On July 1, Dave Bronson took the oath of office and became Anchorage’s mayor. My hope is that, shortly after that, he will take a long look at the Anchorage Climate Action Plan, recognize that it is a product of special interest groups, and toss it in the — environmentally friendly — recycle bin.
Most Anchorage residents know little about the plan, as they had nothing to do with its design or roll-out. But Southcentral Alaska’s environmental organizations know it inside and out, as they were integrally involved in its design. Unfortunately, their priorities run counter to those of most of Alaska.
The plan is ripe with language counter to keeping Anchorage as the hub of Alaska’s vibrant energy community. Its goals of decarbonizing the municipality are not only rushed, but would result in job losses. Transitioning from low-cost natural gas, for example, to wind and solar would increase costs (just look at your Chugach Electric bill — it includes an additional subsidy for Fire Island Wind’s production that hits the electric grid) and decrease reliability.There should be a way for Anchorage to become more energy-efficient, but it should be led by entrepreneurship and the market, not by government mandates.
The mayor and his leadership team have a lot to do to bring Anchorage back from the abyss the previous, failed leadership let us slip into the past six years. Here’s hoping for success in those areas, as Anchorage needs things to get better, quickly. But, while improving homelessness, lowering crime and right-sizing a bloated city budget are important, so is dismantling the Climate Action Plan and its economic impact to the city.
— Rick Whitbeck
Alaska State Director, Power The Future
Anchorage
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