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HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 26
IN THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA
THIRTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE - SECOND SESSION
BY REPRESENTATIVES TUCK, Story
Introduced: 2/21/20
Referred: House Special Committee on Energy
A RESOLUTION
1 Urging the Alaska delegation in Congress to implement a renewable energy testing
2 program in the state; supporting the development and testing of renewable energy
3 resources in the state; and encouraging entrepreneurs to develop renewable energy
4 projects in the state.
5 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:
6 WHEREAS, to achieve economic security and satisfy the continuous rise in demand
7 for energy, the United States must reduce its long-term dependence on nonrenewable energy
8 sources; and
9 WHEREAS the future of the economy of the United States is dependent on access to
10 cheap, clean energy resources; and
11 WHEREAS the economic value of a renewable energy industry is enormous; and
12 WHEREAS employment in renewable energy is exponentially increasing while other
13 energy industries are struggling; and
14 WHEREAS the renewable energy industry provides employment opportunities,
15 including employment opportunities in manufacturing, installation, operation, maintenance,
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1 research and development, construction, and transport; and
2 WHEREAS the state has vast renewable energy potential from resources that include
3 wind, hydro energy, biomass, tidal energy, solar power, geothermal energy, and biofuels; and
4 WHEREAS the state suffers from high energy costs, particularly in communities that
5 are not on the road system and where costs are among the highest in the nation; and
6 WHEREAS, along with the highest energy prices, the state also has the greatest
7 variety and abundance of renewable energy resources in the country; and
8 WHEREAS investing in renewable energy development in the state would result in
9 technology that has been demonstrated to function in the most extreme environments in the
10 nation; and
11 WHEREAS the high cost of diesel electrical generation in rural areas of the state
12 creates an opportunity for renewable energy projects that may not be economically viable
13 elsewhere; and
14 WHEREAS the state has hundreds of isolated, remote microgrids that provide a
15 unique opportunity to test integration of renewable and nonrenewable generation resources;
16 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the development and
17 testing of renewable energy resources in the state to ensure the energy independence and
18 security of the nation; and be it
19 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature calls on the state's
20 Congressional delegation to recognize the state as the most suitable region for the testing and
21 development of renewable energy in the nation and to direct resources to the state for these
22 purposes; and be it
23 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes that the state
24 has the opportunity to become a leader in renewable energy development and that renewable
25 energy development could bring new revenue streams to the economy of the state; and be it
26 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature recognizes that the state
27 has the opportunity to become a viable renewable energy development center that has the
28 potential to export cutting-edge technology around the world; and be it
29 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports economic
30 development through innovation in renewable energy resources in the state and encourages
31 entrepreneurs to develop renewable energy projects in the state.
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1 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the
2 Honorable Dan Sullivan, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative,
3 members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.
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