(Ben Hohenstatt / Juneau Empire File)

Opinion: The good, the bad, and the ugly in Alaska’s renewable energy bill

Things get messy when we get to the bill’s definition of renewable energy.

  • By Dyani Chapman
  • Tuesday, March 22, 2022 3:05pm
  • Opinion

The good, the bad, and the ugly in Alaska’s renewable energy bill

Gov. Mike Dunleavy has introduced a renewable portfolio standard bill to the Alaska Legislature. Renewable portfolio standards require electrical utilities to generate a defined portion of their electricity from renewable sources. As the state director for an environmental nonprofit, I’m cautiously excited, because the bill has some good, but it also has some bad — and a little bit of ugly.

First off, renewable portfolio standards are a good thing, and Alaska should adopt one. Clear expectations for renewable energy paired with financial consequences for falling short and intermediate benchmarks work. This bill would require utilities on the railbelt to have 80% of their electricity generation come from renewable sources by 2040. That would put us on a path to 100% by 2050, which we need to reach. Most U.S states have these requirements, and they’re working; in fact, roughly half of U.S renewable electricity growth since 2000 can be attributed to state adoption of renewable electricity standards.

That said, things get messy when we get to the bill’s definition of renewable energy. What is renewable energy? Most folks immediately think of solar and wind. That’s a good place to start and great sources to have in our energy mix. But to take a step back, two more technical parts of the bill’s definition are a “resource that naturally replenishes over a human, not a geological, time frame” and that the “output of toxic material in the conversion of energy is minimized.” In other words, consuming renewable resources not only cannot diminish their availability but also must have minimal environmental impact. That’s a good beginning, but does the rest of the bill’s definition embrace those elements outlined upfront?

Nuclear in any form is not included, and that’s great. The production of nuclear energy creates long-lasting radioactive waste, and we don’t have a reasonable or safe way to deal with it. There is no acceptable place to store radioactive waste, and we shouldn’t burden generations and generations of our descendants with the maintenance and risks. For all of those reasons, any rumblings of adding micro-reactors into the mix should be shut down right away.

However, the bill does include new hydro-power within its definition of renewable. This should be removed. Our past energy choices changed the world in both good and incredibly bad ways. As we build our new energy future, we should make decisions that serve our environment well.

Dams disrupt ecosystems in horrific ways. There is a massive effort to begin removing dams in Eastern Washington in an effort to restore Chinook Salmon populations. We don’t want to be having that same fight here a few years from now. Salmon are vital to Alaska, and even building dams above traditional spawning grounds changes the way water flows and can make it harder for them to thrive. Additionally, dams are made of concrete, and concrete is a global warming pollution nightmare. The concrete industry is responsible for at least 8% of human-produced carbon dioxide pollution. It’s a false solution; we can and should do better.

The bill also includes waste-to-energy systems in its definition of renewable.This type of fuel includes wood, landfill-produced gas, and biofuels. These all pollute when we burn them for energy and conflict with the goal of minimizing the output of toxic material. Bottomline, combustion pollutes our air and water. Again, we can and should do better.

Finally, the bill includes the classic renewable energy sources: wind, solar, geothermal, and tidal. They’re classic for a reason. These sources are best suited to producing electricity without greenhouse gas pollution and with the least amount of environmental damage.

So, overall, we should be excited about the real possibility of adopting a renewable portfolio standard in Alaska, but let’s tell our legislature and utilities to choose sources and production plans for our electricity that serve our air, water, and futures well.

• Dyani Chapman is state director of Alaska Environment, an environmental nonprofit. Chapman resides in Anchorage. Columns, My Turns and Letters to the Editor represent the view of the author, not the view of the Juneau Empire. Have something to say? Here’s how to submit a My Turn or letter.

More in Opinion

Web
Have something to say?

Here’s how to add your voice to the conversation.

(Juneau Empire File)
Letter: Attorney general’s letter to libraries are an abuse of office

Earlier this month Treg Taylor, Alaska’s attorney general, published a letter to… Continue reading

An aging outhouse overlooks Tenakee Inlet. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)
My Turn: Murkowski’s bill will dramatically change map of public land in Southeast Alaska

There has been very little reporting on federal legislation that would greatly… Continue reading

(Photo courtesy of the City and Borough of Juneau)
Opinion: Choosing a seat at the table

To advocates for limiting cruise ship tourism and combatting climate change, partnering… Continue reading

A photo of Juneau featured on the front cover of this year’s annual “Economic Indicators and Outlook” by the Juneau Economic Development Council. (Juneau Economic Development Council)
Opinion: Troubling trends deserve Assembly attention

The economic indicators report published last month by the Juneau Economic Development… Continue reading

Passengers return to the Norwegian Sun on Oct. 25, the final day of this year’s cruise ship season in Juneau. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File)
My Turn: “Partnering” with cruise ship industry isn’t in Juneau’s interests

Regarding Jim Powell’s lecture at the Evening at Egan event on Friday,… Continue reading

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., questions Navy Adm. Lisa Franchetti during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Sept. 14 on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
Opinion: Music to the ears of America’s adversaries

Two weeks ago, U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan made a commendable effort to… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire File)
Letter: Thankful to see the construction by local Native organiztions

Sitting in my living room listening to nails pounding into the old… Continue reading

Fog drifts through the trees in the Tongass National Forest on Monday, Dec. 9, 2019. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
My Turn: A response to ‘There are no Landless Natives in Southeast Alaska’

Where to begin? Rebecca Knight’s — at best implicitly xenophobic and factually… Continue reading

Alaska Permanent Fund Corp. board members, staff and advisors meet Oct. 30 at the corporation’s headquarters in Juneau to discuss a proposal to raise the fund’s rate of return by making riskier investments. The idea stalled when advisors suggested the strategy and timing are ill-advised. (Mark Sabbatini / Juneau Empire File).
My Turn: Need for accounting and legislative oversight of the Permanent Fund

The governor or Legislature or both need to conduct an audit format… Continue reading

(Juneau Empire File)
Opinion: Imagine the cost of health and happiness if set by prescription drug companies

I’ve been reading more about prescription drug prices lately: How they are… Continue reading