Sustainable North

From the Fairbanks Daily News Miner August 7th, 2008
Passing even more of private energy costs in Alaska to state government is a policy fraught with long-term peril, but since the current emergency has made action inevitable, the Legislature should adopt a simple, limited program with a clear expiration date.
The program that best fits those criteria [...]

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From the Fairbanks Daily News Miner  August 7th, 2008
JUNEAU — With one day left in this special session, lawmakers are still without an agreement on an energy assistance bill.
The Senate likes its two-year, $1.3 billion package that includes a $500 payout for most Alaska residents and assistance with heating and utility bills. It passed the upper [...]

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From the Fairbanks Daily Newsminer July 15, 2008
High-ranking federal and state officials will be in Fairbanks this week for an energy summit hosted by borough Mayor Jim Whitaker and U.S. Sen. Ted Stevens to fast-track a plant to turn coal and biomass into power, fuel and heat for Interior Alaska.
Click here to read the full [...]

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From the Associated Press July 14, 2008
PARIS, Maine - Mark Bancroft’s new pellet-burning furnace hasn’t been installed, but he’s already counting how much money he’ll save over his old oil-fired burner.
Instead of paying $5,000 for 1,100 gallons of heating oil in the coming year based on today’s record prices, he’ll spend $2,000 on about 8 tons [...]

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The Portal On Retrofits, Training And Loans is now open to assist people in selecting a program that will help improve the energy efficiency of their homes through energy retrofits. The programs include Weatherization, Energy Rebates, and Second Mortgages for those wishing to improve the energy efficiency of their homes whether they rent, own, or live in a multi-family [...]

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From the Fairbanks Daily Newsminer July 8, 2008.
With little hope that the price of heating oil will go down before winter sets in, several entities have jointly opened an office to help residents be more energy-efficient.
The Portal on Retrofits, Training and Loans, dubbed PORTAL, is staffed with three pros who can help homeowners navigate through [...]

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From the Fairbanks Daily Newsminer July 5, 2008
A group of Dillingham, Alaska, fishermen hoping to reduce gas costs for the Bristol Bay fleet are sketching plans to turn salmon waste into fuel.
In Nunam Iqua in Western Alaska, a tiny utility hopes to spin power from the wind electric use will jump when a new school [...]

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From the Fairbanks Daily Newsminer July 2, 08
High gasoline prices have dramatically changed Americans’ views on energy and the environment with more people now viewing oil drilling and new power plants as a greater priority than energy conservation than they did five months ago, according to a new survey.
Click here to read full article.

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From the Fairbanks Daily Newsminer July 6, 2008.
Record-high prices for home heating fuel and utilities are putting a squeeze on family budgets throughout Alaska. People aren’t too happy about the situation, and many are looking for help. Gov. Sarah Palin and state legislators are evaluating additional ways to provide that help, both for the immediate [...]

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From the Fairbanks Daily Newsminer June 25, 2008.
FAIRBANKS — Borough Mayor Jim Whitaker has asked the Borough Assembly to extend a declared energy emergency and waive public-spending rules for a 2-month-old energy-emergency fund.
Whitaker said Thursday the cost of energy, which borough officials estimate has more than doubled on a per-household level in Fairbanks since 2003, [...]

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