Contributed by Senator Lesil McGuire of Alaska

In Alaska, oil and natural gas provide the backbone of our economy. We are blessed with proven resources and continued potential for fossil fuel development. But Alaska is also uniquely situated to be a world leader in the development of cleaner, greener renewable and alternative energies.

Like many states around the country, Alaska has been a hotbed of new energy legislation and initiatives that aim to develop new energy sources, protect our environment and provide stable and affordable energy for our citizens, all while encouraging economic development and creating new jobs.

The biggest energy measure passed by the legislature in recent years- if not the state’s entire 50 year history- was the Alaska Gasline Inducement Act (AGIA), which created a framework to facilitate the development and construction of a 1700 mile natural gas pipeline from Alaska’s North Slope, through Canada and on to “lower 48” markets. This gasline, estimated to cost $40 billion, would be the largest construction project in North American history. Right now, we have two competing projects- one endorsed by the state and backed by ExxonMobil and TransCanada, and the other being developed via a joint BP-ConocoPhillips venture known as the Denali Gasline.

With some of the world’s biggest names in oil and gas involved with two competing projects being developed to bring Alaska’s vast supplies of North Slope gas to market, the future of this enormous undertaking and Alaska’s prospects for monetizing its long-stranded natural gas reserves look very promising.

Last year, the legislature also provided funding for the study and planning of a smaller, in-state “bullet line” that would transport natural gas from the North Slope to the interior to the population center of the state in south-central Alaska. The hope for the in-state gasline would be to provide affordable energy for Alaskans and to encourage value-added industrial processing of our natural gas resources.

Another large undertaking that the legislature is currently involved with is the development of a comprehensive, statewide energy plan- a policy document that can guide energy policymaking both in the near-term and for decades to come.

As Chair of the Senate Energy Committee and Co-Chair of Senate Resources, I and my fellow committee members have been holding field hearings throughout the state over the past several months in order to solicit public input and to listen to what various communities and stakeholder groups have to say about what Alaska’s energy plan should look like.

An omnibus energy bill will be a likely part of the next legislative session. Such legislation will include incentives for renewable energy development, the creation of a new fund for new and emerging energy technologies and the establishment of a net metering program that would allow people to put excess energy that they generate back into the grid.

Additionally, we are working above and beyond the bills that are currently in the legislature. We are working with regional and national organizations including the Council of State Governments and the Pacific Northwest Economic Region. We are also working closely with our federal delegation- US Sen. Lisa Murkowski, US Sen. Mark Begich and US Rep. Don Young- and federal agencies like the Departments of Energy and Interior to ensure that Alaska’s energy issues like offshore drilling, climate change and ANWR, are heard and addressed properly.

I am proud of the work that we are doing in Alaska and I hope that you might look toward our state for inspiration and new ideas on energy policy, just as we have looked toward many of you. I greatly appreciate the work that Women In Government, both collectively and individually, are doing to bring us all together to share ideas and to make a difference in our homes, our communities and our governments.