Author: alaskaadmin

Alaska is about to see $22 billion invested in energy production and storage over the next five years. That’s real money, real opportunity and something we shouldn’t take for granted. What we do with that investment matters far beyond Alaska.

When you have a diverse energy grid, it’s harder to disrupt and less vulnerable to foreign pressure. That’s just common sense. Alaska can offer that diversity: oil and gas, hydropower, wind, solar. But only if we build it.

We should support programs that upgrade and modernize our electric grid and energy systems. Updated systems will be more efficient and can better handle extreme weather. They’ll be more secure from hackers and foreign interference. With clean energy, we can diversify our energy portfolio to prepare for any interruptions. For Alaska’s remote communities, renewable power is the innovation we need to make sure their power needs are met reliably.

For years, Senator Murkowski has been involved in shaping federal energy policy that supports responsible development of Alaska’s resources and strengthens long-term energy security. These efforts have helped maintain Alaska’s role as a key player in energy innovation. But we have more work to do. 

Investing in a clean energy economy will result in more manufacturing jobs here at home and not outsourced to other countries like China. It will ensure we have greater control over our energy supplies in a system built in America by American workers. If we don’t build it here, someone else will build it somewhere else. Right now, China is dominating clean energy manufacturing globally. They’re winning the race to produce solar panels, batteries and wind turbines. If America wants energy independence, we can’t outsource it. We must build these technologies here using American supply chains.

For Alaska specifically, that means jobs. Good-paying manufacturing and construction work for communities that need it. Fuel-free power sources also help stabilize electricity prices. I’ve watched communities like Kodiak and Juneau manage their energy costs in ways most Alaskans can’t. Kodiak used hydropower and wind to displace millions of gallons of diesel. Juneau runs almost entirely on hydropower. The result has been some of the lowest, most predictable electricity rates in the state. When your power comes from water or geothermal or wind instead of fuel markets, families and businesses are better protected from market shocks. Recent instability tied to the conflict in Iran has underscored how quickly global fuel supplies can be disrupted, driving up oil and gas prices and reinforcing the value of reliable, locally produced renewable energy.

Modernizing Alaska’s grid is equally critical. Extreme weather, cyberattacks and foreign interference aren’t hypotheticals. Our systems need to withstand all of it. That infrastructure work pays dividends for years.

 The practical opportunities are in front of us right now. Hydropower projects like the Dixon Diversion, a 50 percent expansion of Bradley Lake, could add real, affordable, clean power to the Railbelt while Cook Inlet gas is tightening up. We have the expertise and know-how to build things in harsh environments because we’ve been doing it for decades.

An America First energy agenda doesn’t mean picking one fuel over another. It means producing every kind of energy we can here at home: oil, gas, wind, solar and hydropower. It means building and deploying these technologies in Alaska, strengthening American manufacturing and securing supply chains.

Alaskans have always believed in using what we have and building things that last. That same practical mindset should guide what we build next. More Alaska-made energy where it makes sense, more American manufacturing and more control over our own energy future. That’s not just good for Alaska. That’s good for the rest of the country, too.

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