Letter to the Editor
Cheap energy now
Published Sunday, May 11, 2008
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To the editor:
Our energy costs are sky-high, but the good news is that our elected officials are in a position to do something about that: The state’s general fund will experience a record budget surplus, and revenues will exceed expenses by $7 billion to $8 billion.
We all have been impacted by the high cost of fuel, at the gas station and when home heating oil is delivered. I just paid $3.67 for unleaded and rumor has it No. 2 diesel, standard fare for your home furnace, is now over $4 a gallon.
Though it is true the state should save to invest in future energy infrastructure, it is also true that Alaska’s people need help now. Next winter will likely bring higher costs, and many in this town will struggle this summer to get last year’s fuel costs behind them.
Gov. Palin should call for another special session and bring legislation to distribute $1 billion to Alaska’s households. Piggy-back the distribution with the permanent fund dividends paid in October. This will treat every Alaskan the same and the funds will arrive before winter. Plenty will be left for future mega-energy projects and paying the ever increasing cost of government.
Community Discussion
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This is a difficult one. We need relief but how to get it. $1 billion to the people, who wouldn't want that? That's over $1000 per person. Not per family. So a family of three children and two adults gets $5000-$6000 so they don’t have to lower the thermostat to 65 degrees and will not have to reorder their lives with less frequent driving.
Any plan that does nothing to reduce energy use is not much of a plan and will only recycle the money to the Saudis (the terrorists win). We have to face a real possibility that energy costs will never, repeat this "never", come down and we can not expect the state's resources to indefinitely support a losing proposition.
We are in a bad spot that will likely get worse and our way of living needs to be adjusted. It'll hurt. The State of Alaska is in a position to help but a blanket cash payment will give no answers only denial of the changes we must face.
In the spirit of striving for solutions as opposed to normal bitching I have to admit I don't have a bunch of answers but I do have a few ideas. One is that different areas of our state need different strategies. The population centers could increase and expand commuter transport. The state could subsidize buses and fares. I don't have the numbers but believe it would help more people and cost less. Some areas it may make sense for the state to pay a percent, say 20%, of families' fuel or electric bills but in the form of a rebate or directly to the energy provider. The energy providers may need to be examined for wind fall profits. We all will share the pain.
Great idea Gary ... let's just pound it all down a hole while we are at it ... spend, spend, spend. That seem to be all folks know.
Eliminate the PFD completely and put that money into renewable energy sources to distribute to everyone, not just the bush.
Gray's idea just spends the $$ and in the process, like the PDF, gives the Feds about 20% of it away in taxes. Brilliant!
Mike---
Why so intent on sharing pain? I dont mean to be insulting, but I dont believe that more bus lines is going to do anything to solve these problems. And I really dont understand your 20% payment to energy providers. What is that about? Extortion? You dont trust people to use the money how you deem appropriate?
No, I think that besides conservation and exploring renewable energy, we also need fuel. Clean coal sounds good. A NG bullet line sounds like a feasible project.
As for passing out a billion dollars of the state's newfound windfall, I think that if that's the way that we go, there would be a fairer, more efficient way than per head. It cost about the same to heat a home if it's 1, 2, or 4 people living there. There could be some adjustment home to home. Maybe some formula, using cost of fuel and square footage. Just a thought. My only qualifier would be that the person lives here.
Pain is overrated as a solution.
Why couldn't the Permanent Fund issue checks just for heads of households to offset heating fuel? It could be applied for by giving a copy of your federal income tax showing your status as head of household. This way someone with 10 kids wouldn't get a huge amount and yet families wont be freezing to death. Giving money to the energy companies and trusting them to pass it along is not the answer. The money amount could be based on the cost of a gallon of fuel oil and the kwh price that the local power utility charges. There could be a baseline established to where if energy falls to that or below the money stops. This is an energy state and it is a sorry state of affairs that we must pay and pay just for the essential energy to keep warm in our homes while the big oil companies make huge record profits and the PF keeps getting bigger and bigger.
Why not just spend your PFD and "stimulus package" wisely? For example, instead of a new flat screen TV, invest that money in efficient windows, weatherstripping, an extra blanket for the bed, a bike for the summer months, or a badly needed tune up.
Decrease demand, save some money in the long run, and quit asking the government to bail you out.
Oh yeah. I, the obvious Liberal, made that last statement.
If we are producing our own foam insulation,insulated fish totes and every other possible permutation of NGL off-takes including the HDPE pipe to carry it, we not only get the jobs, we actually get to stay warm in our newly insulated houses.
Someone above quoted 65F temperatures, that's a luxury.
Watching and maintaining 60F was the best many could do in Cordova @$4.35 for #2.
The Governor's impending announcement this week responding to this crisis should be a defining moment for this Administration.
We need to recognize we are surrounded by our isolation while being up to our necks in abundant energy.
However having our heads buried in the sand at the same time re: the abundant energy we the people own just shows we can't see the forest for the trees.
What part of supply and demand are we missing out on here?
Alaskans must solve this problem ourselves and that means now.
Sitka-Murkowski appointee Sen Bert Stedman made the quote "Winter is over" when confronted with the chance to begin working out of this crisis.
If they won't do it guess who that leaves if the Governor doesn't respond adequately?
I think she will but like I say, this is another defining moment for her administration, but it is even more a defining moment for all of we Alaskans to stand up as one for true life and death decisions regarding our present and future.
Hey Bert, Winter is coming and the smart sourdough is already collecting wood.
That might work Imright, but I don't have any flat screen tv, nor do I want one. My PFD goes into my checking account and gets used for basic necessities over the winter. What I want is a way to know that when oil soon hits 200 per barrel that i wont have to leave my home of 53 years and live in Florida.. UGH!
I hear Florida isn't much of a bargain, either. There are more factors than heating prices to consider.
Imusuallyright- i bet the cost of rebuilding every couple of hurricane seasons rates in there for florida
You can use a swamp cooler to cool your home in Florida.
Insurance covers rebuilding for most people.
Cars in the last ten years can go over 100,000 miles without a tune up. The last car I had with over 100,000, after I changed the plugs I seen no improvement in gas mileage.
You can change plugs, wires and air filters. Not much more you can do for a tune up. Cars today are made were tune ups are almost not need anymore.
Zero-
I'm beginning to think you're following me around these forums just to criticize me. Should I be flattered or disturbed by the attention?
Garry: RIGHT ON. While the State of Alaska is reaping windfall profits from outrageous oil prices, the citizens of Alaska are getting hammered with HIGHER heating costs, electricity, food, transportation and everything else, all at the same time. And what we are facing now is not going to get better as oil continues to climb to $200 per barrel.
Weatherization and Alternative Energy Generation are great ideas, but those ideas are only part of the solution...and for many of us, the half measures are going to be to late.
The $1000 addition to the PFD is a GREAT IDEA! But even that will not begin to make up for the extra costs associated with the rapid escalation of oil prices.
Governor Palin and/or the Legislature: CALL A SPECIAL SESSION OR SESSIONS UNTIL THE STATE OF ALASKA HAS DEVELOPED A PLAN OF ACTION THAT IS FAST TRACTED FOR THE "SHALL" OBLIGATIONS OF THE STATE TO ALASKANS.
Automatic thermostats can save you 10% to 30% in heating costs, depending on how you use them.
I had my drop down to 50 at night and used an electric blanket. Electric blankets don’t have to heat a room just you, so the amount of power they use is small.
Ocents: I am not sure if you live in rural Alaska? Because if you do, you would know you couldn't afford to plug in an electric blanket.
I agree with Garry. The State is getting filthy rich thanks to the current oil market. Meanwhile the individual residents are feeling the sqeeze. Three cheers for Garry!
I live in Fairbanks. One size won't fit all.
I don't have an electric blanket right now so I can't tell you how many watts they use. I have used them when I couldn’t afford to buy fuel oil or wood. I believe they use around 100 watts. At .25 cents a K watt that would cost .25 cents for 10 hours constantly on. They have a thermostat and if you use a heavy quilt they will not run constantly. I’m sorry but I don’t know what you are paying for Electric. The savings comes from lowering your thermostat down 10 to 20 degrees.
Remember when the politicians were trying to get all the land in
the area to be used to build the pipeline. They promised us cheap
fuel and heating oil would be the result. I am still waiting.
IUR
I don’t think I’m criticizing you. I was just adding a little more information to your post.
Maybe you should be flattered because you gave me something to post about. I like your extra blanket.
I beat you to one forum, not this one.
I don’t consider myself a Zero.
Maybe I will change my name to one cent.
Happy Mothers Day.
I just got done reviewing the figures. Republicians and Democrats alike need to unite behind this idea! Even with Garry's proposed disbursements the State is still going to have AT LEAST 6 B-B-B-BILLION in excess.
Sorry folks, new bus routes and electric blankets aren't going to combat the rising prices of FOOD and FUEL for your car and home. There is no sign that either of those is going to fall anytime soon.
The state MUST step in, for the sake of its residents.
The state won’t step in, they make too much money.
Fuel and food prices will rise. They will only offer you a band aid.
Conserving on home heating by 30% will save you money, but they will raise prices.
Conserving energy will not combat rising prices.
Republicans and Democrats or Democrats and Republicans (anyway you would like to list them) will do nothing. Both are paid off to give lip service.
Ocents: $0.25/kWh? How about $1.00/kWh and electric rates are going up. For eight hours (none of this 10 hours sleeping in) times 30 days equals $240. per month for the privilege of having an electric blanket and icicles on the water bucket.
Lights are extra...(**)
One Cent-
I don't consider you a zero, either. It's just a nickname.
A kw hour is 1000 watts. To run 100 watts for eight hours will cost you .80 cents not eight dollars. If you house is at 50 degrees you won't have ice in you water bucket. You can turn your house heat down to 60 degrees. If you are using wood and not oil then it's a lot harder to control your temperature on the floor.
Ocents: I checked on wattage of electric blanket ~ 200 watts, around my house the kids get a blanket too, hence 1000 watts per hour. Correct on wood for heat, as heating fuel would make urban ALASKANS gasp at the price. Extreme weather mummy sleeping bags cost a little more up front but are cheaper in the long run than electric blankets.
Since you said you live in Fairbanks, you might want to take a trip to interior rural Alaska see why people out in the bush don't have big houses and wear their bunny boots in the house. You might get some GREAT ideas on how to survive from a Government that could care less about you and your family.
Factors:
We need to change the way many of us live and many of us won't like the changes.
The State can help but not indefinitely except thru infrastructure. The most likely immediate band-aid might be some sort of temporary rebate for energy bills.
People have to accept responsibility for themselves. Drive less, burn wood, grow what food you can, have fewer children and toys, get another job, and leave if you have to.
Stop exaggerating, very few living Americans have ever known true hard times. Talk of starving and freezing to death is just talk, probably from too much tv.
BTW before everyone gets too carried away I might not6t know much but I do know something about hunger and cold.
Makes sense, mike.
Gov Palin, I have supported you 100% since the start of your administration. I have told friends all over the interior that I support you and your administration. I believe ALL of my friends also support you. We are feeling the pinch of these drastic prices and winter will be coming soon. Personally I will be burning wood and will not freeze, but many are looking at the possibility of having to leave...and these folks are not "johnny come latelys" they are 25 and 30 yr Alaskans!! I submit that you call a special session and tell the legislature that they need to come up with the plan to fast track NG by whatever kind of a pipeline that makes sense, and have the plan out quickly!! The plan that Distant Thunder talks about, the plastic pipe, seems it could use some consideration. We need something NOW. I know your staff reads these comments because you have commented yourself on here, so please, good Alaskans are needing your help, and need it now. Thank you for your consideration to the folks in the interior. By the way, the bush is hurting MUCH worse than even here in Fbks.
If you disagree with the idea of State giving a little back to its residents, then you're a complete and utter boob that hasn't been paying attention.
This problem's only going to get worse people. Meanwhile the State, IS GETTING FILTHY RICH (with no sign of slowing down).
We can still re-invest the 6 BILLION. DOLLAR. SURPLUS (!), by further development of oil resources, alternative energy, etc.
We don't need a energy plan, or need the state of AK to fund households, we need to get rid of the EPA and start over.
There is plenty of oil, but thanks to the EPA there is no sense in drilling it because there are so few places to refine it, we can't build nuclear power plants, even though much of Europe is using US technology in their nuclear power plants with no problems.
The liberals are going to bankrupt this country!!!!