Power The Future Energy Hour Recap: Senator Lisa Murkowski

July 9, 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 had dozens of guests, including members of Congress, Alaska’s Governor, Lt. Governor, 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 and executives from many of Alaska’s leading resource development projects (both current and potential).

Our VIP guest last night – making her third appearance on the Energy Hour this year – was Alaska’s senior US Senator, Lisa Murkowski.  For the first ten minutes of the interview, the Senator provided an update on the American Energy Innovation Act, highlighting the scope of the proposal, which encompasses renewable energy, storage, cyber- and grid-security, nuclear and even regulatory reform and streamlining.  The Act, which has earned support from over 200 stakeholder groups nationwide, will help the US maintain its global energy leadership.

The second segment was spent on more specifics as to how the Act would benefit Alaska.  With Senator Murkowski a leading advocate for jobs in all sectors across our state, it was especially interesting to hear her talk about the overall economic effects this Act could have for Alaska.  It will also help to address energy costs – especially in rural Alaska.  The Act also includes language to grow mining across the country, especially for critical minerals that are currently imported from countries not always known to have the US’s best interest at heart, including China and Russia.

The Senator was hopeful that the Act will be on Congress’ docket in the coming weeks, and that its passage will be a reality this year.  We applaud Senator Murkowski for her continued leadership, and look forward to having her back on the Energy Hour soon.

Guests in upcoming weeks will include lawmakers, industry executives and senior-level government officials, as well as experts on Alaska’s resource economy and our budget.

If you’re not listening to the show live, feel free to catch the replay on SoundCloud.  You can catch this week’s show here.  Feel free to reach out to Rick at Rick@PowerTheFuture.com if you have ideas for future shows!