Energy Crisis (Anchorage, Fairbanks: lawyer, health, homes)

[Majik_Imaje]

We moved out of Kotzebue in 2006 because we just could not afford the 900 dollar a month electric bill. Once you begin to use power tools in that area, forget it, the cost is prohibitive.

[rotorhead]

Is there some "secret" plan afoot for generating cheap power in Juneau? I was going to suggest wind generators, so as to take advantage of all the hot air generated in the capital. Of course, this still leaves you with the conundrum of what to do for power when the legislature isn't in session.

[Xa'at]

Originally Posted by rotorhead

Is there some "secret" plan afoot for generating cheap power in Juneau? I was going to suggest wind generators, so as to take advantage of all the hot air generated in the capital. Of course, this still leaves you with the conundrum of what to do for power when the legislature isn't in session.

The tourists generate a lot of hot air too.

There was a joke article in the hooligan (entertainment section of the paper) this week about what we're going to do with this gaping hole in downtown where a building burned down. One of the ideas was wind generators to catch the taku winds and political hot air!

[Arcticthaw]

Am I the only one to pick up on the alleged subsistance abuse in this email? If the urbanites that should not have subsitance rights because they are not living off the land, stayed in urban areas, the demand on the local wildlife would be decreased by a reasonable ammount, thus maybe requiring less predator control?

On the issue of fuel we all have to make choices and choose a particular life style and location to live. The high costs of fuel are hurting everyone. Wages will never keep up either.

Originally Posted by warptman

A friend emailed this to me the other day...

" Juneau got a shock and they are feeling

what all of our villages have been experiencing for seven years. Their crisis will

end in a few months but ours will continue. Any help you can give us would be

appreciated. All of our leaders in Rural and Urban Alaska: We need action from all of our

relatives and friends throughout Alaska and getting your email Rolodexes humming and

bombarding the governor's office and urban and rural legislators offices with email

messages demanding that our villages be declared energy disaster areas. We have

heard a lot of talk and have seen some action. However, we need to relief as

weatherization, conservation measures, and other programs kick in. We need help

now.We need messages going to the governor's office, urban legislators offices from

our relatives that live in urban Alaska. We know we have thousands of our relatives

living in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, Mat-Su, and Kenai. We need our people living

there to help us out. Many of our relatives are going to want their traditional

foods for next winter but it is going to be very hard for us living out here to

harvest what we need for ourselves, not to mention our relatives in urban

Alaska. Fuel costs are very high and it will costs hundreds of dollars more for us to

go Subsistence fishing, hunting, and gathering this year. If our urban relatives

come out for a visit they need to bring cash for gas, and a few cases of food stuff

from Costco, fishing tackle, nets, and ammo for hunting to help out in getting our

food for everybody. Many of our villages have been living under more extreme energy

conditions than Juneau and all urban communities and no gathering of 17 officials,

including commissioners ever met to consider all of the villages of Alaska that are

suffering more than Juneau at this time.Commissioner Notti knows about the costs of

electricity in our villages and that many of our villages pay much more than what

Juneau is facing. The problem is this: Juneau's "disaster" will disappear in three

of four months but ours will continue into the foreseeable future because no one is

taking our VILLAGE ENERGY DISASTER seriously.Our DISASTER consists of high

electricity costs after PCE. In addition, we have excessively high fuel costs. We

will be paying much more for our gasoline, heating oil, diesel, and aviation fuel,

and propane after the first spring barge arrives. Our prices go up in our villages

and never go down. Most communities in the Railbelt ride the rise and fall of crude

oil prices but our villages don't.IF our state is going to take action for Juneau

then it must do the same for all of our villages across Alaska that have been in an

energy disaster condition for over 7 years.We need to demand that the governor do

the following for us:



Declare an energy disaster for all of our villages across the state of Alaska and

include that issue in the upcoming special session.

Give Mr. Haagenson, Energy Coordinator, cabinet level status and convert the AEA to

the Dept. of Energy

Develop legislation that will create an Alaska Fuel Subsidy that will take our

Alaska Royalty Oil and have it refined at Flint Hills or Nikiski and have heating

fuel, gasoline, diesel, aviation fuel, and propane delivered to all of communities

in Alaska at no more than $3.00 a gallon.

Craft legislation that will reimburse all communities that waive all sales taxes on

electricity and fuel.

Push our Congressional delegation to adopt a moratorium on all fuel taxes. I am

hoping that our Rural elected leaders, regional organizations, state-wide

organizations will insist that village energy needs be considered along with Juneau.

Juneau does have a serious problem but all of our villages do as well. The 17-member group of commissioners and

other state agency representatives met for two hours Wednesday to consider how to

soften the blow of what’s expected to be about a 450-percent increase in utility

bills next month."

[DannyL]

Originally Posted by rotorhead

Is there some "secret" plan afoot for generating cheap power in Juneau? I was going to suggest wind generators, so as to take advantage of all the hot air generated in the capital. Of course, this still leaves you with the conundrum of what to do for power when the legislature isn't in session.

if you're addressing what I brought up, the answer is no. It has nothing to do about juneau.

but junueau has dropped it's electric usage by 32%, and so far no rioting in the streets. juneau has just gotten smarter.
juneau is a lot tougher than some people give it credit.

[arctichomesteader]

Originally Posted by Arcticthaw

Am I the only one to pick up on the alleged subsistance abuse in this email? If the urbanites that should not have subsitance rights because they are not living off the land, stayed in urban areas, the demand on the local wildlife would be decreased by a reasonable ammount, thus maybe requiring less predator control?

What I've heard is it's sport hunters from cities such as Anchorage and Fairbanks, not subsistence hunters (though some people who aren't really subsistence hunters have managed to fraudulently get subsistence hunting rights). I've read quite a bit on another forum I'm a member of, the AK Outdoors Forum, most of the members are sport hunters/fishers, relatively few subsistence hunters. Essentially, a lot of them are convinced they have a "right" to hunt for a trophy moose or whatever, and they could care less if their activities hurt those who rely on the animals for subsistence, they want to eliminate the subsistence hunting regs. So, these people continue to move further and further out from the cities as they hunt out most of the larger (trophy size) animals in areas closer to them. You should see how some of them attack anyone who defends subistence hunting or fishing...

[Bohemian Enigma]

Originally Posted by Bohemian Enigma
The solution is simple. In the short run, allocate surplus funds to the payment of the electricity bill. In the intermediate run, decrease the use of electricity. In most cases a large amount of electricity use is frivolous and can be eliminated with minimal consequences.

In the intermediate-to-long run, residential consumers of electricity can relocate to abodes which require less electricity, or, better yet, relocate to a different part of Alaska, which would bring with it additional psychic benefits.

So from a long term holistic perspective, it is evident that Juneau's so-called "crisis" can, indeed, be a blessing.

Dude, give it a try ...

Originally Posted by Xa'at

Dude ... Juneau as a whole has cut down on electricity use by 30% in the past half-month. We have replaced Xboxes with board games, dryers with clotheslines, and even light bulbs with candles. And we're still getting thousand dollar bills. Don't assume that we HAVE surplus funds ...

Dude, examine the income figures for Juneau. You will be happy to know that there are lots of surplus funds floating about.

Originally Posted by Xa'at

Dude ...Frankly, I wish you would cut out the snide comments about Juneau ...

Dude, it is good to see that the Thought Police are vigilantly monitoring the city-data discussion forums. Nevertheless, dude, the solution is simple: associate yourself with a different tribal identifier. For example, dude, try the Boston Celtics, neo-Marxism, or the Prussian army. The alternatives are innumerable. Any tribal identifier other than a hamlet on the coast of British Columbia will, in all liklihood, generate less angst and bitterness that this current tribal identifier.

I'm glad I could be of some help, dude.

Originally Posted by Xa'at

Dude ... If you don't like it here, don't live here.

Painted flowers have no scent.

Originally Posted by Xa'at

Dude, I don't even know how to respond to this ...

RES IPSA LOQUITUR.

[cobolt]

Bohemian Enigma reminds me slightly of User2

[Barkingowl]

Originally Posted by rotorhead

Is there some "secret" plan afoot for generating cheap power in Juneau? I was going to suggest wind generators, so as to take advantage of all the hot air generated in the capital. Of course, this still leaves you with the conundrum of what to do for power when the legislature isn't in session.

Well there are plenty of long winded academic types to take over.

[Xa'at]

Originally Posted by cobolt

Bohemian Enigma reminds me slightly of User2

No, User2 was at least an academic. Bohemian Enigma has clearly been smoking too much of the good stuff and actually thinks she's making sense.