Former Alaska lawmakers are calling on state residents to join the fight for a cleaner future.
The group of five former legislators wants Alaskans to urge the state's current congressional delegation to push forward in safeguarding federal funding for clean energy initiatives.
The state's investment in renewable energy has already allowed Alaska to allot $68 million of the 2026 state budget to clean energy initiatives. But the federal government still has to deliver.
About 9% of those funds are promised for the Renewable Energy Alaska Project, which promotes energy efficiency and renewable energy development in the state.
The organization focuses on energy education, policy advocacy, and community engagement, offering grant funding to emerging energy creators. It has also lobbied state legislators to fund the state's low-income weatherization and home energy efficiency rebate programs, helping more than 50,000 Alaskans make their homes more energy efficient.
Alaskans are already seeing the benefits of this shift to renewable energy. In 2024, state lawmakers made community solar power available to more than 300,000 state residents, causing a 10-20% drop in energy bills.
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But federal incentives and grants are in jeopardy.
Back in March, the Trump administration began canceling grants to clean energy projects, favoring reliance on dirty fuels. Federal funding to Alaska's renewable energy program has not yet been canceled, but leaders in Congress will have to push forward to see the money.
"U.S. Senators Dan Sullivan and Lisa Murkowski have been working to ensure previously awarded energy funds are delivered as promised," wrote the five former legislators in the Alaska Beacon. "But there is a fight ahead. The future of federal clean energy incentives is at risk in the coming federal budget process."
The group's pleas may be enough to push Alaska's renewable energy plan forward.
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Should the government continue to give tax incentives for energy-efficient home upgrades? Click your choice to see results and speak your mind. |
Absolutely 💯 While Senator Dan Sullivan seems to align with Trump administration ideals, Senator Lisa Murkowski's official website describes her vision for the state's energy future as involving "greater production of everything from oil, natural gas, and coal to hydropower, wind, solar, and biomass."
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