SB 101 is currently in the Senate Labor and Commerce Committee, and HB 121 is currently in the House Energy Committee.
The legislators in these committees need to hear from you NOW for this critical legislation to take the next step toward becoming law.
To support SB 101:
- Send a handwritten letter to “Chair Bjorkman and Members of the Senate Labor & Commerce Committee” via the State Senate at the Alaska State Capitol (120 4th Street Room 3, Juneau, Alaska 99801). Alternatively, you can send an email to Senate.Labor.And.Commerce@akleg.gov with “SB 101” in the subject line. Please make sure the email begins by addressing “Chair Bjorkman and Members of the Committee.”
To support HB 121:
- Send a handwritten letter to “Chair Rauscher and Members of the House Energy Committee” via the House of Representatives at the Alaska State Capitol (120 4th Street Room 3, Juneau, Alaska 99801). Alternatively, you can send an email to House.Energy@akleg.gov with “HB 121” in the subject line. Please make sure the email begins by addressing “Chair Rauscher and Members of the Committee.”
Make sure to use our Renewable Portfolio Standard talking points as a reference when writing to legislators. There are several reasons to support this critical policy. Choose the ones that are most important to you.
Background
On Wednesday, March 15th, 2023, Alaska Senator Löki Tobin (D) introduced legislation to establish a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) for the Railbelt region in Alaska: Senate Bill 101. Representative Jesse Sumner (R) followed swiftly on Friday, March 17th, with companion RPS legislation: House Bill 121.
Railbelt utility rates are going to increase dramatically in the next five years if we do not diversify our generation portfolio. This legislation would require the five electric utilities on the Railbelt (the interconnected power grid that stretches from Fairbanks through Anchorage to the Kenai Peninsula) to generate a specified percentage of their electricity from renewable resources according to the following timeline: 25% by December 31, 2027; 55% by December 31, 2035; and 80% by December 31, 2040. The bill aims to foster collaboration between the utilities, with penalties possible only if the entire Railbelt region as a whole fails to meet the portfolio standard in any of the three compliance years. Twenty nine states and several territories currently have RPS requirements.
Unfortunately, aspirational goals don’t work. In 2010, Alaska set a nonbinding goal to generate 50 percent of the state’s electricity from renewable sources by 2025. Since that time, little new renewable generation has been commissioned in the state. Overall, Alaska currently obtains approximately 25% of its electricity from renewables. That figure is approximately 15% in the Railbelt region.
That is why, on October 27, 2022, the Renewable Energy Alaska Project (REAP) Board of Directors approved an RPS framework that includes the incremental milestones contained in SB 101 and HBH 121. An RPS will be an enforceable standard that the utilities must comply with.
An RPS will stabilize electric costs, keep precious energy dollars from leaving the state, diversify our economy, and attract new investment. Additionally, in February 2022 the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) completed a study requested by Governor Mike Dunleavy that found five different scenarios in which the Railbelt could achieve 80% renewable generation by 2040 without impacting customer reliability. All scenarios take advantage of the region’s current flexible generators and energy storage capabilities. Subsequent analysis conducted by Alan Mitchell at Analysis North found that reaching the 80% renewable standard would save billions of dollars in fuel costs over the next two decades.
Wind and solar can be developed quickly, and doing so will create thousands of new jobs. This 21st century workforce will diversify our state’s labor market and keep Alaska competitive in a fast-changing world.
WATCH: Executive Director, Chris Rose, presents to the House Energy Committee on March 16, 2023, about the need for an RPS.
Learn more:
Rps resource page