📣Get Out the Vote! 💡Join the Susitna River Coalition at Bleeding Heart Brewery on Friday, April 25th for a Matanuska Election Association Ballot Party! 🎟️Meet MEA board of director candidates, cast your ballot via Smart Hub, and show confirmation of your ballot submission to be entered in the raffle for a number of prize items! 🗳️Ready to vote now? Visit SRC's how-to-vote page here: https://www.susitnarivercoalition.org/how-to-vote-mea-elections?fbclid=IwY2xjawJqHUpleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHofcN9aqLsLs06Y3n87XuWRhbBSE62zJw5RMBZwmqLYmvrGdsP4Zic1QouKe_aem_EEuIm4T-QbXZBdx20k1Wcg

A meteorological tower and ground-based LIDAR system in use on the Little Mount Susitna Wind project site to measure wind speeds and other variables If you're a self-proclaimed energy nerd, then you are probably aware that the newest version of the Renewable Portfolio Standard is making its way through the legislature. If you're not an energy nerd though, you should still care about the Renewable Portfolio Standard and how it will impact utilities, proposed projects, and your MEA bill! REAP (Renewable Energy Project Alaska) works closely with legislators and our communities on the RPS and has provided some great info: On January 21, 2025, the 34th Alaska State Legislature convened, kicking off the 21st year of REAP’s advocacy for policies that promote the increased development of renewable energy and energy efficiency in Alaska. For years, REAP has been laying the groundwork for local renewable energy solutions that will keep energy costs low and stable, stimulate in-state economic development, and minimize Alaska’s dependence on finite and foreign energy sources. There is great urgency to pass sound legislation that addresses our most pressing energy issues. With that in mind, REAP’s Policy Team is working with Legislators to make that happen by helping to pass a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) for the Railbelt this session. The most pressing energy challenge we face today in Alaska’s Railbelt region, from Fairbanks down to Homer, is the Cook Inlet Gas Crisis. Currently, the Railbelt region generates 80 percent of its electricity and most of its heat by burning natural gas that is produced from the Cook Inlet. In 2022, Hilcorp, the private company responsible for producing most of that gas, notified Railbelt utilities and consumers that they cannot guarantee their ability to meet the utilities’ ongoing gas needs after current supply contracts expire. This is because the Inlet’s relatively inexpensive and accessible gas is nearly depleted. Unfortunately, Hilcorp’s announcement aligns with the Alaska Department of Natural Resources’s projections that annual supplies of economically recoverable Cook Inlet gas are likely to fall short of the region’s annual demand as soon as 2027. This realization has forced Southcentral Alaska’s electric and heating utilities to consider alternative sources of energy, and it has led decision makers to propose several competing visions for meeting future energy needs in the Railbelt. Each comes with its own implications for the affordability of heating, electricity, and other goods and services in communities throughout the state. The urgency to act is high. In this environment, our elected leaders must champion energy policy solutions that foster alignment around a shared vision for our state’s energy future and promote action towards securing reliable, low-cost and stably-priced energy for ratepayers at the speed necessary to fill impending supply gaps. For years, REAP has advocated for the establishment of a Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) in the Railbelt that will require the region’s electric utilities to generate an increasing percentage of their electricity from renewables. Setting such a Standard would promote the rapid development of the region’s local renewable energy resources in a way that keeps local energy costs low and stable, stimulates in-state economic development and job creation, and promotes Alaska’s energy security by minimizing our dependence on increasingly expensive and volatile priced finite fossil fuels. In this pivotal moment for energy in the Railbelt, REAP’s primary goal for this Legislative session is getting RPS legislation re-introduced and passed before Railbelt utilities sign contracts for alternative energy supplies that could preclude us from realizing the myriad benefits an RPS could bring to the region and the state as a whole. Action Items to Get Involved: ✅ Learn More from REAP about the RPS! They have great articles, talking points, and videos about the RPS ✅ Attend your local utility board meeting and encourage them to support the new RPS. Here is more info about MEA Board Meetings ✅Vote in the MEA elections for Mark Masteller who supports the RPS. Learn how to vote here. ✅Attend REAPs Speaker Series Event on the RPS, April 16th 6:00PM on Zoom ✅ Read Erin McKittrick's (HEA Board Member) article about the economics of the RPS If you would like more info or support getting involved, feel free to comment or message me!

The next MEA Board meeting is scheduled for Monday, March 17th, at 4PM. Options to attend include in-person at 163 E Industrial Way, Palmer, AK 99645 or via ZOOM. Here is a copy of the agenda for the evening. I would be willing to estimate that 99% of folks who pay their electric bill in the valley have NEVER been to an MEA board meeting. I'm also not going to lie to you and say that board meetings are action-packed evenings where there is play by play significant action, but that does not make them any less important! MEA board meetings are the place to bring comment about anything you want to see from the MEA board. It can be as simple as standing up and saying: I want more renewable energy or I want MEA to move away from fuel costs! You could even come and say: I work 9-5 but had to take time off work to attend this meeting, why aren't they hosted at a more accessible time? A hot topic right now surrounding upcoming MEA election events is timing. All of the events scheduled for election season, and even this board meeting, are scheduled during regular 9AM-5PM working hours: Board Meetings: 4:00PM Candidate Forum on April 4th: 11:30AM Annual Meeting on April 29th: 3:00PM MEA consistently wants more input from rate-payers but continually schedules opportunities for public comment during 9-5 business hours when an estimated 84% of Americans are scheduled to work. If you are available and can attend on the 17th, please do, and if you can't send in a written public comment. You will find me sitting in the front row (there won't be many folks to search through), and I am more than happy to answer any questions you have about the process.

The age old question in times of social, political, and environmental discourse has come up once again in our community. If you, like many others, are asking how to get involved and make your voice heard, then getting active in local elections is an awesome step to see tangible impact! On Monday March 10th at 6PM we will be hosting a volunteer meet-up for Mark Masteller's campaign. Mark is running for reelection to the MEA board of directors in the Matanuska District. We are looking for volunteers to help us spread the works to re-elect Mark who is a proponent for clean, cheap, and reliable energy in Mat-Su. Utility board directors at co-ops play a super important role in making decisions that directly affect how your local energy system operates. Their responsibilities include: 1. Setting Rates: They help determine how much you'll pay for electricity, water, or other services. Directors assess costs, plan for future needs, and adjust rates to try and keep the system financially sustainable. 2. Deciding on Energy Sources: They influence where the co-op gets its energy. This could include the proposed coal plant in Mat-Su valley or renewable projects like wind and solar. Their choices affect both energy prices and the environmental impact of the co-op. 3. Policy and Sustainability Initiatives: Directors often guide the co-op’s strategy on things like energy efficiency programs, demand response, or community renewable projects. They ensure that the co-op aligns with both current regulations and long-term sustainability goals. 4. Managing Operations: They approve budgets, investments in infrastructure, and other major operational decisions. This includes maintaining the power grid, updating equipment, or expanding service areas. 5. Long-Term Planning: Board directors help shape the future of the co-op by making decisions about growth, technological advancements, and strategic partnerships with other utilities or companies. That's a lot of influence you can have! Energy is not only an environmental issue as projects affect air and water quality, but energy is a social justice issue. Affordability, environmental harm, and health implications of energy projects affect low-income, indigenous, and rural communities most. Stop by next Monday at 203 Kombucha to learn how you can get involved by voting or canvassing with us in March/April! If you can't make it Monday, feel free to comment, message, or send me an email at: allie@susitnarivercoalition.org.

Hey folks, My name is Allie and I work in Mat-Su as an Energy Policy and Community Advocate which basically means I get paid to advocate for you all as rate-payers! There are a million scary things happening in our world right now including a hole swath of social and environmental issues and energy falls into both of these categories. Cheap, reliable, and clean energy is a social issue that impacts marginalized groups first. The projects our utility co-ops chooses to support affect the environment, public health, and once a project is built, it is extremely hard to transition to new energy sources. Lucky for us, energy work is happening on a local scale and there are lots of opportunities to get involved in the energy future of Alaska, especially with Matanuska Electric Association (MEA) elections coming up in April. If you want to get more informed about the energy landscapes of Alaska, check out the Alaska Energy Transparency Project. Not only do they have an amazing blog full of deep dives on really interesting topics, they also do perform work to hold our utility boards accountable. Last Spring AETP published their first Electric Cooperative Transparency Scorecard. This scorecard assessed how easy it is for us as rate-payers to get involved, particularly with board meetings. In summary, MEA came in 3rd place out of the 4 railbelt utility boards, only beating out Homer Electric Association. AETP will be releasing another transparency study in the coming months gearing up for elections so this is a great time to get involved in holding utility co-ops accountable as their board works for you! Action Items • Check out the transparency score card • Subscribe the AETP's newsletter so you can continue to hold the MEA board accountable • Go to an MEA board meeting with me! The next one is March 17th at 4PM in-person in Palmer or via Zoom • Get fired up and ready to vote in the MEA election this April If you have any questions, want to get more involved, or are excited to join me for an MEA board meeting. Feel free to message or comment!