March 5, 2009

Conservation Groups Walking the Talk on Energy

From a Alaska Conservation Alliance press release:

www.akvoice.org

Alaska's largest conservation coalition is now on record supporting a hydro project and a gasline routing option through Denali National Park. "This is all part of recognizing how we get to 50% renewable energy by 2025 and relying on natural gas as the 'bridge' fuel", notes Kate Troll, Executive Director of Alaska Conservation Alliance (ACA).

The specific action taken by ACA includes a resolution of support for TDX Power's continuing efforts to plan for hyrdo project at Lake Chackachamna that is sensitive to potential impacts to anadromous fish as well as other environmental impacts. The Chakachamna Hydro Project, located on the flanks of Mt. Spurr, has the potential to provide up to 330MW of electricity to Alaska's Railbelt energy grid.

Two briefings with ENSTAR's President, M. Colleen Starring, convinced the conservation community to support a unresolved section of the gas company's preferred route through Denali National Park. "The apparent, logical, environmentally-preferable choice for the gas pipeline through Denali National Park & Preserve is the six miles along the Parks Highway," Troll wrote in a letter signed by ACA and seven other conservation groups. Troll said, "While we haven't signed onto to the entire routing of the bullet line, we wanted to provide a boost to the ENSTAR project because we see Alaska's abundant natural gas as an essential bridge to a clean energy future." The letter of support also requested that ENSTAR consider building a small spur line into the Park to promote the conversion of Denali National Park's bus fleet to relatively clean burning compressed natural gas.

"The conservation community is serious about being a constructive player in securing Alaska's energy future," Troll says. "We believe that these two most recent support statements, combined with our previous support for an Alaska natural gas pipeline project , are our way of walking the walk on energy and development. "Ideally, we would be weighing in on these projects as part of comprehensive energy plan but for now it's important to be supportive where we can."

For more information, please contact Kate Troll at 258-6174