Representing the neighborhoods of Airport Heights, Campbell Park, College Village, Downtown, Fairview,
Geneva Woods, Government Hill, Green Acres, Midtown, Rogers Park, Spenard, South Addition, Tudor and Waldron
 

Working hard • Solving problems • Getting things done

July 11, 2008
 

Senator
Johnny Ellis

July 11th, 2008

SPECIAL SESSION
RETURNS TO JUNEAU

Friends and Neighbors,

         Wednesday morning the Legislature returned to Juneau to continue the special session on a natural gas pipeline. The past month has been a whirlwind. We began in Juneau on June 3, and from there held hearings in Anchorage, Fairbanks, the Mat-Su Valley, the Kenai, Barrow, and Ketchikan. We are inching closer to a decision on whether to award TransCanada a license to pursue a natural gas pipeline under AGIA. Expect the Legislature to vote up or down on the TransCanada proposal in a few weeks.

Reviewing gasline documents before hearings
got underway in the Capitol this week.

         While this special session was originally conceived as being solely dedicated to TransCanada’s application, along the way a number of other energy-related issues have popped up. With consumers paying more than $4 a gallon at the pump, along with record high home heating bills, energy has been a big issue for Alaskans this summer. With that in mind I wanted to shed some light on where a couple of these non-AGIA issues fit in with what’s going on in the Legislature right now.

• Energy Relief- Governor Palin has rolled out two different proposals for direct energy relief. The most recent proposal involves sending a $1,200 check to every Alaskan, suspending the $.08/gallon motor fuel tax, and making adjustments to the Power Cost Equalization program. I believe the Legislature will pass some form of energy relief this summer, although I believe investment in long-term solutions like renewable energy must be part of that package.
• Bullet Line to the Interior- The Interior has been particularly hard hit by high fuel prices. On Monday Governor Palin announced a plan for the state to partner with Enstar to build a bullet line to carry Southcentral natural gas to the Interior. At best this is a flimsy proposal. As we have heard for years, the natural gas in Cook Inlet is close to being depleted. Now we should send this nearly-depleted reserve northward? It is also incredibly speculative as it would rely on gas that hasn’t even been discovered yet. I will need much more detailed information to convince me this is a viable plan and in the best interests of the people I represent. The Administration has not formalized this idea into a bill.

Conferring with Senator Bill Wielechowski (D- Anchorage) about the various details of TransCanada’s gasline proposal.

• $21 Billion for Renewable Energy Projects- One of the more interesting ideas bouncing around the Capitol is to use the considerable surpluses the state has to fund renewable energy projects around the state. Other than the $21 billion number this idea is also very short on specifics. There are a number of ideas for how the state could invest this money: hydroelectric dams, wind farms, tidal power generation, and even coal development. You will hear a lot about this plan as the summer progresses, but I will push for any renewable energy bill to include just that: renewable energy projects.

         These energy issues will impact the state for years to come. Once we vote on the TransCanada proposal, our attention will shift to energy relief and long-term solutions. Along the way, I will keep you updated on our progress.

         Until next week,

        Senator Johnny Ellis

http://ellis.aksenate.org