Press Release Says, Legislative Resources & Energy

Haines field hearing Wednesday

Senate Resources Committee
Senator Lesil McGuire, R-Anchorage, Co-Chair
Senator Bill Wielechowski, D-Anchorage, Co-Chair
Senate Special Committee on Energy
Senator Lesil McGuire, Chair

House Special Committee on Energy

Rep. Charisse Millett, R-Anchorage, Co-Chair
Rep. Bryce Edgmon, D-Dillingham, C-Chair

HAINES – The Senate Special Committee on Energy together with the Senate Resources Committee will hold a joint hearing with the House Special Committee on Energy here tomorrow (Wednesday, Sept. 16) to take public testimony on development of statewide energy policies.

The public legislative meeting is scheduled at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Haines Karl Ward Gymnasium, 698 Old Haines Highway. Teleconference coverage will be available at 463-5073 in Juneau, or elsewhere in Alaska at 1.888.295.4546.

The hearing is scheduled on the second day of the September 15-17 Southeast Conference Annual Meeting FY10.

The joint committee hearing will include a briefing for lawmakers on the Kasidaya Creek Hydro project south of Skagway presented by Stan Selmer, Skagway manager of Alaska Power & Telephone Co. (AP&T). The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has licensed the 3.0 megawatt project that will intertie with an existing submarine cable that connects Skagway and Haines.

With Alaska at an energy crossroads, lawmakers focused on energy and related resources issues and opportunities have devoted much of the spring-fall legislative interim to inspecting innovative energy projects and hearing testimony from Alaskans throughout the state.

Legislative field hearings to date have included Fairbanks, Bethel, Dillingham, Chena Hot Springs, Eagle, Tanana, Circle and Ruby, as well as energy research programs at the University of Alaska and the Cold Climate Housing Research Center in Fairbanks.

Additional field hearings are scheduled during the Bristol Bay Energy Summit, Oct. 8-10 in Dillingham, and the Oct. 22-24 annual convention of the Alaska Federation of Natives (AFN) in Anchorage.