OPINION: Chugach Electric elections could shape Alaska’s future

I applaud Chugach Electric Association’s pursuit of clean, reliable and affordable energy, much of which was articulated in an April 13 commentary by the Chugach Electric Association board chair and CEO. However, the full context of that piece is important to understand. I served on the Chugach board from May 2021 until January 2023, when I stepped down to prevent conflicts of interest with a new professional assignment and now write in a strictly personal capacity. I want to emphasize the importance of voting for three (of seven) Chugach Electric Board seats in what may be the most consequential election in recent memory.

Why? Because the Cook Inlet gas that fuels most of our electricity and heat is no longer cheap and plentiful. With gas contracts not guaranteed past 2028 for Chugach, we have five short years to figure out alternatives. Chugach’s decarbonization goal of at least 35% by 2030 is not going to solve our looming natural gas cliff. (As a board member, I voted against this goal because I didn’t think it was aggressive enough.) This means we will likely need to import liquified natural gas (LNG) from outside Alaska at potentially double or even triple the current gas costs. And even if a gas pipeline from the North Slope is built, it won’t be before Cook Inlet supplies decline. For Alaska residents and businesses, this means that electric rates will go up. How much and how soon depends on actions the Chugach Electric Board and Alaska Legislature take now.

There is also the issue of transparency and accountability to Chugach Electric’s members. The commentary’s authorship by the Board Chair and CEO certainly looked like an official company position, so why didn’t the entire board sign the piece? Did the board review the commentary before it was published? If not, why not?

It is for these reasons that I support the following candidates: Shaina Kilcoyne, Susanne Fleek-Green and Jim Nordlund. Each of these decisive and forward-looking energy leaders has pledged and demonstrated a history of open public engagement and transparency on these issues that we, as member-owners of our cooperative utility, should expect and demand.

Alaska’s future increasingly depends on affordable energy, and Chugach’s leadership is critical to ensure the prosperity and energy security of our entire state. As the largest utility on an electric grid that serves 80% of Alaska’s population, Chugach’s actions also influence the electric subsidies for our rural communities by setting the rates against which those subsidies are calculated.

Preserving Alaska’s energy independence should be a top priority for all. One need only look to European countries who are scrambling to find sources of natural gas from places other than Russia in the wake of the Ukraine war. Or, closer to home, where Interior Gas Utility in Fairbanks has signed an import contract with Harvest Energy that will significantly increase the cost of natural gas for its consumers. We are blessed with incredible energy potential in our state: wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal and tidal sources. Many of these are already cost-competitive and trending cheaper. Now is the time to move aggressively towards these sources to minimize the need to import LNG.

The Chugach Board is not the only piece of the puzzle. The Alaska Legislature can also help by passing Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) legislation. This law would provide direction to utilities for the integration of alternative energy, rather than paying much higher rates later driven by imported natural gas. Chugach Electric and the Legislature need to be championing these new energy directions, so that we can afford to live here — and our children and their children can, too.

Maybe you’ve never voted in a Chugach election because you didn’t think it would make a difference. You can make a difference, and it’s time to get involved. This spring’s Chugach board elections will provide critical direction for the association. Please join me in voting to protect our economy and our future by supporting Shaina Kilcoyne, Susanne Fleek-Green and Jim Nordlund. You may find out more about each of their backgrounds on the Chugach website. Chugach Electric voting links should have been emailed to members on April 19, followed by instructions in the mail a week later. If you can’t find your voting information, the Chugach website encourages members to call the Election Administrator at 907-646-7394 or 1-888-729-4679.

Erin Whitney Witmer lives in Anchorage; she is a former member of the Chugach Electric Association board and has worked in the energy and power field for multiple decades.

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