Alaska: “Power The Future Energy Hour” Recap: Senator Murkowski Visits with Listeners

May 6, 2020

Every Tuesday night from 5:00-6:00 PM local time, Alaska State Director Rick Whitbeck hosts the “Power The Future Energy Hour” on KNVT (92.5 FM, 1020 AM and online at 1020KVNT.com).  The show (also replayed during the same hour on Saturday night) is heard throughout Southcentral Alaska communities, and acts as a recap of Power The Future activities in Alaska, as well as an opportunity to hear from various members of Alaska’s energy community.

Since the show’s inception in January 2018, it has hosted State Commissioners and Deputy Commissioners, members of the Governor’s leadership team, executives from organizations throughout Alaska who fight for jobs, opportunities and progress alongside us (The Alaska Support Industry Alliance, Resource Development Council, Alaska Oil & Gas Association, Alaska Miners Association and others), state legislators from both parties who have a role in energy policy as part of their legislative duties, executives from many of Alaska’s leading resource development projects (both current and potential), and Alaska’s senior US Senator, Lisa Murkowski.

The Senator joined the Energy Hour again last night and spoke for 20 minutes on the importance of American energy independence.  With supply chain integrity on the top of everyone’s mind as part of the response to COVID-19, she spoke about how mineral security – for rare earth materials and minerals in general – are not where she wants them to be. 

Her office is leading the way to changing that.  Murkowski’s “American Mineral Security Act” is working its way through Congress, and it would change the way the US sources much of the minerals it currently depends on from China, Russia and other foreign countries that don’t always have the US’s best interests at heart.

The talk on the Energy Hour was especially poignant and timely, as this morning, the International Energy Agency published an article on how the post-COVID world would need reliable supplies of critical minerals.  The graphs in the article show clearly that the US is almost completely dependent on many of those, and that our green energy, military and other crucial technological areas are reliant on foreign countries not holding those hostage.

You can hear the entire show, with Senator Murkowski appearing the second half, here.

We thank the Senator – and past and future guests – for keeping Alaskans informed on energy issues by appearing on the Power The Future Energy Hour.  Next week, we are scheduled to hear from Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy.  We hope you tune in!