alliance member with Protect Our Winters.

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