Tell GVEA - Don’t let the lights go out!
By passing the Big Bad Budget Bill, Congress ended the tax credit program that funds critical renewable energy projects and system upgrades.
GVEA, our local energy co-op, was already granted $500 million through this program, but they have not used these credits.
With the cancellation of the program, if GVEA does not use a portion of that funding by next year, they will lose all of it - that would be a loss of $14,000 per member owner.
GVEA must act quickly to sign a term agreement for wind power development or risk losing the biggest payout for electricity tax credits in Alaskan history.
In Alaska, we are facing increasingly high energy costs and a dire energy shortage, with some utilities, including GVEA, warning of the possibility of rolling blackouts this year. Wind and solar are the cheapest and quickest sources of energy available to us. GVEA has already secured the funding for these projects, but for three years, they’ve been dragging their feet on signing an agreement to buy new wind power.
GVEA has a strategic generation plan, passed in 2022, it has the data showing that adding wind would be the most economical choice, and most of all, it has the money to pay for it … but only for so long.
It is time for GVEA to step up and use the money they worked so hard to obtain.
We are calling on the GVEA board to:
1) Direct management to sign a term sheet before Sept 1st with interested wind projects
2) Sign at least one Power Purchase Agreement for a wind project before the end of the year.
We are looking to rally as many member-owners as we can to attend the upcoming GVEA meeting on Tuesday and testify on this issue.
A large in-person showing will have the most power, but if you can’t make it in person, you can testify over the phone. If you can’t make it at all to this meeting, you can still write to your board member.
Not sure who your board member is? Ask GVEA, look on your electricity bill, or see below:
District 1 Map – Dave Messier ((708) 846-9919; DMessier@gvea.com): Includes the railroad industrial area, which includes Well Street and Phillips Field Road south of the Johansen Expressway to the Chena River; Graehl Subdivision to Hamilton Avenue and north of Adak Avenue; heading north out of Fairbanks, the general area west of the Steese Highway, including Fox, Chatanika, Haystack and Elliot Highway; Farmers Loop, Goldstream, Murphy Dome and Sheep Creek Roads; the University of Alaska; College Road and north of Noyes Slough, excluding Lemeta Subdivisions south of College Road.
District 2 Map –Tom Delong ((907) 347-6215; TDeLong2@gvea.com): Includes Lemeta Subdivision; the general area south of Noyes Slough and north of the Chena River; Doyon Estates; Danby Street; Aurora Subdivision, Geist Road; University West; Chena Ridge; Goldhill Road; Ester; and the Parks Highway south to Mile 343.
District 3 Map – Rick Solie ((907) 374-8194; rjsolie@gvea.com): Includes the area south of the Chena Small Tracks and east of Chena Pump to Rosie Creek; the west side of Fairbanks, south of the Chena River, west of Peger Road and south of Airport Way; north of Richardson Highway to Woll Road; and south of the Chena River and Chena Slough over to Nordale Road; and Richardson Highway west of Mile 352.
District 4 Map – Gary Newman ((907) 488-2001; gnc@gvea.com): Includes downtown Fairbanks, north of Airport Way and east of Peger Road up to the Chena River; the subdivisions of Island Homes, Hamilton Acres, Shannon Park and Birchwood Homes; all areas east of the Steese Highway heading north out of Fairbanks and south of Goldstream Road, including Chena Hot Springs Road; also Secluded Acres Subdivision, located east of Fort Wainwright and north of the Chena River.
District 5 Map – Bradley Swope ((907) 651-6601; brad18th@gmail.com): Includes the area of North Pole; the Richardson Highway from Mile 352 and the east side of Woll Road; Nordale Road; the area north of Chena Slough; Moose Creek; Eielson; and south to the Salcha River.
District 6 Map – John Sloan ((907) 322-4391; sloanster1@gmail.com): Includes Delta Junction, Fort Greely and all areas south of the Salcha River, including Harding and Birch Lakes.
District 7 Map – Krista Zappone ((509) 868-3574: tmadams@gvea.com): Includes the areas of Nenana, Clear, Anderson, Healy, McKinley Village and Cantwell.
